R240.00. A fascinating miniature: A generation-spanning saga compacted to 150 pages, with prose and imagery as lush as Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Da Silva is cruel and unlikeable, the local kings are savage an. Werner Herzog apparently liked this, which makes sense. Author(s): Bruce Chatwin . About the book: In 1812, Francisco Manoel da Silva, escaping a life of poverty in Brazil, sailed to the African kingdom of Dahomey, determined to make his fortune in the slave trade. Blame the colonists for its expansion in a slave-labor economy. Delivered to your door in 10 to 18 working days R 379. It is bordered by Burkina Fasa, Nigeria, and Togo. Bruce Chatwin’s debut novel: “Conrad’s Heart of Darkness seen through a microscope” (The Atlantic) In this vivid, powerful novel, Chatwin tells of Francisco Manoel de Silva, a poor Brazilian adventurer who sails to Dahomey in West Africa to trade for slaves and amass his fortune. An interesting but dark read. The Viceroy of Ouidah by Bruce Chatwin. His plans exceed his dreams, and soon he is the Viceroy of Ouidah, master of all slave trading in Dahomey. This one is no exception. It's a stirring account of a warped, fascinating age with dire human consequences. It is based on Francisco’s life and life events. It is a dense read at only 105 pages. Surprisingly good, considering the subject, and of particular interest to me since the story flows from Brazil to Dahomey in West Africa. This is the story mostly of the life of Francisco Manoel da Silva who was an African slave trader in the 1800s. route [la route des esclaves]’.9 This also led to the town featuring in television programmes dealing with the slave trade, including a BBC ‘Timewatch’ pro- After this entree, The Viceroy of Ouidah follows the course of Francisco's life: a poor childhood in Brazil, friendship with a scion of a wealthy family, arrival in Ouidah in 1812 and years working as a slave trade factor, rise with a change of rulers to a lofty position as King's Viceroy at Ouidah, … "[1], Years later, in a 1999 review of Nicholas Shakespeare's biography of Chatwin, The Guardian described the Viceroy novel as "a rococo piece of candyfloss."[2]. Finns även som E-bok Laddas ned direkt 95. The Viceroy of Ouidah was Francisco Manoel De Souza, (da Silva in Chatwin's book) who came to Ouidah (also spelled "Whydah"; part of the Abomey Empire, later called "the Slave Coast", Dahomey, and currently, Benin) in the 1750s and eventually became the main broker … There are no wasted moments, no lagging sections. 00. Recommended Price . My only criticism of this work is that Chatwin chose to concentrate solely on the Brazilian side of things, leaving the Africans as part of the backdrop--more acted upon than actors. This was a strange book in that there was no characters to like. In this sense, my first taste of Chatwin was fantastic. The British author, Bruce Chatwin, traveled extensively to see the world and wrote about "true stories. It was based upon Bruce Chatwin's 1980 novel The Viceroy of Ouidah. The religions are Catholicism and Vodoo. History, hyper-reality, the supernatural and the surreal and the cocktail that creates the heady mix through which strands of story filter. A short novella absolutely packed to the gills with imagery and characters. He is told repeatedly by his faithful man-servant that he "does not understand these people" and he really should have listened. Francisco had a very diverse and interesting life encountering many strange and appalling characters. A crash course in how to write precisely and succinctly with a compact, fulfilling narrative arc. He becomes friends with the king, fathers many children, becomes rich, loses his riches, and dies a poor, insane beggar. To see what your friends thought of this book. After this entree, The Viceroy of Ouidah follows the course of Francisco's life: a poor childhood in Brazil, friendship with a scion of a wealthy family, arrival in Ouidah in 1812 and years working as a slave trade factor, rise with a change of rulers to a lofty position as King's Viceroy at Ouidah, and old age and death in fallen state. The film depicts the life of a fictional slave trader. It is based on Francisco’s life and life events. We’d love your help. He's evocative and poetic within such tight spaces: The blurb says this is “simply…dazzling”, “a masterpiece,” “deserves to become a classic,” and written “in prose that grabs you with its precision.”. His plans exceed his dreams, and soon he is the Viceroy of Ouidah, master of all slave trading in Dahomey. His one remaining ambition is to return to Brazil in triumph, but his friendship with the m. In 1812, Francisco Manoel da Silva, escaping a life of poverty in Brazil, sailed to the African kingdom of Dahomey, determined to make his fortune in the slave trade. They are dry, confusing, stiff. Armed with nothing but an iron will, he became a man of substance in Ouidah and the founder of a remarkable dynasty. Chatwin was caught up in the violence of a coup in Dahomey (now Benin), where Ouidah is located, when he was researching the book. It makes sense that Herzog would film this. So, yet another unhappy and horrifying tale from Africa. This was a strange book in that there was no characters to like. Two of his books have been made into feature films: The Viceroy of Ouidah (retitled Cobra Verde), directed by Werner Herzog, and Andrew Grieve's On the Black Hill. An interesting way of telling of the slavery days of Dahomey, the mad violent King(s) and of the Portuguese trader who made and lost a fortune before dying, leaving a plethora of children to pine for what could have been. The Viceroy of Ouidah is a novel published in 1980 by Bruce Chatwin, a British author. Two of his books have been made into feature films: The Viceroy of Ouidah (retitled Cobra Verde), directed by Werner Herzog, and Andrew Grieve's On the Black Hill. I had never read anything by Chatwin before this and I picked it up with the assumption it was going to just be another novel in the 'English' style. However, afterr his on-site research was disrupted by a coup attempt, he changed the names of the principal figures in the book and used his imagination to fill in the factual gaps. A far better book, one which focuses on the Dahomeyan connection to Brazil as well, is Judith Gleason's "Agõtime", a possible antidote to the slant taken by Chatwin. Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read. I think a chronological telling would have worked better. It is a stunning book. Traveler, aesthete and a connoisseur of the exotic, Chatwin was a major British literary voice who also wrote On the Black Hill, The Viceroy of Ouidah, The Songlines and Utz before his death in 1989. As an aspiring travel writer who had yet to publish anything, I turned green with envy on reading Bruce Chatwin's novel. See guidelines for writing about novels. His plans exceed his dreams, and soon he is the Viceroy of Ouidah, master of all slave trading in Dahomey. This book was complex, hard to understand and grim. It did not. You recognize a Bruce Chatwin sentence the moment you look at it, in the same way you recognize a painting by Dali or Gauguin the moment you look at it. Benin (Dahomey). Chatwin writes like a more bloody and concise version of Marquez, with an incredible ability to evoke landscapes, situations and the oddities of people. In this vivid, powerful novel, Chatwin tells of Francisco Manoel de Silva, a poor Brazilian adventurer who sails to Dahomey in West Africa to trade for slaves and amass his fortune. The main character of this novel goes to Dahomey to make his fortune in the slave trade. Two of his books have been made into feature films: The Viceroy of Ouidah (retitled Cobra Verde), directed by Werner Herzog, and Andrew Grieve's On the Black Hill. 8 Bruce Chatwin, The Viceroy of Ouidah (London, 1980). The Viceroy of Ouidah by Bruce Chatwin, unknown edition, In this vivid, powerful novel, Chatwin tells of Francisco Manoel de Silva, a poor Brazilian adventurer who sails to Dahomey in West Africa to trade for slaves and amass his fortune. Bruce Chatwin book The Viceroy of Ouidah is a very famous book . He became powerful in Ouidah, on the so-called Slave Coast of West Africa, now Benin, Togo, and parts of the Volta Region in Ghana. Here, he goes technicolor, taking into account every sight and sound of the jungle as he takes on the slave trade on the West Coast of Africa, and shows just how deep the depravity of humanity goes, and the cold logic of capital that is willing to follow that depravity as far as possible... just up to the point where the profit motive is reverse. Every pag. I'm sure if I understood the language I would've had a better understanding. The Viceroy of Ouidah was Francisco Manoel De Souza, (da Silva in Chatwin's book) who came to Ouidah (also spelled "Whydah"; part of the Abomey Empire, later called "the Slave Coast", Dahomey, and currently, Benin) in the 1750s and eventually became the main broker between African slave sellers and European slave buyers. Genre(s): Historical . Häftad Engelska, 1998-12-01. However, afterr his on-site research was disrupted by a coup attempt, he changed the names of the principal figures in the book and used his imagination to fill in the factual gaps. The Viceroy of Ouidah is a distressing book, like the history it portrays. An interesting but dark read. The basis for Werner Herzog's movie "Cobra Verde.". The Viceroy of Ouidah av Bruce Chatwin. “The Viceroy of Ouidah” is the story of the birth, rise and decline of Francisco da Silva (Dom Francisco) an ordinary man from Sao. He had an affair with Mapplethorpe’s lover, Sam Wagstaff, and like both Mapplethorpe and Wagstaff he died of AIDS-related complications. The author felt he hadn't managed to get hold of enough facts so changed a couple of names and published it as fiction. In The New York Times, John Thompson compared The Viceroy to other about-Africa prose works: "One could mention Graham Greene's Journey Without Maps or, for a work of the imagination based on somewhat less horrendous events, Chinua Achebe's Arrow of God. Buy Viceroy of Ouidah First Edition by Chatwin, Bruce (ISBN: 9781111995706) from Amazon's Book Store. So, yet another unhappy and horrifying tale from Africa. The novel received mixed reviews. Buy The Viceroy of Ouidah by Bruce Chatwin online at Alibris. This was a strange book in that there was no characters to.! 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