The Devil Drives: A Life of Sir Richard Burton
Editorial Reviews
Book Description
"Starting in a hollowed log of wood--some thousand miles up a river with infinitesimal prospect of returning, I ask myself `Why?' and the only echo is `damned fool!...the Devil drives.'"
So wrote Richard Francis Burton, while preparing for an exploration of the lower Congo in 1863. Tormented by the question of "why?", his answer "the devil drives" applies not only to his explorations, but to the whole of his turbulent life. The nature of his demon, the source of his restlessness, has baffled many biographers.
Drawing from Burton's own published works and from the few manuscripts that managed to escape destruction by Lady Burton, Fawn Brodie explains the "why?" and in doing so creates a fascinating portrait.
--This text refers to the
Audio Cassette
edition.
From the Publisher
12 1.5-hour cassettes
To my mind, the best life of Burton remains Fawn Brodie's "The Devil Drives" (1967)....Brodie's biography serves its subject: The book is hard to put down, and as you read it, you constantly murmur, "What an amazing fellow! What an extraordinary journey!" --This text refers to the Audio Cassette edition.
The Devil Drives: A Life of Sir Richard Burton,Fawn McKay Brodie,W. W. Norton & Company,0393301664,1821-1890,Biography,Biography / Autobiography,Biography/Autobiography,Burton, Richard Francis,,Discovery And Exploration (General),Explorers,General,Great Britain,Scholars,Sir,,Burton, Richard Francis,Geographical discovery & exploration
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