Hannibal's Footsteps

by Bernard Levin

Hannibal's Footsteps

Genres: Travel, History, France, Nonfiction

224 pages, Paperback

First published September 11, 1986

About the author

Henry Bernard Levin, CBE (London School of Economics, 1952) was described by the London daily The Times as "the most famous journalist of his day". As political correspondent of The Spectator under the pseudonym "Taper", he became "the father of the modern parliamentary sketch," as The Guardian's Simon Hoggart put it. He went on to work as the drama critic for The Daily Express and later The Daily Mail, and appeared regularly on the satirical BBC programme, That Was The Week That Was. He joined The Times as a columnist in 1970, almost immediately provoking controversy and lawsuits, and left when the paper was taken over by Rupert Murdoch.

Reviews

[Daenerys · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wrote a fairly long review for this which has somehow been swallowed by an internet black hole. I really cannot be bothered to write it up properly again, so here's the gist (probably more appropriate to how little I enjoyed this book):
- A friend gave this to me because she knows I enjoy hiking and history. This book, as it turns out, is not about history, and only tangentially about hiking.
- Bernard Levin sets out to walk part of the route Hannibal took to reach Rome from Carthage, over the Alps, with elephants. Mr Levin is an absolute snob and a bore of a man who was apparently a famous journalist in his time. He does not feel the need to explain why he's only walking part of the French section of Hannibal's route, stopping at the Italian border, rather than starting in Spain.
- Having spent the best part of 3 months trying to finish this book, I can only conclude the reason for Levin's choice was that there were no Michelin-starred restaurants or good vineyards on the route in either Spain or the rest of France he didn't bother to walk through.
- If the above man had been anybody other than a famous journalist, this book and accompanying TV show would never have been made. It is literally a badly equipped, middle-aged man in a ridiculous outfit (a safari kind of outfit for hiking in France? Get a grip) walking from vineyard to Michelin-starred restaurant to opera house, occasionally mentioning elephants and even more occasionally quoting Juvenal, and having mini rants about the French and their ridiculous habits (naming streets after people is weird, apparently).
- Occasional glimpses of a slightly more bearable human being appear - a fascination with spirituality, a cheeky sense of humour, a readiness to try new things (be a goatherd for a day), but by the time they do the damage is done.
- If I leave this book in a charity shop, will anyone actually read it? I wouldn't recommend it, but it would make an OK paperweight.

[Kelton · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too much bernard, not enough Hannibal

[Claire Baxter · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was expecting a book about recreating Hannibal's journey, and therefore a lot more information about Hannibal. He was actually barely mentioned in the first half where it was more of a travelogue about southern France and the author's observations about how superior the English are to the French. It was an easy read but I found it kind of boring and self indulgent

[Emma · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was more about restaurants, than about Hannibal or his route. Disappointment

[Martinxo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mostly enjoyable though he can be a grumpy and pretentious old sod at times (can't we all though?)