Reviews - Spomin na Afriko in sence na travi

88 reviews for:

Spomin na Afriko in sence na travi

What to say about this book? Yeah, sure, parts of it are great. There are some great one liners. Keen observations or wonderfully written descriptions about the landscape of Kenya. Her tribute to her lover Denys Finch Hatton was beautiful. However. And this a big however worth paying attention to, the book is riddled with racism. Chapter after chapter, Dinesen constantly compares "the Natives" to animals. It's derogatory. It's painful to read. Yeah sure, Dinesen's attitude is one of a very priveledged white woman and western European colonizer--this is certainly reflected in the text over and over again. But why should that be excused as "context for the era"?

It shouldn't. Overall, Dinesen spends very little time sharing her struggles about running a coffee plantation in Kenya and more time objectifying and belittling the Kenyan people, all the while propping herself up as superior. It's painful to read. This book should not be lauded as a masterpiece.

bunnieslikediamonds's review against another edition

3.0

A reread, and difficult to rate. Karen Blixen is a marvellous writer who led an interesting life, and this memoir contains absolutely beautiful imagery of Kenya. However, her viewpoint as the aristocratic landowner surrounded by "Natives" is hard to take. She may have been "pro-native", well-meaning and open-minded "for her times", but she was still part of an inherently racist colonialism, and approached the Kenyans as children she was obligated to care for. That she felt great affection for her servants doesn't change the fact that she saw her position as the benevolent ruler as the natural order of things, and her view of the Kenyans is condescending and naive. I remember enjoying this much more years ago. Now, while I still recognize its qualities, the romanticization of this period in time just makes me sad. I'm glad I read it again though. It made me reflect on my own understanding of questions of race and imperialism.

jmercury's review against another edition

2.0

I don't think I ever finished this, as it was rather boring.

rissaleighs's review against another edition

5.0

Thanks for the recommendation, Brittany! :) (I don't think Isak Dinesen's style is at all like Virginia Woolf's, but I liked it anyway.)

This was a perfect summer read. Though I can see where it would have its charms in the winter, as well. I've been immersed in Karen Blixen's Africa for the past week and a half, and I'm almost as sorry to leave it as she must have been.