African Notebook

by Albert Schweitzer

Albert Schweitzer was already world famous when he was first persuaded to share with the public these candid reminiscences of early days at Lambaréné, Gabon, Africa. The multitude of brief entries in the book capture the flavor of Schweitzer's mission in vignettes and philosophical musings on the history of the land, the culture and rituals of the native people, and his medical practice.

176 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1965

About the author

Albert Schweitzer, M.D., OM, was an Alsatian theologian, musician, philosopher, and physician. He was born in Kaisersberg in Alsace-Lorraine, a Germanophone region which the German Empire returned to France after World War I. Schweitzer challenged both the secular view of historical Jesus current at his time and the traditional Christian view, depicting a Jesus who expected the imminent end of the world. He received the 1952 Nobel Peace Prize in 1953 for his philosophy of "reverence for life", expressed in many ways, but most famously in founding and sustaining the Lambaréné Hospital in Gabon, west central Africa.

Reviews

[Rae · Rating 5 out of 5]

Schweitzer gives an account of his years in French Equatorial Africa where he was a doctor, humanitarian and scientist. I loved this book when I first read it in junior high school.

[Thomas Hansen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It's less a reflection on his personal work, and more a collection of short stories and interactions with Africans from Gabon, how they lived, and their customs. All this from the perspective of a German nobel laureate in 1938 processing his experiences from the prior few decades running a hospital. It is quite short, despite only being around 140 pages the font is pretty big, I think the word notebook sets a good expectation for length. That said I really enjoyed the book and the insight it gave into African life at the time, and would recommend it to anyone looking for a short period piece on African life.

[Austin · Rating 2 out of 5]

The doctor clearly had good intentions in providing medical care to the people of Lambaréné in Africa. While Schweitzer is probably more sympathetic to the African people than most of his contemporaries, the tone of the book and generalizations about Africans are still quite uncomfortable to read.

[Bob · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first read this as a boy and although the language by today's standards may seem somewhat condescending, it filled me with a desire to one day travel to Africa and discover more about the continent and its people for myself.

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting, but at times hard to grasp.