Dervla Murphy, In Ethiopia With a Mule

I seem to have a thing about Ethiopia recently.  Wherever I turn, there it is.  Feature article on my favourite news website.  Bumper sticker declaring someone's love for the place.  Books, chosen randomly but inevitably converging on the African nation.  The Prester Quest, reviewed recently.  Ryszard Kapuscinski's The Emperor (review coming soon!).  Dervla Murphy's In Ethiopia With a Mule. 

I almost feel stalked (can one be stalked by a country, I wonder?). 

And yes, we're talking Dervla Murphy today.  Again! 

In Ethiopia With a Mule is a diary of her first African journey - at least the first she wrote about - undertaken in 1966.  Those were the days of emperor Haile Sellasie, he of the Rastafari fame.  Eritrea was still a part of the country.  I'm mentioning this only because some of the terrain that Dervla journeyed through is not Ethiopian anymore. 

Murphy's courageous attitude is visible from the first pages of the book.  Despite numerous warnings about bandit activity on the chosen route, she kept evading any official escort as often as she could, convinced that a retinue would negatively impact on her relations with local populace.  A few minor and one major incidents did take place.  Dervla's description of the 'serious' encounter with thieves sounds pretty innocent right after the fact, but she often referred to this situation later in life as one of the few really dangerous ones that she faced. 

Bandits aside, Ethiopia in the sixties was a demanding country.  Rough terrain, maps bad or non-existent, little food and water, extremes of temperature and insect life turning night time into hell.  To balance it all, it also offered unequalled natural beauty, kind hospitality of the Ethiopians, blissful solitude and physical challenges, both of which Dervla greatly appreciates. 

As usually, Murphy's unique blend of compassion, common sense and thirst for adventure translate to flawless travel writing. 

Doris Lessing, African Laughter - Four Visits to Zimbabwe

I read African Laughter - Four Visits to Zimbabwe no more than a week after finishing Dervla Murphy's The Ukimwi Road.  At first, it was impossible to resist comparing the two: the same area, the same time frame (give or take a decade), even the lady writers represent the same generation - more or less.  Initially, I judged Murphy's version of reporting far superior (and if forced to make the comparison again, I'd stick to this verdict) but a hundred or so pages into Lessing's book I cancelled the contest.  Similar at first sight, the two perspectives are simply too different to compete. 

While Murphy only passes through the countries she describes, Doris Lessing has personal ties with Zimbabwe.  This is where she grew up, where some of her family remained and from where she was banished for political reasons for many years.  Her 'four visits' could be labelled as 'return from exile', even if short-termed and accomplished in instalments.  Because of all this, African Laughter is first and foremost a memoir.  Sure, some elements of travel writing are present, and you can learn quite a few things about Zimbabwe as it was in the '80s, but you get to know Doris Lessing far better than the country she's visiting. 

Which, depending on your point of view, can be a good or a bad thing.  I started off expecting a travel writing piece, so I was somewhat disappointed, but Lessing's writing style did a lot to soothe my pain.  Sure, it's chaotic, and guilty of some very original punctuation (two colons in one sentence?), but it is also mature, elegant and full of perceptive observations about human nature.  Definitely not fluff.

Only halfway through the book I found out about Lessing being a Nobel prize recipient.  Quite a surprise!  While pleasant, her writing is not exactly Nobel-level, not in my book.  On the other hand, I probably should stay such judgements until I sample some more of Lessing's bibliography.  After all, African Laughter is only a tiny fraction of her literary accomplishments. 

I'm looking forward to trying some more.