Africa Again
Animal Safari: Big Game in South-West Africa. By Lutz Heck. (Methuen, 25s,) Is it ungenerous to suggest that zoologists, docu- mentary film-makers and the like who travel in Africa on their legitimate ploys would often do better to leave it at that? The books they write— and one must sympathise with them; Africa simply cries out for description and reminiscence —are often painstaking and informative but they lack that spark which makes so few travel books really memorable. We live in immensely articu- late times, and that is as well, but should not some of the articulation be tempered with literary merit? This is not to condemn out of hand two books which are packed with good photographs and which tell of some quite exciting experiences. It is really to plead for a little less trite writing about a country which, without skilful presentation, does encourage triteness and thus tends to daunt readers who want to know more about it and ought to be made to long to go there.
Professor Heck was for many years Director of the Berlin Zoo and this particular book is about South-West Africa, which, in the company
of his wife, he covered very thoroughly in search of animals—especially the `quagga,' a zebra type which is now apparently extinct. It is, in some ways, a disarming production, for the Professor is an enthusiast and the book's lack of originality is compensated by his energy and an inexhaust- ible, characteristic thoroughness. The photo- graphs, especially the colour plates, are splendid and the lion sequence is particularly thrilling.
Mr. Haines's book is less easy to review. The title is commonplace and obvious, but a descrip- tion of a 50,000-mile safari through East, Central and South Africa could not fail to produce some occasional interest. There are misprints and in- accuracies and it is hard to escape from the impression that Mr. Haines rather carelessly used a lot of reference books. Yet here again is a redeeming enthusiasm which somehow disarms; Mr. Haines, also accompanied by his wife (what a comfort wives must be on these occasions and how ubiquitous they seem to be!), is a docu- mentary film director and has given us some ex,- cellent films during the last twenty years. His forty-three photographs show a remarkable eye for detail and a fresh approach; but there, I am afraid, it ends. I just cannot agree with the writer of the foreword who says that Mr. Haines is as much `a master of the written word as the motion picture.'
And that is where we came in. ROGER FALIC
Previous page
