Captain Sir Richard Francis Burton: A Biography
by Edward Rice
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Book Summary Information
Author: Edward RiceEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2001-06
ISBN: 030681028X
Number of pages: 688
Publisher: Da Capo Press
Book Reviews of Captain Sir Richard Francis Burton: A Biography
Book Review: A facinating book about a facinating man
Summary: 5 Stars
Imagin the courage and resourcefulness of James Bond and playing the same game, add the intrepid spirit of a Captain Kirk but with Spocks brain, toss in the spiritual quest of Larry Darrell, the worldly spirit of Indiana Jones, and the libido of John Holmes and you would have a poor shadow of Burton.Burton spoke some 28 or 29 languages plus dialects, was a spy in india, pakistan ( when it was part of india), and afganistan, travled in Africa seeking the source of the Nile ( a feat that has been compared to going to the moon today ), was the first known european to, by virture of his skill with language and disguise, to enter the mosque in Mecca, the first to enter Harrar in africa, one of the ealiest to argue for the sexual equality and pleasure of women in victorian england, survived a somalie native attack that saw a spear driven through one cheeck and out the other, serched for gold in south america, taveld to utah to write about the Mormens, wrote books on swords manship, history, his travels, held diplomatic posts, and ( probably what people today are most likely to remember him for ) tranlated such eastern works as the Kama Sutra, the Perfumed Garden, and the Arabian Nights. All that without even mentioning his deep study of religion that and the many hindu and islmaic sects that he joined, studied, and advanced in becore continuing his search.
This book is the best researched and most repscfull of the several biographies of this amazing man that I have read. Others skip over or downplay his sexual hijinx ( more prudish today than he was then ) and his religious dabbling ( this seems to be because of the efforts of Burtons wife to both sanitize and christianize him but could also be from a simple desire of british biographers to draw a national hero, even "that devil Burton" as a paragon of honour.) Rice has done extensive research, ( aided by Burtons voluminous writings and translations which were often heavily annotated and footnoted with personal observations and annedotes in the third person) and, not content with just the text, traveled to many places Burton traveled surching for oral history ( even, apparently finding a family of decendents via a naitive morgantic wife in india.) The result is a fine a detailed account of a man of incredible abilities, appitites, and passions that does not skimp on the mortal weaknesses of Burtons fondness for drugs and strong drink. While their are certainly gaps in the record, unlike other biographers, he is quick to state when he is speculating and support that speculation with reasoned explantions.
The only negative factor in this book is, despite the facination of the man, the minutia of his life ( very worthy of inclusion in a scholarly work) can become a bit dry at times and make you want to skip ahead to the next great adventure. Burton, while well know, was not as admired in his day as he deserved ( though I was re-reading ACD's "The Lost World" the other day and it had a young woman pineing for a man like Burton) with the publication of this book and a relatively recent film ( which does take many historical liberties), The Mountains of the Moon, he should never be forgotten. He is a wonderful example of the ideal abilities of man.
Summary of Captain Sir Richard Francis Burton: A Biography
A New York Times best-seller when it was first published, Rice's biography is the gripping story of a fierce, magnetic, and brilliant man whose real-life accomplishments are the stuff of legend. Rice retraces Burton's steps as the first European adventurer to search for the source of the Nile; to enter, disguised, the forbidden cities of Mecca and Medina; and to travel through remote stretches of India, the Near East, and Africa. From his spying exploits to his startling literary accomplishments (the discovery and translation of the Kama Sutra and his seventeen-volume translation of Arabian Nights), Burton was an engrossing, larger-than-life Victorian figure, and Rice's splendid biography lays open a portrayal as dramatic, complicated, and compelling as the man himself.
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