Bruce Chatwin

by Nicholas Murray

A study of the life and work of British writer Chatwin (1940-89) who only wrote seven books, each totally different and each an international success, among them Songlines and On the Black Hill . Focuses on his belief that humans are basically nomadic as the thread connecting his travels to and books about Patagonia, Australia, Wales, and Brazil. Includes stills from the play and movie of On the Black Hill . No index. Available from Dufour Editions, Inc., Chester Springs, PA 19425-0449. Annotation copyright Book News, Inc. Portland, Or.

139 pages, Hardcover

First published February 1, 1992

About the author

Nicholas Murray is an English biographer, poet and journalist.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nichola...


Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Janey · Rating 3 out of 5]

GREAT FOR SOME BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT TO THE BOOKS

[Conrad · Rating 4 out of 5]

A brief but interesting biography of a unique writer. In his writing it is difficult to separate fiction from fact, which can be rather puzzling but this book sheds some light on his approach. He certainly was an interesting character, writer and nomad of the sort that only England seems to produce.

[Barbara Carder · Rating 4 out of 5]

Murray tries to break down the enigmatic Chatwin skirting some deeper psychological issues in favor of basically a 'literary critique' approach with some biographical aspects sketched in. Chatwin wanted to stand 'on his writing' and did want to 'run away' for his own privacy/sanity. In the process, Chatwin created a wholly-new genre of writing: 'imaginative, real-time realism.'

Read all the Chatwin, watch the films. . . . . not well-enough known and appreciated for brilliancy.

[Elizabeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've had this book since shortly after it was published. I finally decided to read it as I've been teaching a class on world mythology. Alas, it is not a book that has aged well. When Chatwin actually talks about the songlines and the aboriginal culture of Australia, the book is interesting, but too much of it is interrupted by random journal entries from other travels and his "theories" about nomadism and human (male) aggression.