East From Tunis

This books covers the journey of the author and his ladyfriend from Tunis in Tunisia to Heliopolis in Egypt, covering Tunisia and Libya, in the early 1950s.
It tells of a Tunisia poised for independence from France (which happened in 1956), and a recently independent United Kingdom of Libya, still well prior to the oppressive Gaddafi era. The colonials are leaving or have left - France in the case of Tunisia, England in the case of the two coastal provinces of Libya, France in the case of the third, Libyan desert province of Fezzan. It seems a fascinating time - one that I have not read about before.

Carrington writes well. He is, as you might expect of a polite Englishman, keen to discuss the positives, and doesn't dwell on any of the negative issues, but doesn't avoid them completely. This books covers in relatively thorough detail (for its 226 pages) the history; the politics; the culture; and touches on the pre-history (by which I mean the earlier occupiers of the land, including the Phoenicians, the Greeks, the Romans, the Vandals, the Byzantines) and then the more recent colonial occupiers (the Arabs, the Turks, the Spanish, the French, the Italians and the British); the archaeology and the flora and fauna. It even starts with an explanatory chapter on the geology, geography and history of Northern Africa, such is the authors wish for the reader to start off with a basis of understanding before embarking on the travel itself. A self proclaimed writer on natural history, Carrington covers it all off well.

For me, Carrington gets the mix right. There is enough history to gain an understanding, there are enough quotations from earlier travellers and writers, which are relevant and interesting either for their contrast with the authors experience, or the sameness. The details and the anecdotes of his travel are interesting, amusing and fit well in the context of the narrative, and where he speculates he makes it clear he is doing so.

My only regret is that although Herodotus is mentioned in the blurb, and the book dedicated to him, he receives only a couple of vague mentions in passing, where I had perhaps expected more tie-in with the authors travel.

This is a solid four star read for me, and is sufficient or me to seek out more of the travel writing of Richard Carrington.