Books
by Philip Marsden
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The Barefoot Emperor: An Ethiopian Tragedy |
This is a fascinating, lively and extremely accessible account of the reign of Tewodros II - or as we might recognise him, Theodore - king of Ethiopia from 1854-1868. The story may be unfamiliar, though Magdala may resonate. Tewedros was an extraordinary man whose character, charismatic embodied extremes, Ethiopia in the 19th century almost unknown, a history of arrogance, assumptions and mistaken expectations. Well worth reading - eye opening.
(Ferelith Hordon - bwl 90 Autumn 2018) |
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The Spirit-Wrestlers: And other survivors of the Russian Century |
I met Philip Marsden (metaphorically) in Ethiopia. Here he is in Russia following the trail of the Doukhobor's - "spirit-wrestlers" - a group of radical Russian sectarians who basically reject the institution of the church, believing in the "spark of light that lives in each individual". It is a journey taking him from Moscow, across the Steppe to the Caucasus. It is fascinating, depressing and absorbing; a lost world.
(Ferelith Hordon - bwl 95 Winter 2020) |
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