David van reybrouck congo the epic history of a people

Eccoharpercollins publishers, april 2014 the belgian historian, archeologist, poet, playwright and nonfiction author david van reybrouck wrote the first full history of the country joseph conrad referred to as the heart of darkness. Scientists were the embodiment of this newfangled sobrietyimpartial, businesslike, colorless, and reliable. Esteemed scholar david van reybrouck balances hundreds of interviews with a diverse. The epic history of a people is a 639 page nonfiction book by david van reybrouck, first published in 2010. He goes back to essentially prehistoric times and traces the history of the congo or today, the democratic republic of the congo, drc up until the times leading up to just a few years ago. From the explorer and colonial operator stanleys activities until 2010, david van reybroucks book covers 140 years of life and, it must be said, a horrific amount of death in the congo. David van reybrouck is one of belgiums leading authors and intellectuals. The epic history of a people by david van reybrouck, book. Een geschiedenis is a 639 page nonfiction book by david van reybrouck, first published in 2010. For david van reybrouck the rocket represents mobutus regime. Congo by david van reybrouck, 9780007562930, download free ebooks, download free pdf epub ebook. Such is the baffling size and complexity of the place that david van reybrouck s new history, with its 550 pages of wide sweep and riveting detail, could be seen as a short story.

Such is the baffling size and complexity of the place that david van reybroucks new history, with its 550 pages of wide sweep and riveting detail, could be seen as a short story. Congo is 600plus pages of enchanting anecdotes, historical facts, anthropological and cultural details, journalistic commentary, political and economic analysis about the drc. Van reybrouck, a belgian historian, spent years working on this overview of the congolese people. This panoramic history of a wronged nation is energised by firsthand testimonies and.

The epic history of a people is an intimidating book both in terms of size and subject matter. Almost as epic as the history of its subtitle, congo is a thrilling and informative read. Though the book is overlong, van reybrouck makes a good case for the importance of congo to world history and its ongoing centrality in a time of resurgent economic colonialism, this time on the part of china. This ambitious history of the congo tells a story of ravishment and dark comedy. The epic history of a people by van reybrouck, david and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. The epic history of a people, a bestseller that has been translated from dutch. David van reybrouck is a belgian author of several books, including congo. During 10 visits to the country, he managed to find congolese veterans with memories of. Epic in scope yet eminently readable, penetrating and deeply moving, david van reybroucks congo. This book was widely popular in van reybroucks native belgium when it first came out in 2010, and with good reason. Esteemed scholar david van reybrouck balances hundreds of interviews with a diverse range of congolese with meticulous historical research to construct a multidimensional portrait of a nation and its people. David van rebrouck chronicles congos tortured history and the colonial masters who plundered it.

The epic history of a people by david van reybrouck the. The epic history of a people by david van reybrouck harpercollins his efforts were well rewarded. Congo is 600plus pages of enchanting anecdotes, historical facts, anthropological and. The epic history of a people traces the fate of one of the worlds most critical, failed nationstates, second only to wartorn somalia. The epic history of a people english translation by sam garrett, 639 pp. Epic in scope yet eminently readable, penetrating and deeply moving, david van reybrouck s congo. The epic history of a people traces the history of this devastated nation from the beginnings of the slave trade through the arrival of sir henry morton stanley, the ivory and rubber booms, colonization, the struggle for independence, and the three decades of mobutus brutal rule. The epic history of a people by david van reybroeck hailed as a monumental history.

In 2008, he published the pamphlet a plea for populism, followed by congo. The epic history of a people traces the history of this devastated nation from the beginnings of the slave trade through the arrival of sir henry morton the democratic republic of congo currently ranks among the worlds most failed nationstates, second only to wartorn somalia. This ambitious history of the congo tells a story of ravishment and. Esteemed scholar david van reybrouck balances hundreds of interviews with a diverse range of congolese with meticulous historical research to construct a multidimensional portrait of a nation and. The epic history of a people by david van reybrouck from the beginnings of the. A belgian writer based in brussels, van reybrouck had no personal experience of congo until 2003, when he decided to write a book about it. However, van reybrouck and other authors on congo, such as adam hochschild king leopolds ghost and michela wrong in the footsteps of mr kurtz, receive worldwide accolades for a reason. But the congo is a country that merits the word in all its original grandeur. Van reybrouck wilde een geschiedenis schrijven van het vroegere. From the beginnings of the slave trade through colonization, the struggle for independence, mobutus brutal three decades of rule, and the civil war that has raged from 1996 to the present day, congo. Epic in scope yet eminently readable, both penetrating and deeply moving, congoa finalist for the cundill prizetakes a deeply humane. He studied archeology and philosophy at the universities of leuven and cambridge and obtained his phd in leiden.

By the end of 2012 it had sold over 300,000 copies in dutch. Deliberative democracy makes citizens happy interview. He embarked on the task intending not just to rely on historical research but to track down living witnesses to the many tragedies and. The epic history of a people traces the history of one of the most devastated nations in the world.

Books by david van reybrouck and anjan sundaram get close to the ground in order to bring congos extraordinary history to life. David van reybrouck tries to tell the story of congo in congo. Esteemed scholar david van reybrouck balances hundreds of. Sam garrett epic in scope and deeply moving, congo traces the fate of one of the worlds most critical, failed nationstates, second only to wartorn somalia. The land of war, riches and a long suffering people. It describes the history of the democratic republic of the. The epic history of a people early anthropology was not at all seen as art for arts sake. It is a lively, from the bottom up, indepth look at changes in the african countrys status and how those changes affected participants on a personal. The epic history of a people by david van reybrouck, as translated from the dutch by sam garrett, is one of those books. I mean when someone says they are going to tell you the epic history of a people they have already set a daunting standard, but van reybouck found a way to do it. Congo from the beginnings of the slave trade through colonization, the struggle for independence, mobutus brutal three decades of rule, and the civil war that has raged from 1996 to the present day, congo. Sam garrett epic in scope, this book traces the fate of one of the worlds most critical, failed nationstates, second only to wartorn somalia. It describes the history of the democratic republic of the congo from the prehistory until the present, with the main focus on the period from the belgian colonisation until the books release.