Barefoot Emperor, The: An Ethiopian Tragedy ebook
by Philip Marsden
Philip Marsden's rollicking history of Tewodros II, emperor of Ethiopia, powers along with all the drama of a finely honed thriller
Philip Marsden's rollicking history of Tewodros II, emperor of Ethiopia, powers along with all the drama of a finely honed thriller. A fascinating narrative excursion into a bizarre episode in 19th century Ethiopian and British imperial history featuring a remote African despot and his European-built gun.
The Barefoot Emperor' is history at its most thrilling and dramatic. Using narrative skills proven in such acclaimed books as 'The Bronski House' and 'The Chains of Heaven', Philip Marsden recreates scenes and characters of glittering intensity – and the intriguing paradoxes of a central figure grappling not only with his own people and his own demons, but with the seductive and unstoppable approach of the modern world. To read this book, upload an EPUB or FB2 file to Bookmate.
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Читать бесплатно текст книги The Barefoot Emperor: An Ethiopian Tragedy автора Philip Marsden . abun, abune – the head of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, at this time always a Copt. adarash – meeting hall. afe-negus – literally ‘mouth of the king’, royal spokesman.
abun, abune – the head of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, at this time always a Copt.
When the Ethiopian emperor received from the coast the stuffed heads of some French and Italian Capuchins, he knew he had found a reliable ally. Secure from both Turks and proselytising Christians, the Ethiopians remained isolated in the fortress of their mountains, free to pursue their own internal squabbles.
An Ethiopian Tragedy. For the purposes of the story, the names ‘Ethiopia’ and ‘Abyssinia’ can be seen as interchangeable. I have used Ethiopia in the text, but have not changed Abyssinia where it appears in quoted material. A degree of revisionist spelling has been necessary to rid Ethiopian places and people of their Eurocentric tarnish – thus Magdala becomes Meqdela, Theodore, Tewodros (pronounced with a silent ‘w’– Te-odros).
Philip Marsden's rollicking history of Tewodros II, emperor of Ethiopia, powers along with all the drama of a finely honed thriller. Barefoot Emperor, The: An Ethiopian Tragedy.
Philip Marsden is well placed to try. He has written about Ethiopia before - his first book was about his . He has written about Ethiopia before - his first book was about his travels there, as was his most recent; he is both seduced by and thoughtfully critical of Ethiopia's rich, backward-gazing culture - and he knows a great story when he sees one. Tewodros appeared in the Zemene Mesafint, the time of judges, when the Ethiopian highlands were riven by war and prince followed ineffectual prince in a self-destructive cycle of elevation and deposition. Only 12 when the monastery at which he was studying was attacked, he was forced to become an outlaw - and.
He hoped this offering would win over the Christian emperor. But Tewodros perceived it as an affront: to his eyes the carpet showed himself, the lion, being conquered. He had the Irishman clapped in chains and cast into prison
He hoped this offering would win over the Christian emperor. He had the Irishman clapped in chains and cast into prison. Kerans's unfortunate blunder was indicative of the 19th-century clash of civilisations that occurred between the "tantalising and unstoppable approach of the modern world" and Ethiopia, "an ancient half-forgotten kingdom" with a tradition stretching back to King Solomon and the Queen.
