God's Fugitive: The Life of Charles Montagu Doughty

by James Andrew Taylor

Explorer, scholar, travel writer and poet, Charles Doughty was the progenitor of a noble tradition that includes Lawrence of Arabia (to whom he was a mentor) and Wilfred Thesiger: British writers who have been fascinated by the Bedouin, and in particular by that strange, mythic part of the world, the Empty Quarter (a phrase which Doughty introduced to the West). In the 1870s Doughty spent two years wandering through Arabia, first with the Haj pilgrimage, then joining nomadic bands of Arabs, sometimes staying as a virtual prisoner in far-flung desert towns. Unyielding in his independence of mind, the tall, red-bearded Doughty's aggressive refusal to conceal his Christianity made his travels all the more dangerous: he was threatened with death several times, spurned, insulted and often beaten by angry mobs. The story of his archaeological investigations and his wide-ranging observations of Arabia and desert life were published in 1888 as the famous Arabia Deserta, with its haunting opening sentence "A new voice hailed me of an old friend when, first returned from the Peninsula, I paced again in that long street of Damascus that is called straight." Feted by the literary establishment, Doughty risked all many times over in his obsesssive quests in Arabia. He often seemed possessed by an almost messianic vision of himself and found among the Bedouin a chivalry and honour that suited his temperament, as it did Thesiger's. Often, too, he found himself at odds with the authorities, his work and his genius, as he saw it, neglected. His long, impassioned and often paradoxical life makes him one of the great British scholar-eccentrics.

351 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2001

About the author

Credited as Andrew Taylor on most works.

Andrew Taylor has been a freelance writer since 2004, but he has been working in newspapers, magazines, and television, in both Europe and the Middle East, for nearly 35 years. Before that, so long ago that he can hardly remember, he read English at Oxford University.

After training on the Yorkshire Evening Post, in Leeds, he worked as a political journalist for the Press Association and the Daily Express in the House of Commons, Westminster, and then went to BBC Television News as a national news reporter. From there, he travelled to Dubai to work as a news editor, news reporter, news reader, and news-everything-else for Dubai Television (DTV) for five years, and then came back to England to run DTV’s London office.

He began writing books in the early 1990s. Then after being made redundant in a major reorganisation of DTV – an experience he later wrote about in Burning the Suit – he established himself in freelance writing and journalism.

Reviews

[Conrad · Rating 3 out of 5]

C.M. Doughty was something of an odd character. A bit socially awkward and rather old-fashioned in his literary perspective, preferring Chaucer and Spencer over other authors, and yet the modern scientific writings of Darwin and Lyell rocked his boat and caused him to doubt the validity of the Christian faith he was raised in. Nevertheless, when he embarked on his wandering journey across Arabia he made no effort to deny that he was a Christian (although he equated his Anglicanism with Patriotism as a British citizen as though the two were inextricably bound together) and refused to make any pretense of adherence to Islam - often to his own disadvantage as he faced opposition, hatred and death threats from many arabs. In the face of such opposition he literally turned the other cheek showing great courage and self-control realizing that self-defense could well cost him his life. There was also a certain degree of arrogance to him in that he expected fair treatment from those in authority simply because he was an Englishman and he felt as though he had the might of the British Empire at his back. Whether he was brave or foolhardy, or a mixture of both, he nonetheless achieved more than anyone had previously accomplished while enduring great suffering. His publication of his travels ‘Arabia Deserta’ became a very useful tool for Lawrence of Arabia as he led the great revolt against the Ottoman Empire and paved the way for future travelers such as Wilfred Thesiger.

[Les Sheldon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this some time ago and although I enjoyed it, I found Hogarth’s biography better, mainly because it contained less quotes from Doughty’s books which I felt were padding, Hogarth actually knew Doughty and was more objective in his views

[Dan C · Rating 4 out of 5]

You will learn something unusual if you read this book.

[Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not AS good as I remember, but still a decent biography, if slightly boring. I think it's the same reason I felt bored reading (but finished anyway!)T.E. Lawrence and Richard Francis Burton's biographies: all that desert. Man, there's only so many chapters about "rolling dunes" and "searing sun" you can take!