Monday, May 13, 2013

Green Hills of Africa by Ernest Hemingway

Hello people,

Green Hills of Africa by Ernest Hemingway
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
 
I think after reading this, first book which I read written by Hemingway was Death in the Afternoon, I have lost some/much of the respect that I had of Hemingway as a person. In Death in the Afternoon he atleast sympathises with the poor animals and does not physically get involved in killing any even though he tries his hand at bullfighting at a lower level. But as a writer, he still holds high with this. This book basically describes his adventures( is that the apt word? I dont
know) along with some natives of Africa in big game hunting. The book is full of hunting and white supremacy. The only interesting part [or the part which you dont feel disgusted] is when Hemingway talks about writers, specifically American writers. Apart from that he describes how he tracks animals, he tries to assert/assume white supremacy only to find natives being superior, and tries to show/shows[!] he is honest here, camps at different places and kill innocent animals. He even compares the size of the animals he killed with that of the poor souls killed by another white. Basically this book just describes how colonialists destroyed Africa, economically as well as naturally.
I just got bored and it was getting more and more disgusting to read of animals getting killed. Hemingway at one point even justifies with a statement that 'every living thing has to die' and so he doesnt feel guilty. He feels guilty/frustrated that he let a 'kudu' go even after hitting him.He says he lives a damn good life. But when you have the money and the colonial power over a nation and you just do whatever ridiculous thing you feel like doing and you call it a 'damn good life', its just stupid and deplorable.

He also tries to describe the African landscape, but just seems to forget it in his bragging talk.

I doubt in todays world anyone would be interested in reading this. This is basically for those historic, colonialistic racist group of people who take pride when they kill a wild animal with a gun shot and feel proud or feel to have done something great when they praise a native or be friend a native.

I have given 2 rating points just for the way Hemingway plays with the words and switches the situations.
   
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