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Drinkers of the Wind
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
July 25, 2010
I first read this book back in my teens when my interest in the Arabian horse began. It is an excellent history of the breed, especially showing many of the progenitors of the breed. recommended to anyone who loves horses.
October 21, 2022
This book would be an incredible novel, except for the fact that it is the personal memoir of Carl Raswan. First, the story (all true) is full of the stuff that makes reading an exciting and deeply rewarding experience. The pacing is always moving, the characters are authentic and engaging, and the descriptive language is rich, detailed, and evocative.
If I could use just a single word to describe the whole book, I would say “noble.” Much contemporary literature seems to be sadly lacking in this quality. Written for the moment, to either entertain an audience, or sway to a political viewpoint, books today seem shallow and provincial. This book, written in 1935 about Raswan’s life in the 1910s, exudes the nobility of life lived on the edge, full of the poetry and appreciation of life, and the associated dangers and sorrows. Books like this seem to have a timeless quality, and should be as rich two centuries from now as they were when written.
The nomad people met by Raswan during his adventures in the wilds of the Arabian deserts demonstrated a nobility and depth of character rarely encountered today. And their richness deepened the author as he lived among them.
And lastly, if you have a heart for horses, or want to, this book will especially speak to you. My wife, who has spent a lifetime with horses, validates the author’s vast details concerning these animals, and his appreciation of their noble nature.
This book, its story and its language will stick with me for a long time.
If I could use just a single word to describe the whole book, I would say “noble.” Much contemporary literature seems to be sadly lacking in this quality. Written for the moment, to either entertain an audience, or sway to a political viewpoint, books today seem shallow and provincial. This book, written in 1935 about Raswan’s life in the 1910s, exudes the nobility of life lived on the edge, full of the poetry and appreciation of life, and the associated dangers and sorrows. Books like this seem to have a timeless quality, and should be as rich two centuries from now as they were when written.
The nomad people met by Raswan during his adventures in the wilds of the Arabian deserts demonstrated a nobility and depth of character rarely encountered today. And their richness deepened the author as he lived among them.
And lastly, if you have a heart for horses, or want to, this book will especially speak to you. My wife, who has spent a lifetime with horses, validates the author’s vast details concerning these animals, and his appreciation of their noble nature.
This book, its story and its language will stick with me for a long time.
July 2, 2011
Being an Arabian fan, I LOVED this. It felt so true to life as it must have been, & you can feel the heat, the sands & the love he had for his beloved horses. Absolutely a book I would LOVE to own in my personal library!
February 27, 2015
I need to read this. My grandfather stayed with the author and his family for sometime in the 1930s.
April 22, 2023
This book sat on my shelf for close to twenty years, waiting for the time to be right to read it. I knew I would love it, that it would me kind of book, perfectly aligning with my interests. Why did I wait so long to read it? I don’t know. I don’t regret that I did, because right at this moment in time it was just what I needed.
This book follows the author as he leaves his home in Germany to pursue his fascination with the Arabian world and more specifically the Arabian horse. What follows is an account of travel in the 1920s and details of his stay in Egypt and later with Bedouin tribes in the Arabian desert.
Raswan writes beautifully and romantically and I could almost see and smell the desert. Although this book is about horses, it is more so about the way of life of the Bedouin. You get a sense of the kind of people they are and the way they live their brutal lives. There are passages that would not have been out of place in an Indiana Jones movie!
Even for someone without much affinity for horses, but with an interest in travel, this would be a great. You really get a sense of wonder for seeing new countries and cultures in a time when travel was still an adventure. There’s something very romantic about trains and steamers and camels.
I adore this book as much as I expected to and I will treasure it always. Now it’s for me to go on a hunt for his other (out of print) books. I don’t think I will forget his account of these tough desert people, camels and horses. I wonder how much of this way of life still exists, if it does at all.
This book follows the author as he leaves his home in Germany to pursue his fascination with the Arabian world and more specifically the Arabian horse. What follows is an account of travel in the 1920s and details of his stay in Egypt and later with Bedouin tribes in the Arabian desert.
Raswan writes beautifully and romantically and I could almost see and smell the desert. Although this book is about horses, it is more so about the way of life of the Bedouin. You get a sense of the kind of people they are and the way they live their brutal lives. There are passages that would not have been out of place in an Indiana Jones movie!
Even for someone without much affinity for horses, but with an interest in travel, this would be a great. You really get a sense of wonder for seeing new countries and cultures in a time when travel was still an adventure. There’s something very romantic about trains and steamers and camels.
I adore this book as much as I expected to and I will treasure it always. Now it’s for me to go on a hunt for his other (out of print) books. I don’t think I will forget his account of these tough desert people, camels and horses. I wonder how much of this way of life still exists, if it does at all.
August 15, 2017
As a child (and even now) I was passionate about horses. I would have loved this book when I was nine or ten (or fourteen or twenty). Other than the battle scene, a dead horse, and an amputation, it seems more like a YA book. Details are neglected, but only sexually linked details, it seemed to me. A vulture hangs around a foaling mare and this was likely in hope of eating the afterbirth, but this is not in the text. A stallion goes AWL after a mare in heat, but, again, this is never stated in so many words or even really suggested. As a result, I have mixed feelings about this memoir. The narrative tension depends largely on a revelation that I saw coming at the beginning, and because of this, perhaps, the photos are only vaguely captioned.
Still, and despite Raswan's reckless behaviors among the Bedouin, BECAUSE it is about the Bedouin, I kind of loved it.
Still, and despite Raswan's reckless behaviors among the Bedouin, BECAUSE it is about the Bedouin, I kind of loved it.
June 3, 2022
This has been one of my favorite books for years. I went on line years ago to an out of print book store and bought 2 copies one for my sister the other for me.
October 8, 2024
Interesting memoir of Dresden-born scholar of Bedouin culture/historical connoisseur of Arabian horses. This is a unique, brutal and dangerous life story of a man traversing the Arabian desert as he seeks out his dream horse. Raswan's prose is detailed yet restrained and the story unfolds retrospectively -- in this way, it very much feels like a memoir. I struggled to connect with the narrator but I still enjoyed this read.
July 19, 2014
A true story of a mans life and travels with nomadic Arabs and their world famous Arabian horses. Many of the earliest horse books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. Great book with many illustrations.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews