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The Rivers Ran East
This is a riveting firsthand account of Leonard Clark’s search for the legendary lost Seven Cities of Cibola — reputedly home to enormous reserves of gold — in the rain forest east of the Peruvian Andes. A former U.S. Army intelligence officer, Clark is joined on his expedition by Inez Pokorny, a gutsy, multilingual female explorer. Their treacherous journey includes encounters with head-hunting Jivaro Indians, man-eating jaguars, 40-foot-long anacondas, poisonous plants, and shamanistic healers. Against the odds, Clark and Pokorny reach their destination, but nearly starve to death trying to transport sacks of gold out of the dense tropical foliage.
400 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 1953
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960 people want to read
About the author
Leonard F. Clark
5 books10 followersLeonard Francis Clark is one of the “lost stars” of twentieth-century exploration. Never a proponent of big expeditions and elaborate paraphernalia — he carried his own belongings and charged ahead be it on foot, on horseback, dug-out canoe or questionable aircraft. This trait of self-reliance initially enabled him to perform extraordinary feats of military intelligence and reconnaissance in difficult and dangerous areas during the Second World War. Clark, who had attended the University of California, joined the army and first flew in China behind Japanese lines. With his intimate knowledge of local affairs, Clark was asked by the American OSS, forerunner of the CIA, to organize guerrilla activity and espionage in China and Mongolia. After attaining the rank of colonel, Clark turned his prodigious energies towards exploration by leading expeditions in Borneo, Mexico, the Celebes, Sumatra, China, Tibet, India, Japan, Central America, South America, and Burma. The dashing adventurer died while on a diamond-mining expedition in Venezuela
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
July 23, 2023
Leonard Clark is perhaps not as well known as other explorers of his era, but this former US Army intelligence officer writes well about his gutsy and risky expedition in the Peruvian jungle in the headwaters of the Amazon. In June 1954, Clark departs Lima with his Peruvian companion Jorge, and they begin their epic (I spent some time on Google Maps tracing the journey shown on the 4 (very good (for a change)) maps in this book - and the distance covered is incredible!) journey, mostly by raft or canoe.
In December (24th to be exact) Clark and Ines Pokorny, an American woman, emerged from the jungle to a town called Bella Vista (no longer called this) and caught a bus to Quito, Ecuador. They had with them 30 pounds of gold, in bamboo tubes. This was what remained of the 50 pounds they had obtained but due to the death of the mule that was transporting it, they had buried what they were unable to carry. The market rate (2022) for their gold is a tidy USD2.25M, yet they were (unsurprisingly) ripped off and received USD$16,000 - a lot less than the price they agreed with the broker, who skipped out across the Colombian border!
So, what happened in the six months between these two events? So much.
From the beginning, Clark had kept his ambitions to locate El Dorado secret and this was the main reason he succeeded - well that and Ines Pokorny. Jorge and the Peruvian military, the many traders and patrones along the way all believed Clarks cover story (although it was also true), that he was collecting information on Jungle-Indian pharmaceuticals - traditional medicines and cures. To do this he had to get far from the tame Indians on the jungle fringes. He had to journey deep into the jungle and to achieve this he planned his route from La Merced along the Perene River and the Tambo River, all the way to Atalaya. From there the Ucayali River awaited, and they were to follow this to Iquitos.
The book is highly descriptive. Clark shares everything, apparently holding nothing back from the reader, sharing his plans freely in a manner not done on his journey. At Pucalpa (Pucallpa, as it is now spelled) Jorge learns from a letter that awaited him, that his elder brother has died in an accident and he must urgently return home to deal with his family. He promises to rejoin Clark at Iquitos. Clark is able to make a deal with the Military to fly him on to Iquitos, although on the way they passed over Requena, a Ucayali town which had been undergoing a siege for over a year by the Blanco River Indians, where they air-dropped some supplies!
It is in Iquitos, while awaiting Jorge and trying to decide how to make his journey upriver (up the Maranon River, then cross the Andes to make his way to Quito) that he received word that Jorge was unable to return, as he was needed to lead his family and run their extensive estates.
While dining with ex-pats in Iquitos Clark first meets Ines Pokorny - a fellow American seeking adventure. She is an explorer, with uncommon abilities with languages - already able to speak the Indian dialect upriver. A mutual friend suggested he take her along - something he treated as a joke, even as she prepared equipment and made plans over the next few days. Eventually he caught on that she was serious and he did his best to refuse her accompaniment, and then reluctantly agreed she could join him on the launch taking him a short way up the Rio Maranon. Ines absolutely refused to return by launch and so they set off, still against Clark's better judgement.
However Ines proved a more than worthy companion. She had a gift for communication, able to build rapport with the Indians, show that the two of them were non-threatening and obtain food from them. She refused to complain about the biting insects, the hard work, the poor conditions and the constant fear of the wild animals and the Indians.
They bartered with what small goods they had carried for upriver transport. They hunted where they could and they befriended the Jivaro headhunters. Against all odds, they reached Borja, a long way upriver. Along the way Clark made the decision to tell Inez that he actually sought El Dorado. She amazed him, by confiding that she was also hunting gold, and that in fact she represented a consortium who had taken out mining rights and was looking for confirmation that gold was there. This amazed Clark, and he was now well convinced of her abilities and the fact she not only didn't hinder his progress, but that he probably wouldn't have go so far without her!
At Borja, the military, who until then had been helpful suddenly became prohibitive, ordering them back downriver. It took evasiveness to even remain in Borja a short time, and more to covertly get upriver. It turned out that this was because the local commander was involved in the search for gold with some locals, and they feared the explorers might stumble on something.
It is probably overdue that I explain Clark's version of El Dorado. It is no city of gold, built by Incas with the streets paved in gold. In Clark's explanation, the fabled seven cities of gold are El Dorado, and the cities in question are the villages, or towns which supported the seven mines of El Dorado, These were Spanish operated. Long gone are the Spanish towns, but the mines (some of which are waterways which are mined) remain, and some are worked by the Indians who take modest amounts of gold to traders to buy weapons, tools and the like.
Of the 'seven cities' Clark and Ines physically locate six (their evidence is stone building foundations) and are told of the location of the seventh but are warned away from approaching closer by the Indians. They physically recover gold only from one mine (the 50 pounds mentioned above), this being the limit they are able to transport - although this even becomes too much load.
Clarks story is without doubt amazing, and there were likely few days that this journey could have prematurely ended, with Clark's head ending up like so many of the shrunken ones they saw. Some reviews question the likelihood of this story being true, suggesting a wild fiction. I don't know about that, but there can be little doubt that if it is all true Clark had a hell of a lot of good luck. There are good photographs (although not many) and the maps, as I mentioned above are uncommonly good.
Around the midpoint, I though this book was getting a bit slow, but it pulled clear of that brief lethargy and I ended up enjoying it a great deal.
5 stars
In December (24th to be exact) Clark and Ines Pokorny, an American woman, emerged from the jungle to a town called Bella Vista (no longer called this) and caught a bus to Quito, Ecuador. They had with them 30 pounds of gold, in bamboo tubes. This was what remained of the 50 pounds they had obtained but due to the death of the mule that was transporting it, they had buried what they were unable to carry. The market rate (2022) for their gold is a tidy USD2.25M, yet they were (unsurprisingly) ripped off and received USD$16,000 - a lot less than the price they agreed with the broker, who skipped out across the Colombian border!
So, what happened in the six months between these two events? So much.
From the beginning, Clark had kept his ambitions to locate El Dorado secret and this was the main reason he succeeded - well that and Ines Pokorny. Jorge and the Peruvian military, the many traders and patrones along the way all believed Clarks cover story (although it was also true), that he was collecting information on Jungle-Indian pharmaceuticals - traditional medicines and cures. To do this he had to get far from the tame Indians on the jungle fringes. He had to journey deep into the jungle and to achieve this he planned his route from La Merced along the Perene River and the Tambo River, all the way to Atalaya. From there the Ucayali River awaited, and they were to follow this to Iquitos.
The book is highly descriptive. Clark shares everything, apparently holding nothing back from the reader, sharing his plans freely in a manner not done on his journey. At Pucalpa (Pucallpa, as it is now spelled) Jorge learns from a letter that awaited him, that his elder brother has died in an accident and he must urgently return home to deal with his family. He promises to rejoin Clark at Iquitos. Clark is able to make a deal with the Military to fly him on to Iquitos, although on the way they passed over Requena, a Ucayali town which had been undergoing a siege for over a year by the Blanco River Indians, where they air-dropped some supplies!
It is in Iquitos, while awaiting Jorge and trying to decide how to make his journey upriver (up the Maranon River, then cross the Andes to make his way to Quito) that he received word that Jorge was unable to return, as he was needed to lead his family and run their extensive estates.
While dining with ex-pats in Iquitos Clark first meets Ines Pokorny - a fellow American seeking adventure. She is an explorer, with uncommon abilities with languages - already able to speak the Indian dialect upriver. A mutual friend suggested he take her along - something he treated as a joke, even as she prepared equipment and made plans over the next few days. Eventually he caught on that she was serious and he did his best to refuse her accompaniment, and then reluctantly agreed she could join him on the launch taking him a short way up the Rio Maranon. Ines absolutely refused to return by launch and so they set off, still against Clark's better judgement.
However Ines proved a more than worthy companion. She had a gift for communication, able to build rapport with the Indians, show that the two of them were non-threatening and obtain food from them. She refused to complain about the biting insects, the hard work, the poor conditions and the constant fear of the wild animals and the Indians.
They bartered with what small goods they had carried for upriver transport. They hunted where they could and they befriended the Jivaro headhunters. Against all odds, they reached Borja, a long way upriver. Along the way Clark made the decision to tell Inez that he actually sought El Dorado. She amazed him, by confiding that she was also hunting gold, and that in fact she represented a consortium who had taken out mining rights and was looking for confirmation that gold was there. This amazed Clark, and he was now well convinced of her abilities and the fact she not only didn't hinder his progress, but that he probably wouldn't have go so far without her!
At Borja, the military, who until then had been helpful suddenly became prohibitive, ordering them back downriver. It took evasiveness to even remain in Borja a short time, and more to covertly get upriver. It turned out that this was because the local commander was involved in the search for gold with some locals, and they feared the explorers might stumble on something.
It is probably overdue that I explain Clark's version of El Dorado. It is no city of gold, built by Incas with the streets paved in gold. In Clark's explanation, the fabled seven cities of gold are El Dorado, and the cities in question are the villages, or towns which supported the seven mines of El Dorado, These were Spanish operated. Long gone are the Spanish towns, but the mines (some of which are waterways which are mined) remain, and some are worked by the Indians who take modest amounts of gold to traders to buy weapons, tools and the like.
Of the 'seven cities' Clark and Ines physically locate six (their evidence is stone building foundations) and are told of the location of the seventh but are warned away from approaching closer by the Indians. They physically recover gold only from one mine (the 50 pounds mentioned above), this being the limit they are able to transport - although this even becomes too much load.
Clarks story is without doubt amazing, and there were likely few days that this journey could have prematurely ended, with Clark's head ending up like so many of the shrunken ones they saw. Some reviews question the likelihood of this story being true, suggesting a wild fiction. I don't know about that, but there can be little doubt that if it is all true Clark had a hell of a lot of good luck. There are good photographs (although not many) and the maps, as I mentioned above are uncommonly good.
Around the midpoint, I though this book was getting a bit slow, but it pulled clear of that brief lethargy and I ended up enjoying it a great deal.
5 stars
April 6, 2023
Rip to all those from tumblr who read this expecting a homoerotic bromance between two men finding el dorado
November 2, 2012
Somehow, Clark survived the slaughter of the Chinese army he was working with in WW2 to go on to do this trip down the headwaters of the Amazon in 1949 in Peru. Then he wrote this incredible book, before being killed in the Rubber Wars in the same region. Of particular interest are his experiences with really wild men, the Jivaros. There is also lots for the naturalists. Into the heart of savagery! Like a character in a horror movie, he keeps advancing into the void; for the flow of the river compels him, and there's no turning back.
April 1, 2020
WHAT AN ADVENTURE! Reading this story is like watching an old 1950’s movie about explorers in the Amazon jungle as they encounter various tribes that have had little or no contact with the outer world. Clark does a great job describing the difficulties and dangers traveling in the jungle. Clark tells of traveling from Peru’s Amazon deeper into the jungle toward Brazil and then back up towards the Ecuadorian jungle supposedly looking for new medicines for the Western world when in reality he is searching for “El Dorado” long lost since the days of the Conquistadors. Around every bend in the river is another danger ripe with natives, animals, and the river itself. Clark details numerous conflicts that lead to often violent deaths of those around him while he manages to escape from head-hunting and cannibalistic tribes. This tale is told when the two countries (Peru & Ecuador) are in conflict in the region plus there is an ongoing struggle with violent/brutal slave traders and the natives. I’ve been in the Amazon twice and this is well worth the read!
December 8, 2020
My favourite 1940s-1950s adventure book! Leonard Clark is a master of detail (except, notably, when it comes to his feelings toward his partner, Jorge) and creates a vivid account of their trek through the Amazon to find El Dorado. A couple lines made me laugh out loud, too (the snArk!); this book was a real pleasure to read.
May 17, 2017
I read this during my daughter's first two fussy months on earth, and it's a spectacular escape from the banal grind of everyday life.
Even if 10% of Clark's tale is true, it's still the best adventure story I have read in years. Constant danger, fascinating anthropology, and unending wonder paint the pages thick with the colors of the Peruvian jungles. He goes in search of El Dorado and finds a whole lot more. It's also apparently against his moral code to write a single sentence that is uninteresting. You learn so much and see so much with every paragraph. Learn how shrunken heads are made, and the origins of syphillis and aya huasca, and learn how the demand for rubber created a large slave trade in the Amazon. And take on snakes, bugs, piranhas, and bands of swift-footed cannibals. Just awesome.
Even if 10% of Clark's tale is true, it's still the best adventure story I have read in years. Constant danger, fascinating anthropology, and unending wonder paint the pages thick with the colors of the Peruvian jungles. He goes in search of El Dorado and finds a whole lot more. It's also apparently against his moral code to write a single sentence that is uninteresting. You learn so much and see so much with every paragraph. Learn how shrunken heads are made, and the origins of syphillis and aya huasca, and learn how the demand for rubber created a large slave trade in the Amazon. And take on snakes, bugs, piranhas, and bands of swift-footed cannibals. Just awesome.
October 21, 2018
Non è un libro facile da recensire.
Intanto è un libro che ho recuperato in una bancarella dopo averlo cercato a lungo. Lo consigliava già Sergio Bonelli, che l'aveva letto o in originale o in edizione spagnola diversi decenni fa nel corso dei suoi viaggi in Centro e Sud America, e di certo alcuni episodi gli sono serviti da spunto per uno dei suoi personaggi migliori, quel Mister No che proprio alla fine degli anni '40 fugge nel cuore dell'Amazzonia, a Manaus.
Come lettura è scorrevole e intrigante, se si esclude il primo capitolo, decisamente lento e anche un poco confuso. Dal secondo capitolo la narrazione accelera e conquista il lettore. Il suo viaggio e lo scopo dello stesso fanno pensare a un romanzo d'avventura, e pur avendo intenti di studio antropologici e farmacologici, Leonard Clark resta una spia, reduce di guerra, avventuriero in cerca di soddisfazioni e ricchezza personale.
La sua narrazione è a tratti umoristica, come quando per una buona metà del libro è ricorrente il suo tenere la contabilità dei mille dollari con cui parte mentre si trova alle prese con situazioni per nulla semplici da gestire. In altri punti è tragica o tragicomica, come nella sequenza della prigionia degli indios o nell'arrivo a Iquitos e nel successivo unirsi di una donna alla sua spedizione.
Il fatto è che è difficile sospendere l'incredulità alcune volte. Clark fa cose degne di un eroe dell'avventura, come in effetti negli anni successivi alla seconda guerra mondiale ne giravano per il mondo. Quanto di ciò che narra lo abbia romanzato e quanto sia davvero accaduto oramai è difficile dirlo, ma dopo averci pensato su per qualche mese (in realtà ho terminato il libro due mesi fa) ed aver compiuto qualche ricerca sono propenso a credergli.
Addirittura c'è un gruppo che ha cercato di ripercorrere il suo itinerario e ne ha dato conto in questo sito e nel blog dello stesso. http://www.theriversraneast.com/
Una cosa decisamente interessante del lavoro di Clark è che pur dando una descrizione geografica precisa del suo itinerario, non se ne comprende del tutto il senso. Intendo dire: hai una mappa che ti indica le 7 città d'oro che furono gestite tra il XVI e il XVII secolo dai gesuiti nell'Amazzonia ecuatoriana e peruana, nelle zone di confine tra i due stati che all'epoca erano terre contese, e per arrivarci la prendi così larga? Parti dal Perù centro-meridionale, attraversi centinaia di km di foresta scendendo fiumi inesplorati o quasi con zattere di balsa, rischiando la pelle tua e di chi è con te (tra i suoi compagni, almeno la metà fa una brutta fine) fino a Iquitos, affrontando i selvaggi Campa oltre ai caimani e i serpenti. Poi devi risalire il Maranon per altre centinaia di km? Ma perché non sei partito direttamente dall'Ecuador, mi viene da chiedergli.
Non lo spiega. Si vede che gli andava così.
Le traversie a cui si sottopone, e a cui vengono sottoposti i suoi compagni, tra cui prima Jorge e poi Ines sono i più importanti, lasciano quasi esterefatti. Di certo i miei quattro giorni nell'alta Amazzonia ecuatoriana non sono un paragone sostenibile, ma mi hanno dato una idea di cosa possono aver passato nelle insalubri e inospitali pianure di bassa quota. La pesante e gelida pioggia torrenziale non è qualcosa che si dimentica facilmente, come l'innalzarsi del livello del fiume Napo, uno dei maggiori affluenti del Maranon, di quasi 6 metri dopo un pomeriggio e una notte di quel diluvio.
La storia della mappa delle 7 città è stata di certo usata come spunto anche da Hugo Pratt per alcune storie di Corto Maltese, tanto che le mappe disegnate nel libro da Clark sono uguali a quelle di Corto. Comunque Clark almeno su una cosa si sbagliava: la leggenda delle 7 città di Cibola è più antica ed è probabilmente un caso che gli insediamenti minerari nella giungla dell'alto Maranon fondati dai Gesuiti, quasi certamente in siti già noti alle antiche popolazioni, sia in numero di 7.
Clark nell'ultimo terzo del libro crede di ritrovare e identificare almeno 6 dei 7 siti e si ripropone di tornare, un giorno, a cercare il settimo sito. Morirà durante un guado in un fiume, o un naufragio fluviale, questo non mi è chiaro, durante questa sua nuova spedizione.
Trova l'oro in uno di questi siti (l'ultimo che identifica) ancora estrattivamente sfruttato dagli Shuar, e se ne porta via una discreta quantità nella sua risalita verso le Ande insieme a Ines, che si scoprirà essere un agente segreto come lui, e come lui alla ricerca, per conto di un consorzio, delle 7 città. Seppelliranno parte di questo oro, troppo pesante da trasportare ad un certo punto, come nelle migliori storie di pirati. Alla fine torneranno alla civiltà, e si separeranno.
Alla fine restano molte domande, tutte senza risposta. Clark dà la sua interpretazione della leggenda delle 7 città come un complotto spionistico, mentre oggi sappiamo che non è così che andò perché, come dicevo, la leggenda delle 7 città precede la scoperta colombiana delle Americhe.
Oggi sappiamo che l'Amazzonia non è sempre stata una selva, inesplorata, bensì un'area popolata da centinaia di insediamenti, con orti e decine di specie di piante coltivate per frutti e medicamenti. Solo con l'arrivo delle malattie degli europei alla fine del XV secolo la rete di comunicazione del continente venne interrotta per il genocidio degli abitanti. La foresta probabilmente impiegò pochi decenni a espandersi ed inglobare completamente il bacino amazzonico e le zone limitrofe.
La lettura di questo libro ha risvegliato la mia febbre dell'america latina e una voglia grande di tornare a ridiscendere il Napo, magari fino a Iquitos, e di certo di tornare a vagabondare sulle Ande anche solo per qualche settimana.
Quattro stelle, e sono forse un poco tirato nel giudizio.
Intanto è un libro che ho recuperato in una bancarella dopo averlo cercato a lungo. Lo consigliava già Sergio Bonelli, che l'aveva letto o in originale o in edizione spagnola diversi decenni fa nel corso dei suoi viaggi in Centro e Sud America, e di certo alcuni episodi gli sono serviti da spunto per uno dei suoi personaggi migliori, quel Mister No che proprio alla fine degli anni '40 fugge nel cuore dell'Amazzonia, a Manaus.
Come lettura è scorrevole e intrigante, se si esclude il primo capitolo, decisamente lento e anche un poco confuso. Dal secondo capitolo la narrazione accelera e conquista il lettore. Il suo viaggio e lo scopo dello stesso fanno pensare a un romanzo d'avventura, e pur avendo intenti di studio antropologici e farmacologici, Leonard Clark resta una spia, reduce di guerra, avventuriero in cerca di soddisfazioni e ricchezza personale.
La sua narrazione è a tratti umoristica, come quando per una buona metà del libro è ricorrente il suo tenere la contabilità dei mille dollari con cui parte mentre si trova alle prese con situazioni per nulla semplici da gestire. In altri punti è tragica o tragicomica, come nella sequenza della prigionia degli indios o nell'arrivo a Iquitos e nel successivo unirsi di una donna alla sua spedizione.
Il fatto è che è difficile sospendere l'incredulità alcune volte. Clark fa cose degne di un eroe dell'avventura, come in effetti negli anni successivi alla seconda guerra mondiale ne giravano per il mondo. Quanto di ciò che narra lo abbia romanzato e quanto sia davvero accaduto oramai è difficile dirlo, ma dopo averci pensato su per qualche mese (in realtà ho terminato il libro due mesi fa) ed aver compiuto qualche ricerca sono propenso a credergli.
Addirittura c'è un gruppo che ha cercato di ripercorrere il suo itinerario e ne ha dato conto in questo sito e nel blog dello stesso. http://www.theriversraneast.com/
Una cosa decisamente interessante del lavoro di Clark è che pur dando una descrizione geografica precisa del suo itinerario, non se ne comprende del tutto il senso. Intendo dire: hai una mappa che ti indica le 7 città d'oro che furono gestite tra il XVI e il XVII secolo dai gesuiti nell'Amazzonia ecuatoriana e peruana, nelle zone di confine tra i due stati che all'epoca erano terre contese, e per arrivarci la prendi così larga? Parti dal Perù centro-meridionale, attraversi centinaia di km di foresta scendendo fiumi inesplorati o quasi con zattere di balsa, rischiando la pelle tua e di chi è con te (tra i suoi compagni, almeno la metà fa una brutta fine) fino a Iquitos, affrontando i selvaggi Campa oltre ai caimani e i serpenti. Poi devi risalire il Maranon per altre centinaia di km? Ma perché non sei partito direttamente dall'Ecuador, mi viene da chiedergli.
Non lo spiega. Si vede che gli andava così.
Le traversie a cui si sottopone, e a cui vengono sottoposti i suoi compagni, tra cui prima Jorge e poi Ines sono i più importanti, lasciano quasi esterefatti. Di certo i miei quattro giorni nell'alta Amazzonia ecuatoriana non sono un paragone sostenibile, ma mi hanno dato una idea di cosa possono aver passato nelle insalubri e inospitali pianure di bassa quota. La pesante e gelida pioggia torrenziale non è qualcosa che si dimentica facilmente, come l'innalzarsi del livello del fiume Napo, uno dei maggiori affluenti del Maranon, di quasi 6 metri dopo un pomeriggio e una notte di quel diluvio.
La storia della mappa delle 7 città è stata di certo usata come spunto anche da Hugo Pratt per alcune storie di Corto Maltese, tanto che le mappe disegnate nel libro da Clark sono uguali a quelle di Corto. Comunque Clark almeno su una cosa si sbagliava: la leggenda delle 7 città di Cibola è più antica ed è probabilmente un caso che gli insediamenti minerari nella giungla dell'alto Maranon fondati dai Gesuiti, quasi certamente in siti già noti alle antiche popolazioni, sia in numero di 7.
Clark nell'ultimo terzo del libro crede di ritrovare e identificare almeno 6 dei 7 siti e si ripropone di tornare, un giorno, a cercare il settimo sito. Morirà durante un guado in un fiume, o un naufragio fluviale, questo non mi è chiaro, durante questa sua nuova spedizione.
Trova l'oro in uno di questi siti (l'ultimo che identifica) ancora estrattivamente sfruttato dagli Shuar, e se ne porta via una discreta quantità nella sua risalita verso le Ande insieme a Ines, che si scoprirà essere un agente segreto come lui, e come lui alla ricerca, per conto di un consorzio, delle 7 città. Seppelliranno parte di questo oro, troppo pesante da trasportare ad un certo punto, come nelle migliori storie di pirati. Alla fine torneranno alla civiltà, e si separeranno.
Alla fine restano molte domande, tutte senza risposta. Clark dà la sua interpretazione della leggenda delle 7 città come un complotto spionistico, mentre oggi sappiamo che non è così che andò perché, come dicevo, la leggenda delle 7 città precede la scoperta colombiana delle Americhe.
Oggi sappiamo che l'Amazzonia non è sempre stata una selva, inesplorata, bensì un'area popolata da centinaia di insediamenti, con orti e decine di specie di piante coltivate per frutti e medicamenti. Solo con l'arrivo delle malattie degli europei alla fine del XV secolo la rete di comunicazione del continente venne interrotta per il genocidio degli abitanti. La foresta probabilmente impiegò pochi decenni a espandersi ed inglobare completamente il bacino amazzonico e le zone limitrofe.
La lettura di questo libro ha risvegliato la mia febbre dell'america latina e una voglia grande di tornare a ridiscendere il Napo, magari fino a Iquitos, e di certo di tornare a vagabondare sulle Ande anche solo per qualche settimana.
Quattro stelle, e sono forse un poco tirato nel giudizio.
Currently reading
August 14, 2023The foreword is written by "a Peruvian, a veteran resident of the jungle", the "Jefe Ministerio di Agricultura/ Dirección de Asuntos Orientales/Colonización y Terrenos de Oriente/[and then some - but I'm lazy]", preceded by his name: "BARON WALTER FRASS VON WOLFENEGG". Wodehouse couldn't have made it up ...
So, right away, on the second page of this book, its entertainment value to yours truly is a full five stars. If you chuckled at that "Baron Frass von Wolfenegg"-"Jefe Ministerio" bit, it might be fun for you too.
The one-and-a-half-page foreword (delightfully short, modest, to-the-point) is followed by a three-page introduction (same) written by "an American official on the ground" (Louis Gallardy - Consular Agent), who tells us this: " Clark's background, enabling him to obtain the secret on the slave practices, is fantastic. He has not mentioned it, but he was actually the original pioneer of the United States armed services behind the Red Army and the Japanese Army lines, in charge of our underground organizations, guerilla activities and our espionage systems in China, Mongolia and other countries in World War II. He has also been private advisor to the Arab League in Egypt, and to various princes and lamas in Mongolia and Tibet and to at least five warlords in China. He personally took the unofficial surrender of Formosa from general three months príor to its occupation by Chiang Kai-Shek and the American Forces." (There is more.)
WOW!! WOW!!! What a guy. (It's moments like these, reading something like this, that I have a hard time remembering that (like many of you) I, too, was born with that silver spoon, and restraining myself in order not to cross that thin line between jealousy and envy ...)
SO: I've read all of five pages: foreword and introduction. And I'm hooked.
(And thank you so much, Goodreads friend Paul Cornelius, for yet another mouth-watering review. . Read it a few hours ago.)
So, right away, on the second page of this book, its entertainment value to yours truly is a full five stars. If you chuckled at that "Baron Frass von Wolfenegg"-"Jefe Ministerio" bit, it might be fun for you too.
The one-and-a-half-page foreword (delightfully short, modest, to-the-point) is followed by a three-page introduction (same) written by "an American official on the ground" (Louis Gallardy - Consular Agent), who tells us this: " Clark's background, enabling him to obtain the secret on the slave practices, is fantastic. He has not mentioned it, but he was actually the original pioneer of the United States armed services behind the Red Army and the Japanese Army lines, in charge of our underground organizations, guerilla activities and our espionage systems in China, Mongolia and other countries in World War II. He has also been private advisor to the Arab League in Egypt, and to various princes and lamas in Mongolia and Tibet and to at least five warlords in China. He personally took the unofficial surrender of Formosa from general three months príor to its occupation by Chiang Kai-Shek and the American Forces." (There is more.)
WOW!! WOW!!! What a guy. (It's moments like these, reading something like this, that I have a hard time remembering that (like many of you) I, too, was born with that silver spoon, and restraining myself in order not to cross that thin line between jealousy and envy ...)
SO: I've read all of five pages: foreword and introduction. And I'm hooked.
(And thank you so much, Goodreads friend Paul Cornelius, for yet another mouth-watering review. . Read it a few hours ago.)
August 25, 2010
This book is an action-packed romp that follows explorer Leonard Clark through the dangerous jungles of South America as he searches for El Dorado, the lost city of gold, with no more than a few bucks in his pocket, a sketchy map, and a lot of optimism. Leonard Clark is the man!
May 22, 2019
Dopo quasi 500 pagine é quasi impossibile non affezionarsi a Clark. Un bel libro, che coinvolge e ti butta nel mezzo della giungla amazzonica.
Consigliato da Paolo Rumiz, esploratore moderno del nostro Po, questo libro è un classico dell'avventura!! 4 stelle 😉
Consigliato da Paolo Rumiz, esploratore moderno del nostro Po, questo libro è un classico dell'avventura!! 4 stelle 😉
October 1, 2022
I only had an excerpt...but I couldn't stand to read even that without skimming. Like really crappy pulp. It seemed just implausible and stupid. It's hard to picture that 'Danger In The Jungle!' could be so boring. It might serve as an interesting example, then, a reminder of how that can happen. 🤷♀️
Evidently it wasn't boring for some, but some reviewers saw it the same way I did:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
http://www.amazon.com/review/R2LDZ16Y...
Some other reviewers certainly doubt the plausibility, but enjoyed the tale. They got me excited for it, and I wish I could have liked it with them. But not remotely.
Some Goodreads users also misled me into thinking this was on the National Geographic list of 100 adventure books. It's on a Goodreads list purporting to show the NG list. But it ain't on NG's list.
I'd love to see a map to go along with the journey, though. And to read better things about the area.
Evidently it wasn't boring for some, but some reviewers saw it the same way I did:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
http://www.amazon.com/review/R2LDZ16Y...
Some other reviewers certainly doubt the plausibility, but enjoyed the tale. They got me excited for it, and I wish I could have liked it with them. But not remotely.
Some Goodreads users also misled me into thinking this was on the National Geographic list of 100 adventure books. It's on a Goodreads list purporting to show the NG list. But it ain't on NG's list.
I'd love to see a map to go along with the journey, though. And to read better things about the area.
October 21, 2015
Questo è uno dei classici libri che avrei sempre desiderato leggere ma che, per un motivo o per l'altro, finiva sempre in coda alla lista.
Anni dopo averlo comprato (il volume originale era di mio padre e non ho mai pensato di prenderlo in prestito, tanto era il desiderio di possederlo) finalmente era venuto il suo momento e... che sofferenza.
Datato come narrazione e come situazioni. Una sequenza di vicissitudini ai limiti dell'invetisimile per una autobiografia avventurosa di un esploratore di cui non si trova nulla su nessun sito enciclopedico virtuale.
Nel volume ci sono foto, nomi, località... ma è come se tutti i personaggi coivolti nella cosa fossero svaniti tra le pieghe della Storia.
Solo i siti che parlano di loro sembrano sapere chi sono e solo in relazione (o quasi) con questo libro.
Una delusione su tutti i fronti, acuita dal fatto che la sua lettura era diventata una sorta di traguardo irraggiungibile.
Anni dopo averlo comprato (il volume originale era di mio padre e non ho mai pensato di prenderlo in prestito, tanto era il desiderio di possederlo) finalmente era venuto il suo momento e... che sofferenza.
Datato come narrazione e come situazioni. Una sequenza di vicissitudini ai limiti dell'invetisimile per una autobiografia avventurosa di un esploratore di cui non si trova nulla su nessun sito enciclopedico virtuale.
Nel volume ci sono foto, nomi, località... ma è come se tutti i personaggi coivolti nella cosa fossero svaniti tra le pieghe della Storia.
Solo i siti che parlano di loro sembrano sapere chi sono e solo in relazione (o quasi) con questo libro.
Una delusione su tutti i fronti, acuita dal fatto che la sua lettura era diventata una sorta di traguardo irraggiungibile.
Read
February 23, 2016My dad had this book and I read it when I was in Junior High--although that was many decades ago, I can now see that this book and others like it somewhat responsible for my interest in wilderness adventure--now that I know I can get a new copy, I should go back and reread it.
August 10, 2023
This classic of exploration reads like a novel. And well it should, because I don't believe half of what Leonard Clark describes actually happened. It doesn't matter, of course, because there is enough contained herein that seems true and is engaging on its own merits. But I simply don't believe in the gold maps, the miraculous return to life from the venomous snake bite to the face, the magic cure for blindness, or the eighty foot long anaconda. It's the latter sort of stuff that really gnaws at my belief, as the record for anaconda length is actually around 30 feet. And matters aren't helped with the allusions to the presence of dinosaurs in the deep rainforest. That and all the numerous coincidences that turn out to be life saving make this a really tremendously good novel--but not a trusted source of exploration. Too, there is the fact that Clark follows the outline for fictional stories about adventures for lost cities, hidden treasure, or tribes of all powerful people hidden from civilization. That is, a story of a prize held out and then kept at bay by an ever intensifying circle of tests and feats until, in this case, it's tune in next week for this particular book. What all of this does remind me of is Arthur O. Friel's 1920s Amazon adventure stories with his heroes, Pedro and Lourenco.
A couple of things to note. Clark apparently was in truth a person taken with adventure for adventure's sake. He is supposed to have drowned relatively young on another expedition a few years later in Venezuela. Former OSS agent, one time spy behind Japanese lines in World War II, survivor of astonishing tests of will in jungles of all sorts. You don't need to hype your stories with hints about dinosaurs in order to capture readers. Also, the woman on the trip, Inez Pokorny, who in another extremely unbelievable coincidence just happens to be representing a London syndicate looking for the same lost cities and gold mines as Clark, turns out to have been a legitimate explorer herself. Not much is available on her, except she married the acclaimed motion picture cinematographer Lucien Ballard and died at age 71. She wrote no books that I can find or papers. You would think . . . ? Well, there it is. Very enjoyable. Well written. But seemingly mostly intended for the credulous.
A couple of things to note. Clark apparently was in truth a person taken with adventure for adventure's sake. He is supposed to have drowned relatively young on another expedition a few years later in Venezuela. Former OSS agent, one time spy behind Japanese lines in World War II, survivor of astonishing tests of will in jungles of all sorts. You don't need to hype your stories with hints about dinosaurs in order to capture readers. Also, the woman on the trip, Inez Pokorny, who in another extremely unbelievable coincidence just happens to be representing a London syndicate looking for the same lost cities and gold mines as Clark, turns out to have been a legitimate explorer herself. Not much is available on her, except she married the acclaimed motion picture cinematographer Lucien Ballard and died at age 71. She wrote no books that I can find or papers. You would think . . . ? Well, there it is. Very enjoyable. Well written. But seemingly mostly intended for the credulous.
March 7, 2020
An interesting but also odd tale of adventure in the jungles of the Amazon. It’s (supposedly) a true story written by the author, of his search for the cities of El Dorado in the late 1940s following the end of World War II. He suffers many hardships in travelling through the jungles of Peru in areas that were largely unexplored back then. It reads a lot like an Indiana Jones adventure in places; it also tends to drag in sections. For the most part, I enjoyed it, although there were long stretches where I found it quite boring.
Some of the adventures the author experiences are almost too wild to believe – like the night he is bitten by a coral snake and also has its venom drip into his eyes, and yet, relying only on native plant knowledge, he survives and regains his vision. The natives he encounters certainly do have a good working knowledge of various cures that jungle plants can provide for a variety of ailments.
One aspect I enjoyed was the fact that it reminded me a bit of a five-day kayak trip I took in Ecuador with a local tribe back in 2002. However, I had nothing untoward happen to me like this author did (and for that I’m very happy!)
Some of the adventures the author experiences are almost too wild to believe – like the night he is bitten by a coral snake and also has its venom drip into his eyes, and yet, relying only on native plant knowledge, he survives and regains his vision. The natives he encounters certainly do have a good working knowledge of various cures that jungle plants can provide for a variety of ailments.
One aspect I enjoyed was the fact that it reminded me a bit of a five-day kayak trip I took in Ecuador with a local tribe back in 2002. However, I had nothing untoward happen to me like this author did (and for that I’m very happy!)
July 21, 2022
Splendida avventura di uno dei più illustri esploratori moderni, di quando si convinse di poter trovare la leggendaria El Dorado e partì a esplorare l'Amazzonia con i propri - pochi ma sufficienti - mezzi.
Il libro è ricco di particolari sulle tribù, i loro rituali e la ricca vegetazione che domina le terre che Clark ha attraversato, oltre a trasmettere una buona maturità intellettuale dell'autore: il testo ha un approccio non eurocentrico e non giudicante, nonostante vi si trovino tribù inclini all'uccisione facile, portatrici sì di credenze prive di fondamento scientifico ma anche di tanta ricchezza in termini di biodiversità e conoscenza profonda del territorio e di tutto ciò che lo abita.
Splendida anche la parte in cui Clark conosce Inez, esploratrice esperta e determinata, con tutte le loro scaramucce iniziali che si tramutano poi in forte spirito di squadra che rende i due inarrestabili davanti agli ostacoli più duri che la natura mette davanti a loro.
Il libro è ricco di particolari sulle tribù, i loro rituali e la ricca vegetazione che domina le terre che Clark ha attraversato, oltre a trasmettere una buona maturità intellettuale dell'autore: il testo ha un approccio non eurocentrico e non giudicante, nonostante vi si trovino tribù inclini all'uccisione facile, portatrici sì di credenze prive di fondamento scientifico ma anche di tanta ricchezza in termini di biodiversità e conoscenza profonda del territorio e di tutto ciò che lo abita.
Splendida anche la parte in cui Clark conosce Inez, esploratrice esperta e determinata, con tutte le loro scaramucce iniziali che si tramutano poi in forte spirito di squadra che rende i due inarrestabili davanti agli ostacoli più duri che la natura mette davanti a loro.
December 1, 2018
Ho letto questo libro per puro caso, stavo cercando delle letture sul Perù perché ci sono stata in Ottobre e volevo approfondire ciò che avevo visto e conosciuto durante il mio viaggio.
Un'avventura fantastica, sorprendente, piena di colpi di scena e momenti di riflessione.
Leonard Clark è alla ricerca dell'El Dorado nell'amazzonica peruviana, seguendo il corso di fiumi gialli e impetuosi, insieme a lui molti indigeni locali, peruviano e stranieri. Tantissimi i rimandi alla cultura locale, e i racconti riguardanti le varie tribù indigene di questo affascinante luogo.
Non vi nascondo che mentre lo leggevo mi immaginavo e volevo ritornare in Perù, terra di meraviglie e culla di tante civiltà affascinanti e sapienti.
Un'avventura fantastica, sorprendente, piena di colpi di scena e momenti di riflessione.
Leonard Clark è alla ricerca dell'El Dorado nell'amazzonica peruviana, seguendo il corso di fiumi gialli e impetuosi, insieme a lui molti indigeni locali, peruviano e stranieri. Tantissimi i rimandi alla cultura locale, e i racconti riguardanti le varie tribù indigene di questo affascinante luogo.
Non vi nascondo che mentre lo leggevo mi immaginavo e volevo ritornare in Perù, terra di meraviglie e culla di tante civiltà affascinanti e sapienti.
November 28, 2021
This story became unbelievable to me so quickly that I had to research it... I am not done with the book yet, but I am surprised how many of his facts actually check out. The best contemporary reference I found is from 1947 at this link:
https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&u...
I am still not hip to Clark's claim that native Amazonians can travel 50 miles a day on foot through the tropical forest, but lots of his other stuff checks out... I am looking forward to my continued reading!
https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&u...
I am still not hip to Clark's claim that native Amazonians can travel 50 miles a day on foot through the tropical forest, but lots of his other stuff checks out... I am looking forward to my continued reading!
April 30, 2024
This is a wild story. Clark goes into painstaking detail about his Amazonian adventure and the people & wildlife he encounters. It was interesting to recognize the differences in the perspective of a white American in the 1950s compared to how we view colonization and resource exploitation today. There were moments in the middle of the book where things got a little slow, and I do wonder if some of his experiences were exaggerated for the sake of storytelling. Regardless, I enjoyed being immersed in the Amazon for this fantastic journey!
January 26, 2024
5 stars for the adventure, the guts, actually surviving. I sure hope he went back for more gold.
3 stars because it was difficult to track the story and understand their decisions at times.
I feel like I need a documentary on the Amazon now, just to supplement my mind's eye. Not that the Amazon is currently the same as it was 70 years ago.
I do have to say, the true heroes were the indians he hired at various points in time. Man would've died a hundred times over without them.
3 stars because it was difficult to track the story and understand their decisions at times.
I feel like I need a documentary on the Amazon now, just to supplement my mind's eye. Not that the Amazon is currently the same as it was 70 years ago.
I do have to say, the true heroes were the indians he hired at various points in time. Man would've died a hundred times over without them.
September 24, 2022
This is one of the best adventure books I've ever read. Excerpts from a well written diary and deep thought by Clark make it not just a surface thriller, but a philosophical dive into the mind of an explorer
Want to read
September 3, 2021I hears this was a little, no, a lot SUS so Imma look into it.
definitely not my cup of tea, but ill give it a shot
its from like 1950 this should be good
definitely not my cup of tea, but ill give it a shot
its from like 1950 this should be good
January 3, 2023
Good real life adventure storey into the Amazon Jungle from the Pacific side of South America.
September 24, 2018
A swaggering, vivid travel narrative about the author's 1951(?) journey into the Amazon jungle, searching for El Dorado. The details pile up so quickly that it's hard to really follow the thread of Clark's route, but who cares? Highlights include a meal of bird entrails boiled in leaves, an incident of blindness following a venomous snake attack, instructions on how to shrink a head, and an elaborate description of those barbed eels that live in the Amazon and swim up urethras. Halfway through, I was so eager to pair the book with some visual images that I put it down and watched an Indiana Jones movie, but even the monkey-brains scene kind of paled in comparison.
The most interesting character is Inez, a woman who's also searching for El Dorado and has a sort of nutty Margaret Bourke-White-meets-Diane Fossey badassery. Her narrative is shortchanged by Clark's sometimes obtuse, frequently misogynistic attitude, but she does have some great moments (Major points for her pet ocelots.) The book is out of print, which is a shame, but seems pretty easy to acquire.
The most interesting character is Inez, a woman who's also searching for El Dorado and has a sort of nutty Margaret Bourke-White-meets-Diane Fossey badassery. Her narrative is shortchanged by Clark's sometimes obtuse, frequently misogynistic attitude, but she does have some great moments (Major points for her pet ocelots.) The book is out of print, which is a shame, but seems pretty easy to acquire.
March 3, 2017
Leonard Clark must have been something. This true story of his adventures in the Amazon jungles in the 1950's were too wild to believe. Headhunting natives, poisonous insects and snakes, deadly fish, and roiling rivers were all faced with insufficient gear and only one or two companions. There wasn't enough of a plot to really make me care about Clark's success, but I was impressed by the audacity. An appendix contains lists of flora and fauna, medicines used by the natives, and some vocabulary to assist future explorers in communicating with the tribes.
December 23, 2020
The adventure itself is really a great one. So great that it definitely makes one to think how true the story is. Mr Clark goes through so many life threatening situations that even Indiana Jones would not have made it. It would be interesting to know how the El Dorado theory represented in this book is viewed in modern times. Also I would be very interested to know how life of Inez Pokorny continued after this adventure. What this book really misses is a map where reader could see the taken route but at least it has some photos.
October 29, 2012
A great adventure story set in South America, well written page turner it is one man's search through the Amazon and enviorns in the 1950's, (when there were no satilite pictures, let alone mapquest). Each chapter is a special event, filled with head hunters, life most extreme, floods, heroism, cowardice, shaman's (both Catholic and native), leaking boats, leaking men, man eating anacondas, poisen arrows, promises of gold and riches to be, nature smiling or gaping it's great maw, lions and tigers and bears.
So good is the whole that one at times comes to suspect that the author is a writer in the wild rather than a seeker with a journal.
New through every page it is a journey once joined holds you blissfully till the end.
My favorite of it's kind, and I love this kind, easily outpacing The Lost City Of Z.
Nothing I can tell you about this book that is anywhere near the experiance of the read, find a copy somewhere. It's worth the search.
Just beyond beyond, and then it gets going.
JFB
So good is the whole that one at times comes to suspect that the author is a writer in the wild rather than a seeker with a journal.
New through every page it is a journey once joined holds you blissfully till the end.
My favorite of it's kind, and I love this kind, easily outpacing The Lost City Of Z.
Nothing I can tell you about this book that is anywhere near the experiance of the read, find a copy somewhere. It's worth the search.
Just beyond beyond, and then it gets going.
JFB
May 28, 2012
I finally read The Rivers Ran East and what a tale. If it is true that the legends of El Dorado and the 7 Cities of Cibola were planted as disinformation by the Spanish Crown to protect the locations of real gold still being taken from the area (there are in fact 7 Spanish towns there) it must rank with one of the greatest tales of archaeological discovery and interpretation on record. How very interesting that Inez Pokorny, who was working for the National Gold Society of El Dorado, was on the trail of the same thing. One of those magnificent coincidences that in the larger scheme of things is not a coincidence.
August 8, 2018
I found this a fascinating book, both for the subject matter, the unexplored upper Amazon basin, and the author. He is almost too much to be believed but has the right credentials. There are few places left in the world that are a completely out of touch with modern society as this area was at the time he explored it. However, I found it interesting that the native peoples had much in common with the occasional visitor from the outside; they were more alike than they were different.
If you want a book that challenges your viewpoint on exploration, colonization and the values of bringing Christianity to isolated peoples, this may be the one.
If you want a book that challenges your viewpoint on exploration, colonization and the values of bringing Christianity to isolated peoples, this may be the one.
February 24, 2016
Expedition to find the lost cities of El Dorado - Clark narrates his dangerous and nearly unbelievable trek through uncharted swaths of the Amazon. Gripping, informative (as far as biology, tribal culture, language, and geography), very well told, but I must question the absolute truth of it all. Surely he exaggerates and glosses over integral parts of his voyage because he's recollecting it all after, not making meticulous notes while being held hostage by Jivaro head hunters. Still very good though.
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