Τα ημερολόγια της Ταγγέρης

by John Hopkins, Σταυρούλα Αργυροπούλου (Translator)

Ένα παλλόμενο, ζωντανό πορτρέτο της Ταγγέρης από τις αρχές της δεκαετίας του ’60 ως το τέλος της δεκαετίας του ’70, όπου συναντιούνται οι μεγάλες προσωπικότητες της γενιάς των μπήτνικ.

Genres: Travel, Morocco, Nonfiction, Diary, Memoir, Africa

352 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1998

About the author

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Hop...


Librarian note:
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name

Reviews

[Jacob S · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay, maybe 3½ * but …

I may do Mr. Hopkins injustice. When writing of nature and culture in Morocco his observations are sharp and interesting.
However, being part of the crowd of the bohemians of the beat generation in Tangier and not being shy of an enormous amount of name-dropping, I lose interest.
Bowles had his days, and so did Borroughs and everyone know they were screwing around doing anyone available, high as kites on whatever available.
Has anyone ever heard of Hopkins outside that small circle? I believe not.

[James Barker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hopkins is always at the height of his creative powers as a diarist rather than a novelist, the genius of his work being the gift he has to observe and record every element of life- and death- with detachment while powerfully conjuring the scenes he sees for the reader.

Whether describing the Sufi rituals of the Moroccan Sahara or the gatherings of the ex-pat luminaries of the Tangier arts scene, Hopkins is at his best when detailing with the activities of such disparate tribes. In Tangier, he paints a picture of a once-in-forever creative community that has developed by immaculate chance. Some of the greatest poignancy delivered in the book involves the awareness that this particular place of zeitgeist has already heard its death knell; key figures move on or expire and the community crumbles further.

Studded with vibrant stars like the night sky Hopkins sees on his pilgrimages of self into the Sahara, the book role calls Paul Bowles, William Burroughes, Timothy Leary, Lennon and McCartney, Tennessee Williams, Yves St Laurent, Barbara Hutton et al. It is difficult to marry the extravagance of some of the grander parties with the daily struggle for life that continues unabated outside their walls but is, none the less, a delicious insight in to life in literary Tangier. Hopkins' own struggles with his creativity and the questions of existence that are shared by many add beautifully to the mix. It is no surprise Hopkins spent time hanging around the bust of Samuel Pepys in a chaotic Tangier square three centuries after the Englishman visited. Like all great diarists, Hopkins has captured a time and place and offered it to eternity.

[Ezekiel Tyrus · Rating 5 out of 5]

I finished reading this earlier today. I loved it. I was sorry that it ended. The writing is beautiful. John Hopkins descriptions of people and places is a revelation. This has leapfrogged over other books to become one of my favorites that I will read and reread. As a fellow writer, it's inspiring me to not only keep a journal, something I've done for 20plus years but to take it seriously. Something I've never done. Though these are diaries, it's better written than most novels and the descriptions of places and sensations are greater than most poems. I don't know why John Hopkins, the writer is not more famous compared to other writers of the era who stayed in Tangier. The diaries read like a novel, a somewhat privileged young man with creative bohemian inclinations who goes off to experience the world in a way that'll challenge and provoke him. An amazing enlightening read. I loved it from start to finish and will continue to read it again and again

[Lucy DB · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book. Oozing with colours, sounds and smells of Hopkins' life in the Tangier of the 60's and 70's. Inspiring, witty, delightfully written. Can't wait to read the rest of Hopkins' books.

[Cogan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this book was excellent. The book is a compilation of Mr. Hopkins' diary entries after graduating from Princeton and trying to find his place in the world. He ends up going to Algiers and getting in with all of the great writers before meeting his wife and eventually settling down in England. I would recommend this book because of the way it takes you through another persons very adventurous and spontaneous life story.

[Zack · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm rereading this one. John Hopkins was part of the expatriate American literary crowd in Tangier through the sixties and into the seventies, knocking around with Tennessee Williams, Burroughs, Paul and Jane Bowles, Mohammed Mrabet etc. This is the second book about that scene I've found so far. These are apparently actual diary entries beginning in Hopkins' early twenties. A good read.

[Bruce · Rating 3 out of 5]

Writers' notebook by American expatriate novelist who spent the 1960s and 1970s living in Morocco. A lot of short notes, a few longer entries... seeing the writer's world through slightly-opened blinds. He definitely had some strenuous adventures along the way, as well as taking advantage of the low cost of living. The Islamic world of that day seems more permissive in retrospect.

[David Steck · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to the ex-pat and Beat afficiando Bill “William” Misata for this one. Fluctuates between breezy and intense. A trippy ride through the 60s and 70s in Morocco told via short vignettes of every day life in bohemian outposts.

[Tom Whitworth · Rating 4 out of 5]

i think that at least this guy BELIEVES all this happened

[Denver Public Library · Rating 3 out of 5]

The summer before his senior year at Princeton, Hopkins and a friend head to South America to explore a business deal. The experience proved life-changing and upon graduation, they commit themselves to seeing the world. At the time, Peru was Hopkins' first love but in 1962 he sets up residence in Tangier. From there he travels throughout the Middle East and Africa. Granted, he is aided by his connections as a Princeton grad, but he is still a wide-eyed young man who simply can't believe his luck. His entries are short, unpolished, and often a Who's Who of the literary community from William S. Burroughs to Tennessee Williams who traveled through Tangier during the 1960s-1970s. Overtime, you see Hopkins mature and become a citizen of the world. He shares the things young men think about including heartbreak and ultimately finding love. As an observer, I was most touched by Hopkins' evolving compassion and appreciation for the intricate dance between nature and humankind.

Get Tangier Diaries: 1962-1979 from the Denver Public Library

- Laurie

[Alison · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was perfect for reading in Tangier. The diary of a privileged Princeton graduate of the 60s, Hopkins has entre to the elite of expat artists who hung out in this exotic space between east and west. I liked the diary style, and it gave a sense of the recent past as it crosses western culture - parties with the Beatles, Timothy Leary, Rolling Stones, etc etc.

[Erin]

Interesting period in Tangier history, certainly some entertaining characters (how could Paul and Jane Bowles be anything else?). I'm enjoying it because it reminds me of my trip there, and also for some insight into Morocco and the bohemian community there in the 60s.

[Chase Insteadman Mountbatten · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Tangier Diaries will be invaluable for anyone interested in Tangier and the myriad writers and artists who have lived there.

Paul Bowles on The Tangier Diaries: “It's a beautiful work and I am only sorry that it's not longer. I'd be exceedingly proud to have written it.”

[Jeff Russo · Rating 3 out of 5]

OK, but unfortunately Mr Hopkins's timing was off a bit. He started in 1962, when the interesting phase of the Tangiers scene was already well in flight, and wrote here thru 1979, well after things had largely thudded at least from the standpoint of being interesting to a reader.

[David Corvine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Liked it more with a second reading. Where he is a witness to the literary and artist world of Tangier it's very interesting ... the other stuff less so.