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Daniel
Hans Bengler, a young entomologist, leaves Sweden for the Kalahari Desert, determined to find a previously undiscovered insect to name after himself and advance his career. Instead, he finds a young boy, whose tribe has been decimated by European raiders.
Accustomed to collecting specimens, Bengler re-names the traumatised child Daniel and brings him home to Sweden, intending to 'civilise' him. But Daniel yearns desperately for the desert and his real family. His only consolation is his friendship with a vulnerable young girl who is also an outsider in the community, but even this bond is destined to be violently broken, as Daniel's isolation and increasing desperation lead to a chilling tragedy.
Accustomed to collecting specimens, Bengler re-names the traumatised child Daniel and brings him home to Sweden, intending to 'civilise' him. But Daniel yearns desperately for the desert and his real family. His only consolation is his friendship with a vulnerable young girl who is also an outsider in the community, but even this bond is destined to be violently broken, as Daniel's isolation and increasing desperation lead to a chilling tragedy.
337 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2000
189 people are currently reading
1027 people want to read
About the author
Henning Mankell
269 books3,799 followersHenning Mankell was an internationally known Swedish crime writer, children's author and playwright. He was best known for his literary character Kurt Wallander.
Mankell split his time between Sweden and Mozambique. He was married to Eva Bergman, Swedish director and daughter of Ingmar Bergman.
Mankell split his time between Sweden and Mozambique. He was married to Eva Bergman, Swedish director and daughter of Ingmar Bergman.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 228 reviews
April 23, 2017
I read this years ago - a couple of years after reading the Wallander series ( still own all the paperback collections)...
This book was sooooo different than the authors mystery thrillers... but there is much to be felt - that's so REAL.
It was after Mankell wrote this book,that I started following his blogs on his website for a period of time. Mankell began to live in Africa for long periods of time when he wasn't living in Sweden. His humanitarian work in the world is what stays with me ..
besides his writing talents!
This book was sooooo different than the authors mystery thrillers... but there is much to be felt - that's so REAL.
It was after Mankell wrote this book,that I started following his blogs on his website for a period of time. Mankell began to live in Africa for long periods of time when he wasn't living in Sweden. His humanitarian work in the world is what stays with me ..
besides his writing talents!
April 5, 2011
There are parallels in Henning Mankell’s ‘Daniel’ to Emma Donoghue’s ‘Room,’ another unsettling novel centered on abuse and captivity—a child seen from his own point of view (albeit not exclusively, as is the case with ‘Room’), a queasy undercurrent of voyeurism infecting the moral outrage felt in reading exposé. It’s a daring breakaway from the format for which Mannkell is known.
Daring, but not altogether surprising for Mankell, who has made categorizing the dark, introspective, and insightful Kurt Wallander series as mere police procedurals seem all too narrow.
‘Daniel’ is very, very dark. A young man in a drab little Swedish town in the latter half of the nineteenth century leaves his demented, syphilitic, dying father, and his barren home, to pursue a medical career. He faints during his first autopsy. He discovers he has no purpose in life, other than regular, businesslike onanism and regular, perfunctory concubinary trysts. No self-reflection follows. He stumbles through the swales of academia and in the most random of ways decides he will become famous by discovering an unknown insect. In the Kalihari Desert.
It’s there that Hans Bengler finds his purpose. He will be “father” to a child orphaned in the imperial battles Europeans are fighting to see who gets South Africa. Daniel is Bengler’s name for the boy who continues to think of himself as Molo, even after learning Swedish and seeing snow.
Bengler quite literally leashes Molo and trains him like a dog as well. “My name is Daniel. I believe in God,” the waif dutifully recites as Bengler displays his curiosity to pallid countrymen for whom an African is no less strange than an alien or monster or freak.
Pretty bleak stuff. The relief Mankell offers is his craft—meticulously assembled observation and narrative that never calls attention to itself yet transcends its ordinariness, its plainness, to shine light on the human condition in all its ugliness and beauty. The voice of the child is particularly striking, and touching, and, in an odd way, hopeful. We may rip apart children’s lives but we cannot steal the pure truth of their perception, untainted by tawdry experience.
How is it that we can be so beguiled by the sordid that we ignore, or worse, accept the squandering of our most precious treasure? How can we allow child abuse? There’s the hope—that we can recognize how valuable our children are, and do something about it.
Highly recommended.
Daring, but not altogether surprising for Mankell, who has made categorizing the dark, introspective, and insightful Kurt Wallander series as mere police procedurals seem all too narrow.
‘Daniel’ is very, very dark. A young man in a drab little Swedish town in the latter half of the nineteenth century leaves his demented, syphilitic, dying father, and his barren home, to pursue a medical career. He faints during his first autopsy. He discovers he has no purpose in life, other than regular, businesslike onanism and regular, perfunctory concubinary trysts. No self-reflection follows. He stumbles through the swales of academia and in the most random of ways decides he will become famous by discovering an unknown insect. In the Kalihari Desert.
It’s there that Hans Bengler finds his purpose. He will be “father” to a child orphaned in the imperial battles Europeans are fighting to see who gets South Africa. Daniel is Bengler’s name for the boy who continues to think of himself as Molo, even after learning Swedish and seeing snow.
Bengler quite literally leashes Molo and trains him like a dog as well. “My name is Daniel. I believe in God,” the waif dutifully recites as Bengler displays his curiosity to pallid countrymen for whom an African is no less strange than an alien or monster or freak.
Pretty bleak stuff. The relief Mankell offers is his craft—meticulously assembled observation and narrative that never calls attention to itself yet transcends its ordinariness, its plainness, to shine light on the human condition in all its ugliness and beauty. The voice of the child is particularly striking, and touching, and, in an odd way, hopeful. We may rip apart children’s lives but we cannot steal the pure truth of their perception, untainted by tawdry experience.
How is it that we can be so beguiled by the sordid that we ignore, or worse, accept the squandering of our most precious treasure? How can we allow child abuse? There’s the hope—that we can recognize how valuable our children are, and do something about it.
Highly recommended.
February 3, 2011
This is an extraordinarily haunting and poignant tale, told by an author at the top of his craft, about two destinies that intersect: a young black boy Molo, who is renamed Daniel, and the peculiar would-be naturalist who brings him back to Sweden.
It is the 1870s: Hans Bengler, a rootless and disconnected man, travels to Africa with the hopes of discovering an insect no one has ever seen before, the latest of his quixotic pursuits. The pickings are slender, but he DOES happen across a different kind of “specimen” – a young orphan who is caged and defenseless. He decides to bring him back to Sweden with the best of intentions, but he is challenged by the cold-hearted man who found him: “I do keep order, it’s true. But I don’t rip them up by the roots so they’ll fall dead in the snow of Sweden…”
Back in Sweden, Bengler drills his own sort of catechism into Daniel: he must always say, “My name is Daniel. I believe in God.” This rehearsed sanctimony is juxtaposed against those “civilized” people with true savagery in their heart: those who regard Daniel as less than human, as an incarnation of the devil, as just another exotic specimen ripped from the dark continent.
Daniel is none of these, of course. He’s just a little boy yearning to get back home, with a childish grasp of the world and a failed understanding of what the Swedish culture demands. “I’m going to walk home across the back of the sea…,” he says. He is haunted by memories of his deceased parents who he believes are calling him back to Africa. And he knows the only way to reclaim his destiny is to learn to walk on water like the white man’s god.
There are twists and turns to this tale that the reader must discover for himself or herself. At its heart, this book is a powerful indictment against cultural insensitivity and willful dislocation, merged with a refusal to see those who are different as fully human. For everyone he meets, Daniel is no more than a curiosity, a specimen, a reflection of private fear or vaulting ambition. And therein lies the tragedy, which culminates in an ending of exquisite pathos. Kudos, too, to translator Steven T. Murray for an outstanding job.
It is the 1870s: Hans Bengler, a rootless and disconnected man, travels to Africa with the hopes of discovering an insect no one has ever seen before, the latest of his quixotic pursuits. The pickings are slender, but he DOES happen across a different kind of “specimen” – a young orphan who is caged and defenseless. He decides to bring him back to Sweden with the best of intentions, but he is challenged by the cold-hearted man who found him: “I do keep order, it’s true. But I don’t rip them up by the roots so they’ll fall dead in the snow of Sweden…”
Back in Sweden, Bengler drills his own sort of catechism into Daniel: he must always say, “My name is Daniel. I believe in God.” This rehearsed sanctimony is juxtaposed against those “civilized” people with true savagery in their heart: those who regard Daniel as less than human, as an incarnation of the devil, as just another exotic specimen ripped from the dark continent.
Daniel is none of these, of course. He’s just a little boy yearning to get back home, with a childish grasp of the world and a failed understanding of what the Swedish culture demands. “I’m going to walk home across the back of the sea…,” he says. He is haunted by memories of his deceased parents who he believes are calling him back to Africa. And he knows the only way to reclaim his destiny is to learn to walk on water like the white man’s god.
There are twists and turns to this tale that the reader must discover for himself or herself. At its heart, this book is a powerful indictment against cultural insensitivity and willful dislocation, merged with a refusal to see those who are different as fully human. For everyone he meets, Daniel is no more than a curiosity, a specimen, a reflection of private fear or vaulting ambition. And therein lies the tragedy, which culminates in an ending of exquisite pathos. Kudos, too, to translator Steven T. Murray for an outstanding job.
February 13, 2021
I regret to have reviewed this book so poorly in the past.
I am rewriting the review today as this---- This book is a masterpiece! :)
I give lots of 5 stars but the word "masterpiece" I use only rarely ;)
It is mesmerising how a clever author reproduces an orphan's experience of watching his family stabbed to death despite keeping the child pretty mute the whole time! I could fathom every bit of how alone the child felt no matter where he went! But this wasn't stated by the child, neither were his sense of aloneness of feelings described. But the author craftily makes you sense it all!
This kind of writing is insanely witty for my taste!
I am rewriting the review today as this---- This book is a masterpiece! :)
I give lots of 5 stars but the word "masterpiece" I use only rarely ;)
It is mesmerising how a clever author reproduces an orphan's experience of watching his family stabbed to death despite keeping the child pretty mute the whole time! I could fathom every bit of how alone the child felt no matter where he went! But this wasn't stated by the child, neither were his sense of aloneness of feelings described. But the author craftily makes you sense it all!
This kind of writing is insanely witty for my taste!
January 2, 2011
Oh heavens - such a slow read. I love mysteries and usually enjoy Henning Mankell's stories, but this one really tortured me. Although this mystery involves the 1878 murder of a mentally deficient country girl in southern Sweden, most of the book follows the grim progress of a wanna-be entomologist named Bengler who creeps around the African desert alternating between drinking, crying, and masturbating. Suddenly, in what seems to be a humanitarian gesture, he "buys" a young African boy to adopt as his own son before he heads back home to the land of very white people. What this has to do with the murder of the country girl is finally and unconvincingly revealed five pages before the book ends.
April 29, 2014
Henning Mankell never disappoints!
Daniel is different from the author's Wallander series, although I have found some similarities with his Africa/Swedish based fiction stories. It does not matter what kind of story Mankell is telling, he tells it so well that you would not be able to put it down until the last page.
That's precisely what I did, finishing it at one o'clock this morning. After I reluctantly put it down, I started thinking about what I have read, until I fell asleep and dream about it.
I discussed this book with my husband yesterday, because he read it before me. In his words, this book is "Shocking and Powerful".
I find it harder to summarise how I feel about a book in two words, so my reviews are usually a little longer. I told John: "If a book that makes me laugh or makes me cry, then it's a good book."
I didn't cry with this book, although there are some touching moments. I laughed a great deal though, as there are parts of the story which put smiles on my face or make me laugh out loud. The author certainly has a sense of humour that gets me.
Some readers may find this book a strange read. It is quite unique, in my view, but utterly engaging.
It is not often that I read a story which was set 200 years ago in Africa and Sweden, but I am so glad that I did. I would read anything Mr Mankell writes. Is that recommendation enough? I think so!
Daniel is different from the author's Wallander series, although I have found some similarities with his Africa/Swedish based fiction stories. It does not matter what kind of story Mankell is telling, he tells it so well that you would not be able to put it down until the last page.
That's precisely what I did, finishing it at one o'clock this morning. After I reluctantly put it down, I started thinking about what I have read, until I fell asleep and dream about it.
I discussed this book with my husband yesterday, because he read it before me. In his words, this book is "Shocking and Powerful".
I find it harder to summarise how I feel about a book in two words, so my reviews are usually a little longer. I told John: "If a book that makes me laugh or makes me cry, then it's a good book."
I didn't cry with this book, although there are some touching moments. I laughed a great deal though, as there are parts of the story which put smiles on my face or make me laugh out loud. The author certainly has a sense of humour that gets me.
Some readers may find this book a strange read. It is quite unique, in my view, but utterly engaging.
It is not often that I read a story which was set 200 years ago in Africa and Sweden, but I am so glad that I did. I would read anything Mr Mankell writes. Is that recommendation enough? I think so!
June 16, 2013
This is an utterly heart-breaking story of colonnial-era arrogance. Swedish entomologist, Hans Bengler, in the late 1870s, whilst on an insect hunt in the Kalahari desert in Namibia, stumbles across a local orphan and decides to 'adopt' him and take him back to Sweden. On arrival, he promptly parades him as a 'scientific discovery' in order to make money for the struggling Mr Bengler.
Uprooted, confused and unable to speak the language (which he eventually does learn), the boy, named Daniel by Bengler, struggles to come to terms with his new life, and sweears to return to his homeland at all costs.
Mankell, drawing on his crime-writing background, frames this story with a cliffhanger prologue, which sets up aan ominous tone to the novel, which is felt throughout. It's not, by any means, a comfortable read. it's gutteral and hard-hitting and carries a strong message and, most importantly, it's brilliantly written.
After previously reading Mankell's 'Chronicler of the Wind', I was impressed by his writing. Now, with two fantastic experiences from him, I will most definitely read more. A very interesting author indeed - Paulo Coelho meets Ian Rankin. Wonderful!
Uprooted, confused and unable to speak the language (which he eventually does learn), the boy, named Daniel by Bengler, struggles to come to terms with his new life, and sweears to return to his homeland at all costs.
Mankell, drawing on his crime-writing background, frames this story with a cliffhanger prologue, which sets up aan ominous tone to the novel, which is felt throughout. It's not, by any means, a comfortable read. it's gutteral and hard-hitting and carries a strong message and, most importantly, it's brilliantly written.
After previously reading Mankell's 'Chronicler of the Wind', I was impressed by his writing. Now, with two fantastic experiences from him, I will most definitely read more. A very interesting author indeed - Paulo Coelho meets Ian Rankin. Wonderful!
April 5, 2011
Sometimes a great notion even in the talented hands of a clever author fails to live up to a reader's high hopes. DANIEL is a case in point. Mankell, noted for his series on Wallander, the Swedish inspector, is not only a skilled critic of his Scandanavian scene, but also a knowledgeable and sensitive observer of his adopted homeland of southern Africa (specifically, Mozambique where he lives for much of the year). This novel required both of his geographic areas of expertise to relate the tale of Daniel (Molo), an orphaned San child from the Kalahari Desert, who is transported by a delusional pseudo-entomlogist to rural Sweden in the 1870's. Great expectations indeed! We can only guess about topics of racism, imperialism, culture conflict, child abuse, and psychological trauma as possible subjects that Mankell can explore. Although he does touch upon each of these themes, none is sufficiently developed nor are any of his fascinating characters adequately delineated to allow us to ponder their significance.
Hans Berger, a failed medical student departs for "darkest Africa" in pursuit of obstaining an insect, yet undiscovered, which will gain him acclaim. Berger, an odd character with peculiar and unexplained proclivities, is prepared to venture unprepared into the Kalahari. Near expiring, he encounters a fellow countryman, Wilhelm Andersonn, the even odder proprietor of a trading post (a more disease-ridden and desolate spot than even Conrad's ironically-titled "Outpost of Progress"). It is here that Berger finds Molo, a eight- or nine-year-old San boy, who Andersonn has obtained following one of his commercial transactions. The child is silent and traumatized, and Berger decides that having finally obtained his prized and unknown insect that he will adopt him and return to Sweden. Although agreeable to seeing the two depart, Andersonn warns his compatriot that he will kill the child (now renamed Daniel) by removing him from his social and physical environment. The rest of the novel comprises Daniels's adventures aboard ship, in a few European cities, and (for the most part) within the bewildering Swedish hinterland where he is subject of fear, scorn, and curiosity. For a period, Daniel becomes little more than an insect on display who is taught to robotically repeat, "My name is Daniel and I believe in God." His confusion about his world, both comical and deadly, is unfortunately not well conveyed, partly because Berger simply disapppears late in the narrative. Moreover, Daniel's confused cosmology (based on his very early childhood memories) are insufficiently detailed to provide an understanding for some of his notions, such as walking on water to return home, and, in particular, his actions in regard to his only true friend, a young neighbor girl named Sanna. Daniel is indeed dying of homesickness (the Portuguese word, "saudade," more closely conveys the yearning or melancholy in this case) as his world has been turned upside down. Mystified by every encounter and individual, Daniel fears that he will "end up up like all the strange insects, pinned behind a pane of glass."
As provocative as this tale could be, it simply lacks drama. Incidents and even some characters are allowed to appear and vaporize without meaning. The ironies and dialectics are evident (and often repetitive) as the novel simply spins away from the author's grasp and leaves us wanting more than a moral compass to guide us through both the sand and the snow of Daniel's worlds.
Hans Berger, a failed medical student departs for "darkest Africa" in pursuit of obstaining an insect, yet undiscovered, which will gain him acclaim. Berger, an odd character with peculiar and unexplained proclivities, is prepared to venture unprepared into the Kalahari. Near expiring, he encounters a fellow countryman, Wilhelm Andersonn, the even odder proprietor of a trading post (a more disease-ridden and desolate spot than even Conrad's ironically-titled "Outpost of Progress"). It is here that Berger finds Molo, a eight- or nine-year-old San boy, who Andersonn has obtained following one of his commercial transactions. The child is silent and traumatized, and Berger decides that having finally obtained his prized and unknown insect that he will adopt him and return to Sweden. Although agreeable to seeing the two depart, Andersonn warns his compatriot that he will kill the child (now renamed Daniel) by removing him from his social and physical environment. The rest of the novel comprises Daniels's adventures aboard ship, in a few European cities, and (for the most part) within the bewildering Swedish hinterland where he is subject of fear, scorn, and curiosity. For a period, Daniel becomes little more than an insect on display who is taught to robotically repeat, "My name is Daniel and I believe in God." His confusion about his world, both comical and deadly, is unfortunately not well conveyed, partly because Berger simply disapppears late in the narrative. Moreover, Daniel's confused cosmology (based on his very early childhood memories) are insufficiently detailed to provide an understanding for some of his notions, such as walking on water to return home, and, in particular, his actions in regard to his only true friend, a young neighbor girl named Sanna. Daniel is indeed dying of homesickness (the Portuguese word, "saudade," more closely conveys the yearning or melancholy in this case) as his world has been turned upside down. Mystified by every encounter and individual, Daniel fears that he will "end up up like all the strange insects, pinned behind a pane of glass."
As provocative as this tale could be, it simply lacks drama. Incidents and even some characters are allowed to appear and vaporize without meaning. The ironies and dialectics are evident (and often repetitive) as the novel simply spins away from the author's grasp and leaves us wanting more than a moral compass to guide us through both the sand and the snow of Daniel's worlds.
September 12, 2015
يمكن لنا أن نتواطأ جميعا على امتصاص دم الضعفاء .. أليس كذلك ؟ بلى .. و يمكننا جميعا و بإزاء مصالحنا أن نطأ هامات الآخرين لنعبر .. ذلك يحدث في أفضل اللحظات التاريخية إن أردت ..
و الأدهى من ذلك يمكننا حرف مسار الكلمات لصالحنا ..
سؤال المسرحية الأساسي : هل جئنا لنساعدهم على الحياة أم لنساعدهم على الموت ؟
و المقصود ب (هم ) هنا الأفارقة ..
إفريقيا الطبول و النار و اهتزازات الألم .. إفريقيا الجوع و الملاريا .. إفريقيا القسوة و الفهود و الظباء .. إفريقيا ضرع يجف و فلاشات كاميرا تتلقف قذارة طفل بدائي وسخ لا يليق بالإنسانية، تأتيه أنجيلنا جولي لتعلمه مسحة من الحضارة !!!
الكاتب السويدي هينبنغ مانكل بكثير من الجرأة و الصراحة يتوغل في تفصيل بعثة زوجين من السويد أرسلا عبر بعثة لبناء أربعمئة بئر في إفريقيا .. وبعد أحد عشر عاما لا ينجزان إلا ثلاثة آبار .. و طفلة في التاسعة قتلت برصاصة في رأسها لأنها سارقة ! و عشرات الصور لفتيات صغار كان يدفع الرجل المعتوه لهن ليخلعن ثيابهن و يصورن في وضعيات شاذة مقابل كورونة واحدة ( عملة السويد ) ..
كم هي كثيرة إنجازات أوروبا على الصعيد الإنساني .. !
إفريقيا تتربص كفهد جريح أو كفتاة نالت قسطا كافيا من الضرب و الإهامة و الموت .. تنقض إفريقيا بأسراب نملها على الزوجين .. يتعالى دق الطبول ..
تتسلل أفعى الكوبرا .. تلك التي لا تنام على ثأر و تنهي المأساة و الكثير من الضجيج و الصراخ بلسعة صامتة تختتم أعواما من الابتزاز الإنساني ..
و الأدهى من ذلك يمكننا حرف مسار الكلمات لصالحنا ..
سؤال المسرحية الأساسي : هل جئنا لنساعدهم على الحياة أم لنساعدهم على الموت ؟
و المقصود ب (هم ) هنا الأفارقة ..
إفريقيا الطبول و النار و اهتزازات الألم .. إفريقيا الجوع و الملاريا .. إفريقيا القسوة و الفهود و الظباء .. إفريقيا ضرع يجف و فلاشات كاميرا تتلقف قذارة طفل بدائي وسخ لا يليق بالإنسانية، تأتيه أنجيلنا جولي لتعلمه مسحة من الحضارة !!!
الكاتب السويدي هينبنغ مانكل بكثير من الجرأة و الصراحة يتوغل في تفصيل بعثة زوجين من السويد أرسلا عبر بعثة لبناء أربعمئة بئر في إفريقيا .. وبعد أحد عشر عاما لا ينجزان إلا ثلاثة آبار .. و طفلة في التاسعة قتلت برصاصة في رأسها لأنها سارقة ! و عشرات الصور لفتيات صغار كان يدفع الرجل المعتوه لهن ليخلعن ثيابهن و يصورن في وضعيات شاذة مقابل كورونة واحدة ( عملة السويد ) ..
كم هي كثيرة إنجازات أوروبا على الصعيد الإنساني .. !
إفريقيا تتربص كفهد جريح أو كفتاة نالت قسطا كافيا من الضرب و الإهامة و الموت .. تنقض إفريقيا بأسراب نملها على الزوجين .. يتعالى دق الطبول ..
تتسلل أفعى الكوبرا .. تلك التي لا تنام على ثأر و تنهي المأساة و الكثير من الضجيج و الصراخ بلسعة صامتة تختتم أعواما من الابتزاز الإنساني ..
August 6, 2011
1875: Can you imagine the fear of an 8 year old African native who sees his mother and father brutally slaughtered. He is then adopted by a well-meaning Swedish scientist on an expedition, who believes he is saving the boy when he takes him back to Sweden. The problem is that the boy is very intelligent and the scientist a complete dolt. While the scientist tries to "civilize" Daniel and at the same time exploit him by exhibiting him at shows, Daniel tries to figure out how to get back to Africa without angering the white men. He thinks he can learn to walk on the water like Jesus did, and that motivates him to go to church to learn more about Christianity. I absolutely fell in love with Daniel.
This is a powerful well-written book by a Swedish author recommended by my Goodreads friend THE. I postponed reading it till it was 8 days overdue at the library. When I finally picked it up, I couldn't put it down till I finished it at 1:30 in the morning.
This is a powerful well-written book by a Swedish author recommended by my Goodreads friend THE. I postponed reading it till it was 8 days overdue at the library. When I finally picked it up, I couldn't put it down till I finished it at 1:30 in the morning.
April 1, 2017
This book is extremely poignant and compelling as well as being unsettling. It is the story of a strange Swede, Hans Bengler, who goes to Africa to find an unknown species of insect to name after himself. He ends up finding an orphaned black boy about 8 years old whom he brings back to Sweden. He feels that he can give him a better life even though the trader where he found the boy tells him he will only destroy the boy.
Hans uses Daniel in part of a carnival type lecture series to get people to come in and listen to his lecture on insects. None of the people involved consider Daniel or his needs. Daniel, on the other hand, longs for his home in the desert and sees, in his mind, his parents who were killed by white men. He meets with people who stare at him, pet him and sometimes regard him as the devil, but no one thinks of him as a real person. Daniel has been trained to say, "My name is Daniel. I believe in God" as a formula, but in his own mind, the voices of his parents are growing stronger and stronger. He hears of Jesus, who walked on water, and he is determined to learn to walk on water in order to go home.
The book calls into question the recent adoptions of young children whose culture is so different from the one they are adopted into, especially children older than 3-4. There are a lot of cultural implications that may not be being considered.
Hans uses Daniel in part of a carnival type lecture series to get people to come in and listen to his lecture on insects. None of the people involved consider Daniel or his needs. Daniel, on the other hand, longs for his home in the desert and sees, in his mind, his parents who were killed by white men. He meets with people who stare at him, pet him and sometimes regard him as the devil, but no one thinks of him as a real person. Daniel has been trained to say, "My name is Daniel. I believe in God" as a formula, but in his own mind, the voices of his parents are growing stronger and stronger. He hears of Jesus, who walked on water, and he is determined to learn to walk on water in order to go home.
The book calls into question the recent adoptions of young children whose culture is so different from the one they are adopted into, especially children older than 3-4. There are a lot of cultural implications that may not be being considered.
January 14, 2011
When I started this book, I was not sure if I liked it (I listened to the audio version). . . it begins a very strange story. . . but it became more and more enticing as I moved through it. By the end I saw it as a legend, a myth, a folk tale perhaps based on a very old story of a small African boy who was taken from his home to a very strange land. He never gives up his dream of getting back home to the Kalahari. It is a very haunting and strange tale, but by the end I was left with a ghostly but magical sense of rightness. A very unusual piece of literature.
February 25, 2014
Great book. It's not scary like most of his books, but it tells a haunting tale. Another book about a first world traveler to lands unknown to him. The main character, a single, awkward, and unsuccessful man, returns to Europe with a newly adopted small back child from the Kalahari Desert. We travel with the explorer during the first half and with the boy in the second. We follow the boy's progress, which is heart breaking every step of the way.
November 12, 2013
I Loved Henning Mankell's book The Italian Shoes so I absolutely did not expect this from such a terrific writer! Daniel was cumbersome and I didn't actually ever get to the place where I cared about the characters. If I hadn't committed to reading it for our Book Club I would have put the book down when the character Hans Bengler masterbates twice by page four!
January 19, 2015
This is the only book I have ever read twice. It's a phenomenal read. Powerful. Strong. Believable. Emotional.
A brilliant story and you really understand how Daniel is feeling.
I recommend this to everyone.
A brilliant story and you really understand how Daniel is feeling.
I recommend this to everyone.
December 14, 2020
A novel set at the end of the 19th century about a Swedish entomologist who goes to Africa solely to find a new species of beetle he can name after himself. This guy is "of his time", meaning, the amount of racism and sexism you'd expect, without making him a totally hateful character (although it's always difficult accepting this as a modern reader). But he is self-absorbed (see: needing to find an insect to name after yourself for posterity) and has a weird habit of not being able to hike for more than a few hours without needing to stop for a masturbation break. Was this a 19th century thing??
Anyway.
While in Africa, he encounters a young boy from the Kalahari Desert who just witnessed the violent murder of his parents by white colonialists. He, on a whim, decides he must take care of this boy and take him back to Sweden with him, to lead a "civilized" life. The boy's name is Molo but he renames him Daniel.
Daniel, as one would expect, has no idea what is going on. He is dumped onto a ship with this guy and sails for weeks/month to Sweden, a place which could not be more alien. He doesn't know what shoes are, doesn't understand our bathrooms, has never had to deal with doors, walls, or windows. Despite all this, he does learn and adjust, and learns Swedish well and quickly considering how unimaginably and suddenly his life has changed.
His adopted father, despite the arrogance of taking this boy to a different continent (and being your typical 19th-century-minded westerner... "we're better" and all that), does actually feel for the boy and wants him to have a better life. He goes to great lengths to feed, clothe, and shelter the boy and is heartened when he does seem to be adjusting fairly well.
But as one would expect, Daniel does not magically accept all this and become an assimilated Swede. He is pulled back home, drawn by a task left him by his father before he was killed. There is no other option, and all Daniel's actions are geared towards getting back there... in fact, through most of the book, his main goal is to learn to "walk on water" because he feels that is the only way to get back where he came from (since he assumes he can't pay for or arrange a ship passage).
This book was so well-written and is a heart-wrenching fish-out-of-water story. And it is truly unpredictable. For all the reader knows, Daniel will eventually grow to love Sweden and assimilate. I truly did not know what was going to happen from one chapter to the next. And the author does a good job of getting you inside Daniel's head (whether or not it is accurate, it makes you emotionally involved and gets you on his side the whole time).
Anyway.
While in Africa, he encounters a young boy from the Kalahari Desert who just witnessed the violent murder of his parents by white colonialists. He, on a whim, decides he must take care of this boy and take him back to Sweden with him, to lead a "civilized" life. The boy's name is Molo but he renames him Daniel.
Daniel, as one would expect, has no idea what is going on. He is dumped onto a ship with this guy and sails for weeks/month to Sweden, a place which could not be more alien. He doesn't know what shoes are, doesn't understand our bathrooms, has never had to deal with doors, walls, or windows. Despite all this, he does learn and adjust, and learns Swedish well and quickly considering how unimaginably and suddenly his life has changed.
His adopted father, despite the arrogance of taking this boy to a different continent (and being your typical 19th-century-minded westerner... "we're better" and all that), does actually feel for the boy and wants him to have a better life. He goes to great lengths to feed, clothe, and shelter the boy and is heartened when he does seem to be adjusting fairly well.
But as one would expect, Daniel does not magically accept all this and become an assimilated Swede. He is pulled back home, drawn by a task left him by his father before he was killed. There is no other option, and all Daniel's actions are geared towards getting back there... in fact, through most of the book, his main goal is to learn to "walk on water" because he feels that is the only way to get back where he came from (since he assumes he can't pay for or arrange a ship passage).
This book was so well-written and is a heart-wrenching fish-out-of-water story. And it is truly unpredictable. For all the reader knows, Daniel will eventually grow to love Sweden and assimilate. I truly did not know what was going to happen from one chapter to the next. And the author does a good job of getting you inside Daniel's head (whether or not it is accurate, it makes you emotionally involved and gets you on his side the whole time).
February 19, 2019
As an avid reader of many Henning Mankel books I was a bit surprised to see a thin book named “Daniel” on the shelf at Gene’s, an awesome bookstore in Sanibel Island, FL. Encouraged by a friend I bought the book and immediately jumped in to the story.
Obviously much different from the Kurt Wallender detective series, Daniel was a young black boy from the Kalahari Desert in Southern Africa with a grim childhood. Without parents, he is taken involuntarily to a new land by an entomologist looking for a rare insect. While Daniel learned all the new manners, vocabulary and appropriate dress in his mind he had never left his African home. His only goal in life was to find a way back to Africa to rejoin his murdered parents and find a way to complete a cave drawing.
I found the book a thoughtful way to step back from your own native environment to explore how well you could cope in an entirely new world. It presents a fascinating picture of the young boy’s mind as he explores his new world and longs to return to his home. It’s a quick read but one you’re likely to remember for a long time!
Obviously much different from the Kurt Wallender detective series, Daniel was a young black boy from the Kalahari Desert in Southern Africa with a grim childhood. Without parents, he is taken involuntarily to a new land by an entomologist looking for a rare insect. While Daniel learned all the new manners, vocabulary and appropriate dress in his mind he had never left his African home. His only goal in life was to find a way back to Africa to rejoin his murdered parents and find a way to complete a cave drawing.
I found the book a thoughtful way to step back from your own native environment to explore how well you could cope in an entirely new world. It presents a fascinating picture of the young boy’s mind as he explores his new world and longs to return to his home. It’s a quick read but one you’re likely to remember for a long time!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 11, 2020
Tengo sensaciones diversas sobre este libro. Me gustó esa incertidumbre de leer algo que parecía ser una historia real o una novela, pero me desesperaba por ratos la suerte del pobre niño.
Me dejó como regalo volver a reflexionar sobre la gran influencia que ejercemos sobre los niños y que los adultos lo hicieron con nosotros mismos en su oportunidad. La adopción de este niño, tan inconcientemente realizada, suele parecerse mucho a la misma inconsciencia con que algunos padres traen al mundo a sus hijos. “ Como nos atrevemos a intentar enseñar a vivir a un niño, si nosotros mismos no lo hemos aprendido aún.
En cuanto a la trama, debo aceptar que me atrapó bastante desde un inicio y reconocer que si logré transportarme a la época en que la historia se desarrolla, cosa que disfruté mucho.
Me dejó como regalo volver a reflexionar sobre la gran influencia que ejercemos sobre los niños y que los adultos lo hicieron con nosotros mismos en su oportunidad. La adopción de este niño, tan inconcientemente realizada, suele parecerse mucho a la misma inconsciencia con que algunos padres traen al mundo a sus hijos. “ Como nos atrevemos a intentar enseñar a vivir a un niño, si nosotros mismos no lo hemos aprendido aún.
En cuanto a la trama, debo aceptar que me atrapó bastante desde un inicio y reconocer que si logré transportarme a la época en que la historia se desarrolla, cosa que disfruté mucho.
August 23, 2021
I loved this book, but I can’t give it five stars. I will let you read all the different plot summaries about the story of Daniel on here, but this is my take. When a black boy is lifted out of the African desert and dropped in Sweden in the late 1870s, you know that it will be a long, unpleasant slide towards a conclusion. Henning Mankell was one of my favorite authors until his passing a few years ago, and it saddens me that I only have a few more of his novels to read. This stand-alone novel is one that will stick with you for a while - so get ready.
November 18, 2019
Aún le constaba entender su nuevo nombre. "Daniel". En realidad, él se llamaba Molo. Pero nadie, ni Andersson ni Padre, se habían molestado en preguntarle. Simplemente le habían asignado aquel largo nombre, Daniel, que no significaba nada y que él sólo conseguía pronunciar con mucho esfuerzo.
July 6, 2022
A powerful, gripping tale that tells what happens when you uproot a child from the land he was born in, as well meant to die, and put him in a place of complete contrast to his natural homeland. This book portrays the loss of childhood, estrangement and clash of cultures. A must-read if you're looking for a story that goes beyond traditions.
February 28, 2018
Un grand livre publié en français sous le titre 'Le fils du vent. Les trois parties se complètent admirablement' en passant du narrateur adulte et crétin au narrateur enfant. Le récit est particulièrement poignant et criant de vérité quant à la culture bushmane.
Henning Mankell explore les relations interculturelles et montre qu'on ne peut les réduire aux simples dualités Europe/Afrique, colonisateur/colonisé, Noir/Blanc, malade/sein d'esprit. Dans 'Le fils du vent', les vraies relations sont impersonnelles et se construisent sur la base de la compréhension de l'autre. Une belle leçon de vie, et un roman sensible et captivant.
Henning Mankell explore les relations interculturelles et montre qu'on ne peut les réduire aux simples dualités Europe/Afrique, colonisateur/colonisé, Noir/Blanc, malade/sein d'esprit. Dans 'Le fils du vent', les vraies relations sont impersonnelles et se construisent sur la base de la compréhension de l'autre. Une belle leçon de vie, et un roman sensible et captivant.
February 18, 2011
It took Daniel a long time to understand the word "home". And then he realized that whatever it was, it was far away from where he had been taken to. Hans Bengler, Swedish eccentric and somewhat hapless entomologist, had "adopted" the seven or eight year old San boy, Molo, during his expedition to the Kalahari Desert in then German South-West Africa in search of previously unidentified insects. With some specimens in his display cases, he decides to return to Sweden to exhibit his insect collection and the boy. Henning Mankell, well known for his Kurt Wallander and other crime novels, and a convincing story teller, has embarked with DANIEL into a world that is both still vivid in present day societies' minds and attitudes, yet, fortunately, has also been disappearing since the time of "first contact" between Africans and Europeans. Mankell presents us with a touching and intriguing story that exemplifies the need and importance of cross-cultural respect and appreciation, based on sensitivity and effort to listen to those who come from another culture and tradition - whatever their age - and at the same time to encourage these newcomers to express themselves without fear of ridicule or contempt.
The story is set in the late eighteen hundred seventies, a time when a black person was often regarded as some wild and dangerous animal or, at a minimum, as a major curiosity. Already on the ship back to Europe, Bengler prepares young Molo, who he renames Daniel, for his "proper" behaviour in the new country and teaches him a smidgen of Swedish. Life upon return to Sweden is not easy, though. The novel follows Daniel's experiences in "his new home", from climate to countryside to people to customs. Hardly anybody is interested in the boy's story, of course, and Bengler, who Daniel has to call "Father", tells a story about his "rescue" that has little to do with the reality he had experienced: "I never saw a lion! [...] Father was lying. He was making up a story that was not true at all." So much for being a role model!
It takes the author some time to switch from the detailed Bengler story to that of Daniel himself. When he does, the narrative becomes much more engaging and personal: gradually, we learn about Daniel's own feelings and his growing understanding of Swedish society and the huge chasm between this and his life back with his parents Be and Kiko. He had been the only survivor and, also, observer of a massacre (by white people) at his family's camp and the images and memories are a constant and overwhelming presence in his mind. Is the divide between the different world views in any way bridgeable? Once Daniel hears of Jesus' ability to walk on water, he believes he has found the solution to his loneliness: "He who needed to learn the art of walking on water to find the people who were most important in his life." His homesickness is a constant companion as he is moved around Sweden to end up in a small village, far away from the sea. He recognizes that he has to hide his feelings behind eyes that cannot be penetrated by others. Only very few individuals, however, make the effort to try. Several times he runs away, each time learning more about what he needs to do to succeed...
Daniel's story, whether based on a historical person or purely imagined, reminded me somewhat of that of Francis Barber, who came to England as a young slave, gained his freedom with the help of Dr. Samuel Johnson, the famous 18th century literary figure, and whose long time companion he became. Although this case of "adaptation" happened more than 100 years earlier, it ended rather differently. Apparently Swedes did not encounter black people on their shores until more than a hundred years later. Mankell is at pains to make the point very clearly when he describes the reactions of the locals to Daniel that range from loud yelling outbursts, to pointing, to poking to running away to trying to tie him up with a rope. Some see the boy as a personification of the Devil. The author succeeds in his efforts to bring us closer to Daniel's world and his perception of the two realities he has to cope with and builds in the reader feelings of empathy, solidarity and affection for young Molo. Personally, I found, however, that he may have given the nine-year old a more mature understanding and more advanced ability to analyze his surroundings than one would feel is plausible and credible, given the boy's age. On the other hand, Bengler's behaviour read, at times, more like a farce that was not really fitting the seriousness and emotional depth of the novel as a whole.
The story is set in the late eighteen hundred seventies, a time when a black person was often regarded as some wild and dangerous animal or, at a minimum, as a major curiosity. Already on the ship back to Europe, Bengler prepares young Molo, who he renames Daniel, for his "proper" behaviour in the new country and teaches him a smidgen of Swedish. Life upon return to Sweden is not easy, though. The novel follows Daniel's experiences in "his new home", from climate to countryside to people to customs. Hardly anybody is interested in the boy's story, of course, and Bengler, who Daniel has to call "Father", tells a story about his "rescue" that has little to do with the reality he had experienced: "I never saw a lion! [...] Father was lying. He was making up a story that was not true at all." So much for being a role model!
It takes the author some time to switch from the detailed Bengler story to that of Daniel himself. When he does, the narrative becomes much more engaging and personal: gradually, we learn about Daniel's own feelings and his growing understanding of Swedish society and the huge chasm between this and his life back with his parents Be and Kiko. He had been the only survivor and, also, observer of a massacre (by white people) at his family's camp and the images and memories are a constant and overwhelming presence in his mind. Is the divide between the different world views in any way bridgeable? Once Daniel hears of Jesus' ability to walk on water, he believes he has found the solution to his loneliness: "He who needed to learn the art of walking on water to find the people who were most important in his life." His homesickness is a constant companion as he is moved around Sweden to end up in a small village, far away from the sea. He recognizes that he has to hide his feelings behind eyes that cannot be penetrated by others. Only very few individuals, however, make the effort to try. Several times he runs away, each time learning more about what he needs to do to succeed...
Daniel's story, whether based on a historical person or purely imagined, reminded me somewhat of that of Francis Barber, who came to England as a young slave, gained his freedom with the help of Dr. Samuel Johnson, the famous 18th century literary figure, and whose long time companion he became. Although this case of "adaptation" happened more than 100 years earlier, it ended rather differently. Apparently Swedes did not encounter black people on their shores until more than a hundred years later. Mankell is at pains to make the point very clearly when he describes the reactions of the locals to Daniel that range from loud yelling outbursts, to pointing, to poking to running away to trying to tie him up with a rope. Some see the boy as a personification of the Devil. The author succeeds in his efforts to bring us closer to Daniel's world and his perception of the two realities he has to cope with and builds in the reader feelings of empathy, solidarity and affection for young Molo. Personally, I found, however, that he may have given the nine-year old a more mature understanding and more advanced ability to analyze his surroundings than one would feel is plausible and credible, given the boy's age. On the other hand, Bengler's behaviour read, at times, more like a farce that was not really fitting the seriousness and emotional depth of the novel as a whole.
November 26, 2011
My reading soundtrack of Fennesz & Sakamoto's "Cendre" provided a soundscape perfect for the hazy desert always hovering nearby Sweden's forests, snow covered fields and mud strewn landscapes.
A quick summary because every review I read has one and I don't feel like going against the norm today: Hans Bengler, a failure as a med student and now an entomologist leaves Sweden in 1878 for the Kalahari Desert to find an insect that has never been discovered. He finds one beetle and one boy (around 6 or 7) in a cage. He christens this boy Daniel and heads back to Sweden to...well he (nor the reader, nor the narrator really knows why). Daniel (Molo) desperately wants to go home. And in between are all the things one can imagine by being placed in a foreign country, by being miles and miles and miles away from home, reaching but never attaining, in a time when Evolution was just beginning to enter the minds of the masses and ships still had fresh remnants of rusty metal that held and murdered many during the times of slavery. Yes, you can imagine that this isn't the happiest of books.
This book is littered with characters that are difficult to judge. Bengler seemed to have good intentions (albeit no intentions) sometimes and other times purely selfish, tyrannical intentions that left fear and worry and death in his wake. Poor, poor Daniel. Completely innocent in the way that Lennie is in "Of Mice & Men." Speaking of Lennie: Sanna. Slavery still exists if you were to ask her. And even the minor characters such as Andersson and Froken Myrén are at once completely absurd in there behavior and at another time completely reasonable (though more Myren than Andersson). But I enjoy that confusion. When the good vs. evil thing blends together. There is no (pardon the racial proximity here) black and white, only grey (possibly the color of Sanna & Daniel's baby according to her).
I have also been ruminating on Mankell's choice of narration. The narrator is only revealed at the end. I'm thinking third person limited omniscient. But like the afterword states, "The novel does not necessarily depict what actually happened. The task of the novel is to portray what might have happened." So how true is this? What viewpoints did Mankell feel more omniscient towards?
And that leads me to wonder the purpose of Mankell writing this. He lives, at times, in Mozambique, which appears to be at least somewhat taken over by the Kalahari Desert, so how close to home is this? How does he feel about adoption? What remnants or influences still remain from European settlers and/or European religions?
Like Fennesz's electronics bubbling up under Sakamato's melodies, "Daniel" left me thinking about subtle nuances within the character's actions and intentions and how each character has changed either for the good and can possibly improve upon the human experience or if they are only going to perpetuate any sort of hierarchy based upon race, class, intelligence, etc. And to answer what I ponder, I only have to look around.
I thought of the aphorism, "you can't go home, again" the entire time I read this...
A quick summary because every review I read has one and I don't feel like going against the norm today: Hans Bengler, a failure as a med student and now an entomologist leaves Sweden in 1878 for the Kalahari Desert to find an insect that has never been discovered. He finds one beetle and one boy (around 6 or 7) in a cage. He christens this boy Daniel and heads back to Sweden to...well he (nor the reader, nor the narrator really knows why). Daniel (Molo) desperately wants to go home. And in between are all the things one can imagine by being placed in a foreign country, by being miles and miles and miles away from home, reaching but never attaining, in a time when Evolution was just beginning to enter the minds of the masses and ships still had fresh remnants of rusty metal that held and murdered many during the times of slavery. Yes, you can imagine that this isn't the happiest of books.
This book is littered with characters that are difficult to judge. Bengler seemed to have good intentions (albeit no intentions) sometimes and other times purely selfish, tyrannical intentions that left fear and worry and death in his wake. Poor, poor Daniel. Completely innocent in the way that Lennie is in "Of Mice & Men." Speaking of Lennie: Sanna. Slavery still exists if you were to ask her. And even the minor characters such as Andersson and Froken Myrén are at once completely absurd in there behavior and at another time completely reasonable (though more Myren than Andersson). But I enjoy that confusion. When the good vs. evil thing blends together. There is no (pardon the racial proximity here) black and white, only grey (possibly the color of Sanna & Daniel's baby according to her).
I have also been ruminating on Mankell's choice of narration. The narrator is only revealed at the end. I'm thinking third person limited omniscient. But like the afterword states, "The novel does not necessarily depict what actually happened. The task of the novel is to portray what might have happened." So how true is this? What viewpoints did Mankell feel more omniscient towards?
And that leads me to wonder the purpose of Mankell writing this. He lives, at times, in Mozambique, which appears to be at least somewhat taken over by the Kalahari Desert, so how close to home is this? How does he feel about adoption? What remnants or influences still remain from European settlers and/or European religions?
Like Fennesz's electronics bubbling up under Sakamato's melodies, "Daniel" left me thinking about subtle nuances within the character's actions and intentions and how each character has changed either for the good and can possibly improve upon the human experience or if they are only going to perpetuate any sort of hierarchy based upon race, class, intelligence, etc. And to answer what I ponder, I only have to look around.
I thought of the aphorism, "you can't go home, again" the entire time I read this...
May 14, 2018
مسرحية الظباء
تأليف الكاتب السويدي: هنينغ مانكل
سلسلة من المسرح العالمي (الكويت)
ترجمة: سعيد بوكرامي
مسرحية من فصلين. ثلاث شخصيات رئيسية ( الرجل، المرأة، ولوندين)
يكشف الكاتب عن النظرة الحقيقية للاستعمار، مهما قالوا أنهم أتوا من أجل الأفارقة، من أجل تحسين أوضاعهم، وحفر الآبار، إلا أنهم لم يأتوا إلا ليكونوا أغنياء، يمتصوا دمائهم ويأخذوا ثرواتهم.
يلعب الكاتب لعبة فنية في السرد، فهنا لا أحداث حقيقية تمر، لكن الأبطال يسردون ما حدث خلال الأعوام الماضية، ينسون أو يتناسون، ومن خلال حديثهم تعرف نظرتهم الحقيقية للأفارقة، فهم يرونهم خطرين، كسالى، سارقين، وربما رائحتهم قذرة. يمنحونهم السترات القديمة والأشياء عديمة النفع لهم أو الزاهدين بها.. يا لرأفتهم.
الرجل "لارس رون إكمان" الموظف المكلف من الحكومة السويدية لحفر الآبار من أجل السود، وبعد أربعة عشر عامًا لم يتم حفر سوى ثلاثة آبار. هل أتوا حقًا ليعلموهم الحياة أم أتوا ليعلموهم الموت.
الزوجة "إليزابيث" تدور بينها وبين زوجها لارس حوارًا يكشف كل ما عاناه في السنوات الماضية، يكشف الحوار عن نفوسهم الحقيقية. يكنون الخوف تجاه السود، فإن لم يأخذوا حذرهم سيقتلوهم. لكن الظباء تعرفنا القتلة الحقيقين. اللص الصغير الذي قتل على سلالم بيتهم، والمرأة الأفريقية التي تسرق الطعام من أجل أبناءها الساكنين في حاويات القمامة.
تقول المرأة للرجل متحدثة عن خادمتهم الأفريقية: حسبت أن عليها أن تشتغل لدينا ثلاثين عامًا لتحصل على مبلغ يساوي أجرة شهر في عملك.
الأشخاص السود لم يظهروا أبدًا، بل كانوا غير مرئيين، وهذا له دلالة على أنهم بالنسبة للأبطال لا يرونهم، يستعلون عليهم؛ فهم في نظرهم لا شيء.
الظباء هم السود الأبرياء الذي يقتنصهم الموت وهم يركضون للحرية.
الطبيعة الأفريقية تثأر وتنتقم، ديدان، ونمل أبيض، أمراض مخيفة، وثعابين تقتل. أفريقيا تطرد المستعمرين وإن أتوا بملامح الإنسانية، وحفر آبار الشرب، ومداواة المرضى. أفريقيا الذكية تعرف العدو جيدًا.
أحمد سعيد #نيجور
تأليف الكاتب السويدي: هنينغ مانكل
سلسلة من المسرح العالمي (الكويت)
ترجمة: سعيد بوكرامي
مسرحية من فصلين. ثلاث شخصيات رئيسية ( الرجل، المرأة، ولوندين)
يكشف الكاتب عن النظرة الحقيقية للاستعمار، مهما قالوا أنهم أتوا من أجل الأفارقة، من أجل تحسين أوضاعهم، وحفر الآبار، إلا أنهم لم يأتوا إلا ليكونوا أغنياء، يمتصوا دمائهم ويأخذوا ثرواتهم.
يلعب الكاتب لعبة فنية في السرد، فهنا لا أحداث حقيقية تمر، لكن الأبطال يسردون ما حدث خلال الأعوام الماضية، ينسون أو يتناسون، ومن خلال حديثهم تعرف نظرتهم الحقيقية للأفارقة، فهم يرونهم خطرين، كسالى، سارقين، وربما رائحتهم قذرة. يمنحونهم السترات القديمة والأشياء عديمة النفع لهم أو الزاهدين بها.. يا لرأفتهم.
الرجل "لارس رون إكمان" الموظف المكلف من الحكومة السويدية لحفر الآبار من أجل السود، وبعد أربعة عشر عامًا لم يتم حفر سوى ثلاثة آبار. هل أتوا حقًا ليعلموهم الحياة أم أتوا ليعلموهم الموت.
الزوجة "إليزابيث" تدور بينها وبين زوجها لارس حوارًا يكشف كل ما عاناه في السنوات الماضية، يكشف الحوار عن نفوسهم الحقيقية. يكنون الخوف تجاه السود، فإن لم يأخذوا حذرهم سيقتلوهم. لكن الظباء تعرفنا القتلة الحقيقين. اللص الصغير الذي قتل على سلالم بيتهم، والمرأة الأفريقية التي تسرق الطعام من أجل أبناءها الساكنين في حاويات القمامة.
تقول المرأة للرجل متحدثة عن خادمتهم الأفريقية: حسبت أن عليها أن تشتغل لدينا ثلاثين عامًا لتحصل على مبلغ يساوي أجرة شهر في عملك.
الأشخاص السود لم يظهروا أبدًا، بل كانوا غير مرئيين، وهذا له دلالة على أنهم بالنسبة للأبطال لا يرونهم، يستعلون عليهم؛ فهم في نظرهم لا شيء.
الظباء هم السود الأبرياء الذي يقتنصهم الموت وهم يركضون للحرية.
الطبيعة الأفريقية تثأر وتنتقم، ديدان، ونمل أبيض، أمراض مخيفة، وثعابين تقتل. أفريقيا تطرد المستعمرين وإن أتوا بملامح الإنسانية، وحفر آبار الشرب، ومداواة المرضى. أفريقيا الذكية تعرف العدو جيدًا.
أحمد سعيد #نيجور
March 20, 2017
This book is told from each of the two main characters' point of view. The first half from the failed Swedish medical student's; the second from the ten year old African boy who he brings back with him to Sweden. Mankell makes both voices distinct and believable.
The story is set in the 1870's. The Swedish character gives up medical school after fainting while observing his first dissection of a cadaver. He realizes that he will never make it as a doctor. He switches to biology and decides that his path to fame and riches would be traveling to Africa and discovering a new species of insect and naming it after himself. So setting off with little more than a sense of arrogance, he mounts a cut rate expedition to the Kalahari Desert. He bungles his way to an isolated trading post and there meets the child he names Daniel; dirty, injured, orphaned and kept in a pen. He believes he is rescuing the child by adopting him and taking him back to Sweden. Needless to say, unforeseen consequences ensue.
Once in Sweden the story is told from Daniel's point of view. He is trapped in a strange world and struggles to find his way home. The story though beautifully written is heartfelt and tragic. I highly recommend this book.
The story is set in the 1870's. The Swedish character gives up medical school after fainting while observing his first dissection of a cadaver. He realizes that he will never make it as a doctor. He switches to biology and decides that his path to fame and riches would be traveling to Africa and discovering a new species of insect and naming it after himself. So setting off with little more than a sense of arrogance, he mounts a cut rate expedition to the Kalahari Desert. He bungles his way to an isolated trading post and there meets the child he names Daniel; dirty, injured, orphaned and kept in a pen. He believes he is rescuing the child by adopting him and taking him back to Sweden. Needless to say, unforeseen consequences ensue.
Once in Sweden the story is told from Daniel's point of view. He is trapped in a strange world and struggles to find his way home. The story though beautifully written is heartfelt and tragic. I highly recommend this book.
July 27, 2015
Que historia tan triste. Mucha buena voluntad, poco cerebro y mucha soberbia de los poderes coloniales. Aunque la mayoría de los suecos en la historia son buenos, desde el propio Hans al Rey, pasando por todos los personajes, al final, parece que todos convergemos en el mínimo común denominador.
Hans tenía muy buenas intenciones al llevarse a Bolo, después renombrado a "Daniel creo en Dios", pero pareciera que jamás se detuvo a pensar en un momento en las consecuencias que podría traer el sacar a un niño negro de su ambiente subsahariano y llevarlo al invierno sueco. El golpe entre civilizaciones es enorme, y aunque durante un buen rato Hans busca una vida digna para "Daniel creo en Dios" termina convirtiéndolo en lo que le aborrecía: un espectáculo de feria de pueblo.
La narración y las cosas en que te hace pensar, son muy buenas. Sin embargo no se si la visión de Bolo (lo que el interpretaba, sobre todo en la segunda y tercera parte del libro) corresponden a una realidad de la gente que vivía en el "África Alemana" o a una versión europea de la realidad de la gente que vivía en el África Alemana.
Aún así, buena lectura triste que me puso un tanto melancólico.
Hans tenía muy buenas intenciones al llevarse a Bolo, después renombrado a "Daniel creo en Dios", pero pareciera que jamás se detuvo a pensar en un momento en las consecuencias que podría traer el sacar a un niño negro de su ambiente subsahariano y llevarlo al invierno sueco. El golpe entre civilizaciones es enorme, y aunque durante un buen rato Hans busca una vida digna para "Daniel creo en Dios" termina convirtiéndolo en lo que le aborrecía: un espectáculo de feria de pueblo.
La narración y las cosas en que te hace pensar, son muy buenas. Sin embargo no se si la visión de Bolo (lo que el interpretaba, sobre todo en la segunda y tercera parte del libro) corresponden a una realidad de la gente que vivía en el "África Alemana" o a una versión europea de la realidad de la gente que vivía en el África Alemana.
Aún así, buena lectura triste que me puso un tanto melancólico.
January 9, 2011
The book maks a slow start but you suspect it's because Mankell wants to really get beneath the skin of his two main characters. It is worth being patient. Daniel in particualr is brilliantly portrayed, through Mankell's device of giving him an inner world through which his actions are guided by the land of his now dead parents. Mankell not only evokes his connections with his past, but shows how Daniel is inextricably linked to the desert environment from which he comes. He interprets the new world of nineteenth century Sweden, which to him looks contrived and artificial, by reference to the real world of the Kalahari, to which he is ineluctably drawn. Mankell sets up an interesting tension between the growing warmth between man and boy, on the one hand, and their competing desires, on the other: the man's for a reputation and an income, and Daniel's to be back where he belongs.
October 3, 2016
Una denuncia social del daño que Europa hizo en África de manera sistemática es la idea de trasfondo en esta historia.
Inicia, narrando los ideales de un mediocre exestudiante de medicina. En busca de prestigio y una forma fácil de obtener dinero, Bengler, viaja a África para buscar un insecto que todavía no haya recibido nombre y una ubicación en la taxonomía occidental. "Rescata" a un niño huérfano y lo trae a Suecia con el pretexto de adoptarlo pero con la idea precisa de mostrarlo como bicho raro.
El niño, llamado Daniel por Bengler, sufre de nostalgia, busca entender el mundo que percibe con las ideas heredadas por sus padres.
Como lectora sentí coraje con Bengler y un desasosiego constante por la vida de Molo (nombre real que nadie se detiene a investigar).
¿Ficción o anécdota? Mankell te siembra la curiosidad.
dfcg
Inicia, narrando los ideales de un mediocre exestudiante de medicina. En busca de prestigio y una forma fácil de obtener dinero, Bengler, viaja a África para buscar un insecto que todavía no haya recibido nombre y una ubicación en la taxonomía occidental. "Rescata" a un niño huérfano y lo trae a Suecia con el pretexto de adoptarlo pero con la idea precisa de mostrarlo como bicho raro.
El niño, llamado Daniel por Bengler, sufre de nostalgia, busca entender el mundo que percibe con las ideas heredadas por sus padres.
Como lectora sentí coraje con Bengler y un desasosiego constante por la vida de Molo (nombre real que nadie se detiene a investigar).
¿Ficción o anécdota? Mankell te siembra la curiosidad.
dfcg
January 22, 2020
Molo (Daniel) sufre dos veces a causa del colonialismo, una cuando la brutalidad del más fuerte le arrebata a su familia y otra cuando la caridad sin empatía intenta ayudarle, imponiendo costumbres que no entiende, mientras le niega lo que de verdad necesita.
Un libro intimista, lleno de personajes que se buscan - a si mismos o unos a otros - pero no se encuentran, refleja el aislamiento al que nos lleva intentar cambiar al otro sin entenderlo.
Un libro intimista, lleno de personajes que se buscan - a si mismos o unos a otros - pero no se encuentran, refleja el aislamiento al que nos lleva intentar cambiar al otro sin entenderlo.
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