Book description
A deeply affecting memoir of a childhood in Africa and the continent's
horrendous wars, which Hartley witnessed at first hand as a journalist
in the 1990s. Shortlisted for the prestigious Samuel Johnson Prize for
Non-fiction, this is a masterpiece of autobiographical journalism.
Aidan Hartley, a foreign correspondent, burned-out from the horror of
covering the terrifying micro wars of the 1990s, from Rwanda to Bosnia,
seeks solace and solitude in the remote mountains and deserts of
southern Arabia and the Yemen, following his father's death. While
there, he finds himself on the trail of the tragic story of an old
friend of his father's, who fell in love and was murdered in southern
Arabia fifty years ago. As the terrible events of the past unfold,
Hartley finds his own kind of deliverance.
'The Zanzibar Chest' is a powerful story about a man witnessing and
confronting extreme violence and being broken down by it, and of a son
trying to come to terms with the death of a father whom he also saw as
his best friend. It charts not only a love affair between two people,
but also the British love affair with Arabia and the vast emptinesses of
the desert, which become a fitting metaphor for the emotional and
spiritual condition in which Hartley finds himself. 'A powerful blend
of family history and war correspondent's memoir…searing, deeply
instructive.' Anthony Daniels, Sunday Telegraph
'A truly impressive and haunting book, an impassioned and often
beautifully written account of one man's journey to the heart of
darkness, and his slow, painful voyage back.' Harry Ritchie, Daily Mail
'Underpinning the grisly details of wars in Somalia, Ethiopia, Rwanda
and Burundi that Hartley experienced first-hand and at no small
emotional cost to himself, is a touching story of his childhood in
colonial Africa.' Iain Finlayson, The Times
'Wonderful and everywhere remarkable…Hartley writes with love and an
astonishing zest.' Allan Massie, Daily Telegraph
'“The Zanzibar Chest” is a necessary book…you will struggle to find a
more authentic, urgent or brilliant account of the underbelly of
contemporary Africa…this book seems destined to become a classic.'
Christopher Ross, Sunday Express
A masterpiece. This is a hugely ambitious book.' Matthew Leeming, Spectator
'No other African correspondent has been so successful in blending both
hard reporting and laddish on-the-road antics within a personal and
lyrical framework. Hartley evokes the excitement and pathos of the
modern continent…he is perhaps the best mzungu writing about the real
Africa today.' Andrew Lycett, Sunday Times
'Hartley always writes beautifully…gripping and intensely moving.'
James Astill, Guardian Aidan Hartley was born in 1965 and raised in
East Africa. He read English at Balliol College, Oxford, and later
politics at London University. He joined Reuters as a foreign
correspondent and has worked in Africa, the Balkans, the Middle East and
Russia. In 1996 he began travelling and writing on his own.
