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My Life and Travels
An anthology of writings and photographs celebrating the outstanding contribution of one of the country's most distinguished and enduring travel writers, and the century's greatest living explorer.
Hardcover
First published January 1, 2002
About the author
Wilfred Thesiger
37 books205 followersSir Wilfred Patrick Thesiger, KBE, DSO, MA, DLitt, FRAS, FRSL, FRGS, FBA, was a British explorer and travel writer born in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia.
Thesiger was educated at Eton College and Magdalen College, Oxford University where he took a third in history. Between 1930 and 1933, Thesiger represented Oxford at boxing and later (1933) became captain of the Oxford boxing team.
In 1930, Thesiger returned to Africa, having received a personal invitation by Emperor Haile Selassie to attend his coronation. He returned again in 1933 in an expedition, funded in part by the Royal Geographical Society, to explore the course of the Awash River. During this expedition, he became the first European to enter the Aussa Sultanate and visit Lake Abbe.
Afterwards, in 1935, Thesiger joined the Sudan Political Service stationed in Darfur and the Upper Nile. He served in several desert campaigns with the Sudan Defence Force (SDF) and the Special Air Service (SAS) with the rank of major.
In World War II, Thesiger fought with Gideon Force in Ethiopia during the East African Campaign. He was awarded the DSO for capturing Agibar and its garrison of 2500 Italian troops. Afterwards, Thesiger served in the Long Range Desert Group during the North African Campaign.
There is a rare wartime photograph of Thesiger in this period. He appears in a well-known photograph usually used to illustrate the badge of the Greek Sacred Squadron. It is usually captioned 'a Greek officer of the Sacred Band briefing British troops'. The officer is recognisably the famous Tsigantes and one of the crowd is recognisably Thesiger. Thesiger is the tall figure with the distinct nasal profile. Characteristically, he is in Arab headdress. Thesiger was the liaison officer to the Greek Squadron.
In 1945, Thesiger worked in Arabia with the Desert Locusts Research Organisation. Meanwhile, from 1945 to 1949, he explored the southern regions of the Arabian peninsula and twice crossed the Empty Quarter. His travels also took him to Iraq, Persia (now Iran), Kurdistan, French West Africa, Pakistan, and Kenya. He returned to England in the 1990s and was knighted in 1995.
Thesiger is best known for two travel books. Arabian Sands (1959) recounts his travels in the Empty Quarter of Arabia between 1945 and 1950 and describes the vanishing way of life of the Bedouins. The Marsh Arabs (1964) is an account of the Madan, the indigenous people of the marshlands of southern Iraq. The latter journey is also covered by his travelling companion, Gavin Maxwell, in A Reed Shaken By The Wind — a Journey Through the Unexplored Marshlands of Iraq (Longman, 1959).
Thesiger took many photographs during his travels and donated his vast collection of 25,000 negatives to the Pitt Rivers Museum, Oxford.
Thesiger was educated at Eton College and Magdalen College, Oxford University where he took a third in history. Between 1930 and 1933, Thesiger represented Oxford at boxing and later (1933) became captain of the Oxford boxing team.
In 1930, Thesiger returned to Africa, having received a personal invitation by Emperor Haile Selassie to attend his coronation. He returned again in 1933 in an expedition, funded in part by the Royal Geographical Society, to explore the course of the Awash River. During this expedition, he became the first European to enter the Aussa Sultanate and visit Lake Abbe.
Afterwards, in 1935, Thesiger joined the Sudan Political Service stationed in Darfur and the Upper Nile. He served in several desert campaigns with the Sudan Defence Force (SDF) and the Special Air Service (SAS) with the rank of major.
In World War II, Thesiger fought with Gideon Force in Ethiopia during the East African Campaign. He was awarded the DSO for capturing Agibar and its garrison of 2500 Italian troops. Afterwards, Thesiger served in the Long Range Desert Group during the North African Campaign.
There is a rare wartime photograph of Thesiger in this period. He appears in a well-known photograph usually used to illustrate the badge of the Greek Sacred Squadron. It is usually captioned 'a Greek officer of the Sacred Band briefing British troops'. The officer is recognisably the famous Tsigantes and one of the crowd is recognisably Thesiger. Thesiger is the tall figure with the distinct nasal profile. Characteristically, he is in Arab headdress. Thesiger was the liaison officer to the Greek Squadron.
In 1945, Thesiger worked in Arabia with the Desert Locusts Research Organisation. Meanwhile, from 1945 to 1949, he explored the southern regions of the Arabian peninsula and twice crossed the Empty Quarter. His travels also took him to Iraq, Persia (now Iran), Kurdistan, French West Africa, Pakistan, and Kenya. He returned to England in the 1990s and was knighted in 1995.
Thesiger is best known for two travel books. Arabian Sands (1959) recounts his travels in the Empty Quarter of Arabia between 1945 and 1950 and describes the vanishing way of life of the Bedouins. The Marsh Arabs (1964) is an account of the Madan, the indigenous people of the marshlands of southern Iraq. The latter journey is also covered by his travelling companion, Gavin Maxwell, in A Reed Shaken By The Wind — a Journey Through the Unexplored Marshlands of Iraq (Longman, 1959).
Thesiger took many photographs during his travels and donated his vast collection of 25,000 negatives to the Pitt Rivers Museum, Oxford.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
April 4, 2023
To be clear from the beginning, this book is an anthology - a collection of excerpts from Thesiger's published works. It was assembled and published after his death, so if the reader has any expectation around new insights, the only way that would be the case is if they have not read the primary works.
I have read all but two of Thesiger's more hard to obtain books (which didn't get quoted in this book), but for me, there was still plenty to be gained by reading this.
This book was edited (and I assume compiled) by Alexander Maitland, who has written a door stop of a biography on Thesiger - which will be the next book on Thesiger I read (2024 or 2025). After that I will likely commence a reread of Thesiger's books, one a year or something.
Thesiger previously wrote a biography, or partial biography - The Life of My Choice, but it was slightly bogged down in a history of Abyssinia and Sudan, which dominated over his life. What sets this book apart is that it has been assembled in chronological order. The excerpts taken are not short, some run to tens of pages, and while they are taken from books published at different times, they are placed in the order they took place. This provides an overall context sometimes lost in the primary works.
Maitland obviously made the decision not to add anything. The excerpts start and finish without introduction or specific context. Until read, the reader is not aware which book the excerpt is taken from, and often where it is set. This is a minor flaw other readers have picked up on, but it seems purposeful to remove the editor from the narrative, and for me it wasn't more than a minor confusion. Skipping forward to find out which book is easy enough, and it is usually apparent within a page where the narrative is set.
One of the excellent features of the book is a 'biographical summary and list of primary travels' provided at the front of the book. This really brings home how extensively Thesiger travelled in his lifetime, while casual readers might only know him for his time in Arabia, Iraq and perhaps Kenya. The accompanying map however was less helpful - a map of Africa, the Middle East and the Indian subcontinent across a pair of pages with small text of the cities visited, really could have been done better.
There were some omissions from the book, perhaps because Thesiger hasn't written about them - I have no recollection of reading about his time in Morocco (1937), or the voyage by ketch to parts of Indonesia, Brunei, Malaysia and Singapore (1977).
Anyway, for me a thoroughly enjoyable revisit to Thesiger's travels. Easy to read, and much to be envied. Thesiger was a unique individual, the like of which we won't see again. As for the places he travelled, the changes in one generation have been so vast that they too are changed forever, which makes the recording of the way of life of these people all the more valuable.
Recommended only after the primary works though.
5 stars
I have read all but two of Thesiger's more hard to obtain books (which didn't get quoted in this book), but for me, there was still plenty to be gained by reading this.
This book was edited (and I assume compiled) by Alexander Maitland, who has written a door stop of a biography on Thesiger - which will be the next book on Thesiger I read (2024 or 2025). After that I will likely commence a reread of Thesiger's books, one a year or something.
Thesiger previously wrote a biography, or partial biography - The Life of My Choice, but it was slightly bogged down in a history of Abyssinia and Sudan, which dominated over his life. What sets this book apart is that it has been assembled in chronological order. The excerpts taken are not short, some run to tens of pages, and while they are taken from books published at different times, they are placed in the order they took place. This provides an overall context sometimes lost in the primary works.
Maitland obviously made the decision not to add anything. The excerpts start and finish without introduction or specific context. Until read, the reader is not aware which book the excerpt is taken from, and often where it is set. This is a minor flaw other readers have picked up on, but it seems purposeful to remove the editor from the narrative, and for me it wasn't more than a minor confusion. Skipping forward to find out which book is easy enough, and it is usually apparent within a page where the narrative is set.
One of the excellent features of the book is a 'biographical summary and list of primary travels' provided at the front of the book. This really brings home how extensively Thesiger travelled in his lifetime, while casual readers might only know him for his time in Arabia, Iraq and perhaps Kenya. The accompanying map however was less helpful - a map of Africa, the Middle East and the Indian subcontinent across a pair of pages with small text of the cities visited, really could have been done better.
There were some omissions from the book, perhaps because Thesiger hasn't written about them - I have no recollection of reading about his time in Morocco (1937), or the voyage by ketch to parts of Indonesia, Brunei, Malaysia and Singapore (1977).
Anyway, for me a thoroughly enjoyable revisit to Thesiger's travels. Easy to read, and much to be envied. Thesiger was a unique individual, the like of which we won't see again. As for the places he travelled, the changes in one generation have been so vast that they too are changed forever, which makes the recording of the way of life of these people all the more valuable.
Recommended only after the primary works though.
5 stars
March 22, 2018
Bedouin ways were hard, even for those brought up in them and for strangers terrible : a death in life. No man can live this life and emerge unchanged. (...) For this cruel land can cast a spell which no temperate clime can match.
Seven Pillars of Wisdom
T. E. Lawrence
Thesiger nasceu e cresceu na Abissínia ( atual Etiópia ), onde o pai era Ministro Britânico, em 1910. Segundo ele, foram as experiências invulgares de infância que fizeram com que , anos mais tarde, surgisse nele a " estranha compulsão" por viagens e explorações.
Esta biografia, que resulta da reunião de excertos retirados de várias obras de Thesiger, está dividida em três partes. A primeira começa com a chegada dos pais à Abissínia, revela algumas recordações de infância , e acaba com a segunda Guerra Mundial e o regresso ao país onde nasceu como conselheiro político da Coroa. A segunda parte ( sem dúvida a mais fascinante!) inclui os anos passados na Arábia. Por fim, a última centra-se na vida de Thesiger no norte do Quénia ( a viver com os Samburu quase até ao fim dos seus dias) e nas suas viagens pela Tanzânia , Irão e Iémen.
Aos vinte e três anos, seis meses depois de ter acabado os estudos em Oxford, Thesiger parte para a sua primeira grande aventura. Viaja para o território dos Afar ( regressando à Etiópia), vive ao lado deles num mudhif, ( vale a pena espreitar estas magníficas construções) e consegue a permissão do Sultão para cartografar o rio Awash, acabando de vez com um dos últimos mistérios geográficos. Thesiger escreve que não sabe como é que lhe foi concedida tal permissão , pois ela tinha sido negada a outros europeus.
Mas esta proeza foi a primeira de muitas outras. Thesiger viveu sete anos com os Ma'dan, os árabes dos pântanos, e foi o primeiro a cartografar estes canais do sul do Iraque (que anos mais tarde Saddam Hussein cruelmente mandou drenar).
Explorou duas vezes o implacável e imenso Rub al Khali - the Empty Quarter- a maior extensão ininterrupta de areia de todo o planeta , território das tribos nómadas beduínas. Foram os seus companheiros de viagem beduínos que lhe revelaram Umm Al Samim, a zona de areias movediças, fazendo com que fosse o primeiro europeu a presenciar este fenómeno.
Muitas outras façanhas ficam por referir. A lista de locais que calcorreou parece não ter fim. Preferia andar a pé, ao lado dos camelos, mulas , carregadores e guias. Por vezes caminhava doze horas por dia, com a água e a comida racionadas. Tanta milha percorrida obrigou-o, aos 56 anos, a uma intervenção cirúrgica para remoção das cartilagens dos dois joelhos!
Não viajou com a intenção de escrever livros, mas ainda bem que tomou esta decisão. Através dos seus olhos , sensibilidade e escrita notável ficamos a conhecer regiões que hoje têm outra silhueta, paisagens que nos foram para sempre roubadas e tribos desconhecidas. Alguns companheiros de viagem tornaram-se amigos que ele recordou até à morte.
Demorei mais tempo a ler este livro do que previa. A beleza de certas descrições obrigaram-me a relê-las uma vez , duas e mais outra vez!
Antes de ser escritor , Thesiger foi fotógrafo e fotografava tão bem como escrevia.
http://www.prmprints.com/category/959...
Seven Pillars of Wisdom
T. E. Lawrence
Thesiger nasceu e cresceu na Abissínia ( atual Etiópia ), onde o pai era Ministro Britânico, em 1910. Segundo ele, foram as experiências invulgares de infância que fizeram com que , anos mais tarde, surgisse nele a " estranha compulsão" por viagens e explorações.
Esta biografia, que resulta da reunião de excertos retirados de várias obras de Thesiger, está dividida em três partes. A primeira começa com a chegada dos pais à Abissínia, revela algumas recordações de infância , e acaba com a segunda Guerra Mundial e o regresso ao país onde nasceu como conselheiro político da Coroa. A segunda parte ( sem dúvida a mais fascinante!) inclui os anos passados na Arábia. Por fim, a última centra-se na vida de Thesiger no norte do Quénia ( a viver com os Samburu quase até ao fim dos seus dias) e nas suas viagens pela Tanzânia , Irão e Iémen.
Aos vinte e três anos, seis meses depois de ter acabado os estudos em Oxford, Thesiger parte para a sua primeira grande aventura. Viaja para o território dos Afar ( regressando à Etiópia), vive ao lado deles num mudhif, ( vale a pena espreitar estas magníficas construções) e consegue a permissão do Sultão para cartografar o rio Awash, acabando de vez com um dos últimos mistérios geográficos. Thesiger escreve que não sabe como é que lhe foi concedida tal permissão , pois ela tinha sido negada a outros europeus.
Mas esta proeza foi a primeira de muitas outras. Thesiger viveu sete anos com os Ma'dan, os árabes dos pântanos, e foi o primeiro a cartografar estes canais do sul do Iraque (que anos mais tarde Saddam Hussein cruelmente mandou drenar).
Explorou duas vezes o implacável e imenso Rub al Khali - the Empty Quarter- a maior extensão ininterrupta de areia de todo o planeta , território das tribos nómadas beduínas. Foram os seus companheiros de viagem beduínos que lhe revelaram Umm Al Samim, a zona de areias movediças, fazendo com que fosse o primeiro europeu a presenciar este fenómeno.
Muitas outras façanhas ficam por referir. A lista de locais que calcorreou parece não ter fim. Preferia andar a pé, ao lado dos camelos, mulas , carregadores e guias. Por vezes caminhava doze horas por dia, com a água e a comida racionadas. Tanta milha percorrida obrigou-o, aos 56 anos, a uma intervenção cirúrgica para remoção das cartilagens dos dois joelhos!
Não viajou com a intenção de escrever livros, mas ainda bem que tomou esta decisão. Através dos seus olhos , sensibilidade e escrita notável ficamos a conhecer regiões que hoje têm outra silhueta, paisagens que nos foram para sempre roubadas e tribos desconhecidas. Alguns companheiros de viagem tornaram-se amigos que ele recordou até à morte.
Demorei mais tempo a ler este livro do que previa. A beleza de certas descrições obrigaram-me a relê-las uma vez , duas e mais outra vez!
Antes de ser escritor , Thesiger foi fotógrafo e fotografava tão bem como escrevia.
http://www.prmprints.com/category/959...
June 8, 2024
The photos are amazing but the book is extracts from his other books, all of which are worth reading
January 5, 2022
I have to agree with Charlotte. Some of the pieces start and end quite randomly and you have no idea about the characters he is talking about.
September 21, 2018
Thesiger wrote two incredible books - Arabian Sands and The Marsh Arabs. Read those instead. This book is just random highlights from those books, plus some pretty boring bits of later travel writing about various mountain expeditions. Whoever edited this book didn't bother putting in any context around the various excerpts, so in the later parts of the book you have no idea where he is even walking to or from.
July 22, 2016
WIlfred Thesiger is possibly one of the greatest travel writers ever. If you're travelling to the middle-east at all, he is a must read (albeit travels in a different time, it is an amazing insight into the cultures there). And what a man; intelligent, brave and inspiring.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews