Eye Of The Leopard, is a nature documentary film by National Geographic Channel that shows the journey, life, and growth of a young leopard cub named.
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Nobody seems to benefit Nov 19, Steven Langdon rated it it was ok. Hans Olofson is a young working-class Swede who, almost by chance, shifts himself to Zambia and ends up living there for over 18 years, eventually owning and managing an egg producing operation that supplies the Copperbelt and Lusaka. This could be a novel of the young Swede finding himself, and connecting at a dee "The Eye of the Leopard" is the first Henning Mankell book in which his brooding analyses of Sweden, presented in his detective novels, are connected fully to his books set in Africa.
This could be a novel of the young Swede finding himself, and connecting at a deep emotional level with the African society of which he becomes a part -- as Mankell himself seems to have done in his own life in coming to work with theatre in Maputo, Mozambique. But Hans, instead, is constantly overcome by fear, of a society that he doesn't understand, of people he thinks hate him because of his skin colour and his relative wealth. So after 18 years he leaves, never having truly lived in Zambia, to return to his past in Sweden.
This is a well-written novel, Mankell's characterizations are probing as always, but I was left unconvinced by the story. Having lived in Africa, I cannot believe that a man who spent 18 years in the complexity, beauty and challenges of Zambia would still be dominated by his racial fears of the unknown. This does not sound like Mankell's own life nor like the realities of Zambia for expatriates I have known there.
Aug 21, Tony rated it it was amazing Shelves: English translation — Mankell, known for his Inspector Kurt Wallander crime novels, occassionally writes a novel out of the genre. This is one of them — his latest.
Here we have the story of Hans Olofson. He lives with his father — a drunk ex-sailor — in a remote part of Sweden, where his father makes his living by cuttin Mankell, Henning. He lives with his father — a drunk ex-sailor — in a remote part of Sweden, where his father makes his living by cutting fir. He makes friends with another young boy who moves into the neighborhood, and together they get into the sorts of trouble that boys of that age do.
They are particularly cruel to a young woman, Janice, who has no nose. She lost it after an operation by a drunken surgeon. She is very religious and vows to make a trip to Africa some day to work at a particular mission there. Later, Hans loses his friend he thinks to a prank gone wrong, and Janice commits suicide.
He then decides to go to Africa and find this mission she was always talking about. We then move to his experiences in Africa and his confrontation with the Africans and their peculiar ways. After a while, through pure inertia, he find himself caught up in the routine of the ranch, while constantly trying to understand the mind of the typical African native. He ultimately learns that the blacks hate the whites as much as the whites hate them, and that any good the whites think they are doing is really for their own good.
Tensions increase in Zambia and he finds that the white colony is under attack by a group of natives disguised in leopard skins. What Hans learns about Africa and about himself is really what the book is about, and reading it is an amazing experience. Feb 02, John Rouse rated it it was amazing.
A modern-day Joseph Conrad as far as I'm concerned--a masterpiece. I'm surprised he hasn't received an award for this work. The Eye of the Leopard, in contrast, is one of the few where most of the action occurs in Africa, a continent that Mankell travelled to frequently and knew well. In this psycho political thriller Mankell deals beautifully with the issues of modern day post-colonial development in Africa: Are they still wanted?
Anyone interested in understanding how things work in Africa today should find his story interesting and enlightening. May 10, Patricia rated it it was amazing. The Eye of the Leopard is a book that will stay with you to ponder long after you have read the last page. The life of Hans Olafson, both in Sweden and later in Africa, is one to be envied as well as pitied. His good friend Janine he treated with both love and scorn.
His best friend leaves him due to an accident that haunts Hans. His decision to leave Sweden and follow the goal of his friend Janine in Africa wa The Eye of the Leopard is a book that will stay with you to ponder long after you have read the last page. His decision to leave Sweden and follow the goal of his friend Janine in Africa was made without a lot of thought but the months in Africa turned into years. Hans meets a white couple when he arrives in Africa and through this couple he meets a woman who is running an egg farm who is need of a manager.
Hans agrees but insists that it will only be temporary. His temporary position as manager of the egg farm in Zambia, South Africa eventually leads to his ownership of the farm. He finds himself in charge of workers and at the mercy of the local authorities since he has no permanent legal status in Africa.
The efforts that he makes to improve the well being of his workers are for the most part fruitless. He cannot turn an African away from the ways that he grew up with anymore than he can suddenly adopt the African way. The author describes life in Africa in such a way that you almost feel you are there with Hans, locking the doors every night and listening to the dogs turned lose to guard their owner. As violence breaks out around the area Hans begins to fear for his own life and cannot decide who to trust. The differences between life in Sweden and life in Africa are startling different and Hans cannot decide where he really belongs.
Eye of the Leopard
He has women in his life but no lasting love or commitment. He has no family left. His friends begin to disappear. The Eye of the Leopard is a sad book but well worth reading. Jan 02, Ilyhana Kennedy rated it liked it. There's a deep story in this book that unfortunately suffers from the personality, or lack of it, of the central character, Hans Olofson. Additionally the prose is dry, somehow always setting the action at a distance. The exception was the dialogue..
The historical elements, the natural environment, the tension of the political drama are all there, but fail to engage through the thoughts and experiences of Hans Olofson. I found him to be an uninteresting pathetically There's a deep story in this book that unfortunately suffers from the personality, or lack of it, of the central character, Hans Olofson. I found him to be an uninteresting pathetically weak person prone to recycling the same internal questions without reaching resolution.
For mine, this lack of resolution undermines the power of all that he has experienced that would normally cultivate internal change. If not the trauma of his life in Africa, what then would bring transformation? So there's an undermining of the whole story for me, leaving a flatness.
It could have been so much more. Feb 21, Zhiqing rated it really liked it. I believe this is the first novel I ever read by a Swedish writer. If you ever wonder why Africa is what it is now this book really gives a lot of insight to the complex issues Africa faces. I don't think there will ever be an easy solution for the problems Africa faces.
Povery, corruption, superstition, racism, hypocricy of missionaries and aid programs, and the terrible misunderstanding between the blacks and the whites who colonized the continent all play a part in the terrible situation Afri I believe this is the first novel I ever read by a Swedish writer. Povery, corruption, superstition, racism, hypocricy of missionaries and aid programs, and the terrible misunderstanding between the blacks and the whites who colonized the continent all play a part in the terrible situation Africa is in nowadays.
This novel basically consists of two parallel stories, a young Swedish native looking back on his first 25 years in Sweden and his subsequent years in Africa as an egg farmer. Though there was a lot of despair in both parts of his lives, the novel itself wasn't terribly depressing. A well crafted novel. May 12, ShayShay rated it it was amazing. This was definitely another masterpiece by the best selling author Henning Mankell. From time to time the novel almost came across as poetry, just the way he used certain words.
I was truly intrigued by this because I love poetry. With the specific details Mankell gave I almost felt like I was there with him. His frequent visi This was definitely another masterpiece by the best selling author Henning Mankell. Even after I was done reading the novel my mind was still trying to contemplate certain things about it. Apr 01, Robyn rated it liked it Shelves: Granted the main character brought this in his personal life, but it was a situation that was all pervading.
Add to that the underlying fear and anger, the arrogance and resentment. Such a toxic environment for all. There are no easy solutions. May 11, Jovannah rated it liked it. I think this book kinda dragged for little bit but as you read the book you start realize why the main character behaves in certain ways. This book also tells about the flashbacks of when he was a kid and that really mad the book a little more interesting because you get to see why he's on his journey and who he needs to talk to accomplish a certain task and also how he over comes certain obstacles in th way.
May 17, Karen Levi rated it it was amazing. This author came highly recommended to me, so I went to the library. None of his mystery books were on the shelf. Rarely do I find what I want at the public library, though I am still a strong believer in public libraries. Instead of one of Mr. Mankell's mystery stories, I picked up the one lone Mankell book on the shelf, The Eye of the Leopard.
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I was treated to a very well-written semi-autobiographical, fictional account of a Swedish man's experiences in Zambia in the 's This author came highly recommended to me, so I went to the library. I was treated to a very well-written semi-autobiographical, fictional account of a Swedish man's experiences in Zambia in the 's and 's. Though somewhat outdated by now, I think the message is still relevant. Black Africans and white Africans do not understand each other.
They come from different cultures and thereby view the world differently. This is not meant to be rascist just a fact. There are rascist characters in the book. Unfortunately, the most common traits that the people from other cultures share are dishonety, violence, rage, and corruptability. The main character, Hans, begins his Africa journey as an idealistic, young liberal and ends it as a realistic, middle aged man, probably still liberal but certainly jaded. It is a common coming of age tale, set in the newly independent nation of Zambia, complete with broken down cars, decrepit old buildings, wild weather, and the rustle of creatures, both large and small, dangerous and benign.
Of course, I am sure there are other viewpoints about living in Africa, but based on my experiences in different cultures, this one seems quite true. Mar 20, Wendy Cosin rated it liked it Shelves: The novel's alternates between Hans Olofson as a child in rural Sweden and as an adult in Zambia.
The child was deserted by his mother as was the author and there is little emotional connection with his disillusioned alcoholic father. The adult has little sense of who he is and why he stays in Africa. The author presents the ugly realities of Zambia shortly after independence - the white Henning Markell wrote The Eye of the Leopard in and it was translated from Swedish to English in The author presents the ugly realities of Zambia shortly after independence - the whites owned the land that the Africans worked, violence was common, and the black government was corrupt.
While the novel is a searing condemnation of this period of post colonial Africa, the focus on the Swedish protagonist lessens the clarity of the message. Hans Olofson is a strange character. As a child, it was a major discovery that he was himself and no one else. Before he leaves Sweden for Africa, he says "an incessant struggle is going on between belief in the future and resignation". Inertia appears to be the main reason he stays in Africa and he frequently ponders who he is with no conclusion. When he takes over the egg farm, he tries to make changes to improve the African's lives, but when they do not succeed, he gives up easily.
He admits that he never questions white assumptions or has any real knowledge about Zambia even after 20 years. The longer he stays, the less agency he has. The bad decisions that he makes are a reflection of his lack of character. The writing is good and Mankell does a very good job with dialogue, especially between Olofson and his workers. He also handles suspense, fear and malarial attacks well. Unfortunately, my enjoyment was lessened because I wasn't interested in reading about colonial Africa it was a book group pick. I'm more interested in modern African writers or books that have an unusual structure or something new to tell.
However, that said, the book group had a good discussion. Jun 07, Chad Carroway rated it really liked it. I walked away from this early novel by Mankell assured that the anxious soul of a dreamer had been apprehended, harnessed and set free to the pages of this manuscript. This book tells the story of one traversing along an arc of time.
While the span widens, the main character waxes and wains amidst tumultuous lessons—certainly a plotted course is desired. With an intertwined dysfunctional past and a tragedy-riddled present, Hans Olofson makes a brave attempt to prevail and overcome the raging sea I walked away from this early novel by Mankell assured that the anxious soul of a dreamer had been apprehended, harnessed and set free to the pages of this manuscript. This account proves to be an exciting tale of resilience while under the pressure of fate, magic, sorcery and altogether bad luck.
I admire the navigation of this young boy from Northern Sweden as he meanders along life into the throws of manhood which carry him to the dark corners of the post-liberated provinces among the scorched red earth of the African continent. May 20, Levent Mollamustafaoglu rated it liked it. Henning Mankell has written many mystery books using his grumpy old Swedish inspector Wallander, but this book is an exception, since it tells about the story of White Man in Africa, emphasizing the difficulty of the relation with the real Africans, the corruption and the corrupted.
Including multiple narratives, it is somewhat difficult to follow but gets a lucid narrative after about halfway through the book and brings the multiple threads to an exciting completion. Mankell uses a sharp narrati Henning Mankell has written many mystery books using his grumpy old Swedish inspector Wallander, but this book is an exception, since it tells about the story of White Man in Africa, emphasizing the difficulty of the relation with the real Africans, the corruption and the corrupted.
Mankell uses a sharp narrative and does not mince his words. Quite enjoyable novel that was written in early 90's but was only translated and published in English in early 's. Dec 19, Jane Glen rated it liked it. A little hard to know how many stars to give. This is well-written with a certain fascination but the story itself is so bleak and merciless with no real resolution. Mankell is the author of the Wallander mysteries which are also a TV series, which is excellent, but again, very dark.
But I still will read more by this author as he certainly has a way with words. Mar 07, Stephen Hayes rated it really liked it Shelves: One of the things I've heard a lot about in the past few years is postcolonialism.
There's also a lot of talk about postmodernism and postmodernity, but I'm told that that is not really relevant to Africa and that postcolonialism is the thing. And apparently the book to read about postcolonialism is Orientalism by Edward Said , but whenever I look for it in the library someone else has taken it out. But this novel is set in postcolonial Zambia, at least in part, and got me thinking about the natu One of the things I've heard a lot about in the past few years is postcolonialism.
But this novel is set in postcolonial Zambia, at least in part, and got me thinking about the nature of colonialism and the postcolonial condition. Henning Mankell is probably best known, to English-speaking readers at any rate, for his detective novels featuring the boozy melancholic detective Kurt Wallander of southern Sweden. This is very different, though actually about a third of the book seems to be a slightly reworked version of another of Mankell's books, A bridge to the stars.
That is a sort of Bildungsroman , about a woodcutter's son growing up in the north of Sweden, and befriending a woman who had been disfigured by a botched nose operation. In this book there are flashbacks to that, and the protagonist, Hans Olofson, travels to Zambia to fulfil an ambition of the disfigured woman who died -- visiting a mission station that had been founded by a Swede in the remote north-western part of Zambia. Olofson feels alienated from the moment of his arrival, and makes his way to the mission station, spends a couple of days there, and then leaves again.
Eye of the Leopard — Wildlife Films
He takes up an invitation to stay with some white farmers he met on the train, and ends up staying in Zambia for eighteen years. But Zambia, seen through the eyes of an alienated Swede, is a nightmare place. Moving in the circles of white farmers who were struggling to adapt to the postcolonial milieu, he comes to see the blacks through the eyes of the white farmers, and most of the blacks they encounter are their employees, who find whites as inscrutable as the whites find them.
But because Olofson is Swedish, he also has a somewhat more detached view of the white farmers, and is therefore an observer of the relations between the people around him, and tries, somewhat ineffectually, to establish better relations when he finds himself in the position of being an employer. And I found myself repelled by the view of both black and white people in the book. Were black people in Zambia in the s and s really like those protrayed in the book, or was it simply because they were being seen through the distorting lens of the white bwana mentality?
And were the whites really like that? And then I thought, yes, to some extent the whites were. My mother had cousins who lived in what was then called Northern Rhodesia, and I remember one of them telling us that her husband, when walking down the pavement, used to press burning cigarettes into the necks of black people who didn't scuttle out of his way into the gutter quickly enough to her credit that was one of the reasons she gave for divorcing him.
I remembered when I was a student at the University of Natal in the mids, and the Rhodesian students were generally far more racist than the South African ones. When Northern Rhodesia became independent as Zambia in , every student from there and they were all white was given an independence celebration kit, with a small Zambian flag, a record of the national anthem "Stand and sing of Zambia, proud and free" to the tune of Nkosi sikelel' iAfrika and various other goodies, and they were given money to organise themselves an independence party, so that even those who didn't like the idea of blacks running the country had a jolly booze up to celebrate.
Some of them, probably the majority of them, probably came from families like the white families depicted in the book. So yes, the colonialist attitudes were there, even in a postcolonial society. I've never been to Zambia, though I have occasionally met Zambians in other places, but the book implies that black people are like all over Africa, at least when seen through eyes of the white employer class. And most of the white people and black people I've known haven't been like that. But if you look at certain web sites, yes, you can find that such attitudes are still fostered, even in South Africa.
In that period in South Africa there was also an influx of whenwes from newly-independent Kenya, who were given large chunks of time on the radio to tell us what a marvellous job the National Party was doing in running the country and keeping the blacks in their place, unlike Kenya. And their attitudes were probably pretty close to those of the whites depicted in this book.
I found this an immensely sad book, and the protagonist seemed to have had a very sad and lonely life. Since Mankell has written anoth very similar book, I wonder if it isn't semi-autobiographical. And I wonder what picture Swedish people reading it will get of Africa. Search What are you looking for? Eye Of The Leopard Monday An ultimate predator, nearly silent, at times invisible, but when one can get close enough, always strikingly beautiful.
Within this harsh environment, the leopard continues to flourish. Over the next three years, they captured a remarkably intimate and gripping story of survival in wild, unspoiled Africa. Eye of the Leopard takes viewers on an enthralling journey deep into the rarely seen lives of leopards.
It is a journey of birth, life and death as a mother leopard and her first surviving cub of six, fight off marauding baboons and elude scavenging hyenas in a constant struggle for survival. We watch as Legadema increasingly refines her hunting prowess and graduates from stalking lizards and squirrels to warthogs, impala and even dangerously aggressive baboons.
One particularly poignant and unexpected chapter occurs as Legadema nears the cusp of adulthood, and kills a mother baboon only to find the young baby still clinging. We see first hand the relationship between leopards and the larger, more powerful lions, which are fully capable of killing a full grown leopard. We come to appreciate the advantages that leopards use to out manoeuvre their more powerful adversaries, including a locking wrist that allows them to nimbly climb the tallest tree with lightning speed. Newsletter Never miss a Nat Geo moment Your email address.
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