Peter Hopkirk (1930–2014)
Author of The Great Game: On Secret Service in High Asia
About the Author
Peter Hopkirk has traveled widely over many years in Central Asia, Russia, China, India, Pakistan, and the Middle East as writer
Works by Peter Hopkirk
Foreign Devils on the Silk Road: The Search for the Lost Cities and Treasures of Chinese Central Asia (1980) 691 copies, 9 reviews
Trespassers on the Roof of the World: The Secret Exploration of Tibet (Kodansha Globe) (1983) — Author — 526 copies, 7 reviews
Setting the East Ablaze : Lenin's Dream of an Empire in Asia (1984) — Author — 417 copies, 9 reviews
Hopkirk Peter 1 copy
Associated Works
Hunted through Central Asia: On the Run from Lenin's Secret Police (1993) — Introduction, some editions — 67 copies, 1 review
The Spy Who Disappeared: Diary of a Secret Mission to Russian Central Asia in 1918 (1990) — Introduction, some editions — 27 copies
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Canonical name
- Hopkirk, Peter
- Legal name
- Hopkirk, Peter Stuart
- Birthdate
- 1930-12-15
- Date of death
- 2014-08-22
- Gender
- male
- Education
- The Dragon School, Oxford
Marlborough College - Occupations
- journalist
author
historian - Organizations
- King's African Rifles
The Times
Daily Express
ITN
Drum
British Army - Awards and honors
- Sir Percy Sykes Memorial Medal (1999)
- Relationships
- Hopkirk, Kathleen (wife)
- Short biography
- Before turning full-time author, he was an ITN reporter and newscaster for two years, the New York correspondent of Lord Beaverbrook's Daily Express, and then worked for nearly twenty years on The Times; five as its chief reporter, and latterly as a Middle East and Far East specialist. In the 1950s, he edited the West African news magazine Drum, sister paper to its legendary South African namesake. Before entering Fleet Street, he served as a subaltern in the King's African Rifles – in the same battalion as Lance-Corporal Idi Amin, later to emerge as the Ugandan tyrant.
- Nationality
- UK
- Birthplace
- Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England, UK
- Place of death
- London, Middlesex, England, UK
- Map Location
- England, UK
Members
Reviews
What a game the Great Game was. The British Empire versus the Russian Empire, fought in one of the most remote regions on Earth. The prize was power over Central Asia, mixed with annoying the loser. Reading "The Great Game", it seems the Russians won, although they faced some terrible losses of their own.
With such a huge area and time to cover, the story needed an expert historian with a writing style that kept you turning the pages. Fortunately Peter Hopkirk filled both roles admirably and show more the 500-odd pages fairly raced by to its conclusion. Although I consider myself a geographical expert, it was lucky the book includes numerous maps as I regularly leafed back to them to workout where on earth was the desolate spot previously unknown to me that may well have sparked a nineteenth century war between Britain and Russia.
Highly recommended and I'm working my way through Hopkirk's other books related to the Great Game. show less
With such a huge area and time to cover, the story needed an expert historian with a writing style that kept you turning the pages. Fortunately Peter Hopkirk filled both roles admirably and show more the 500-odd pages fairly raced by to its conclusion. Although I consider myself a geographical expert, it was lucky the book includes numerous maps as I regularly leafed back to them to workout where on earth was the desolate spot previously unknown to me that may well have sparked a nineteenth century war between Britain and Russia.
Highly recommended and I'm working my way through Hopkirk's other books related to the Great Game. show less
A terrific read. Highly recommended for anyone with an interest in British-Russian relations and intrigues in the 19th century, providing insight into the calculations (often wrong) by both parties. Whereas the Russians act based on sheer expansionist desire, the English do so out of a combination of paranoia and economic greed. This is a century-long tale of imperialism at its height. The author must have read dozens, if not hundreds, of firsthand accounts and books by various historians. show more The writing style is lively and doesn't get bogged down with unessential digressions into concurrent policy concerns by the two adversaries. There's no holding back on the accounts of medieval cruelty by the various Khans of Persia and Afghanistan, as well as that of roaming bandits. It all reads like a boy's adventure story for adults. What is most puzzling is why both Russia and England would continue in their military assaults despite devastating disasters and loss of life. show less
A short but entertaining book about the exploration of lost cities that made up the Silk Road and the race for archaeological treasures from those cities.
The Silk Road flourished for centuries as an overland path from China West to European markets. All along the Silk Road cities and civilizations came into being to service the traders with many of the cities becoming trading powers in their own rights. At the same time, the cities that developed created a unique mix of art and culture as show more Buddhist traditions and art were merged with Western ideals. This culture flourished for centuries until the diminishing importance of the silk trade and environmental changes led to the abandonment of the cities. The cities sat, barely remembered for hundreds of years, remembered vaguely by locals and in writings by the likes of Marco Polo. In the late 19th century, England, France, Russia and Japan send explorers and archaeologists to find and excavate these lost cities.
The book is part adventure story as it details the horrendous conditions that the explorers endured trying to find the cities, many lost in the midst of nearly impassible deserts. The book also details the nature of their discoveries, describing the art and languages discovered. Finally, the book discusses at length the ethics of the removal of the art and manuscripts by Western archaeologists. Hopkirk certainly makes a strong case that the these cultures should be better known and that Western museums should do a better job of showcasing the materials they have.
Call me a cultural imperialist, but I am less troubled by the removal of the art and manuscripts then Hopkirk. As a conceptual matter, I am all for keeping cultural materials in the country of origin (as inapplicable as the modern nation-state is to many ancient cultures). However, the reality is that many of the countries that "should" be protecting their cultural patrimony have failed to do so. China presents something of a special case - specifically the Cultural Revolution and China's subsequent handling of its cultural heritage - are examples of systematic, deliberate destruction of cultural assets. As Foreign Devils on the Silk Road makes clear, the treasures of Central Asia were hardly being protected by the relevant authorities at the time. In the instance of some painted caves, the caves were used to house soldiers resulting in destruction of important murals. So, on balance, I lean toward sympathizing with the archaeologists who removed the manuscripts and art that they could take. Certainly today, where China is actively preserving and protecting its cultural assets, the conduct of Western archaeologists would constitute theft. But this wasn't the case at the end of the 19th century and there is strong evidence that, but for the work of these explorers, nothing of this cultural and artistic heritage would have survived. show less
The Silk Road flourished for centuries as an overland path from China West to European markets. All along the Silk Road cities and civilizations came into being to service the traders with many of the cities becoming trading powers in their own rights. At the same time, the cities that developed created a unique mix of art and culture as show more Buddhist traditions and art were merged with Western ideals. This culture flourished for centuries until the diminishing importance of the silk trade and environmental changes led to the abandonment of the cities. The cities sat, barely remembered for hundreds of years, remembered vaguely by locals and in writings by the likes of Marco Polo. In the late 19th century, England, France, Russia and Japan send explorers and archaeologists to find and excavate these lost cities.
The book is part adventure story as it details the horrendous conditions that the explorers endured trying to find the cities, many lost in the midst of nearly impassible deserts. The book also details the nature of their discoveries, describing the art and languages discovered. Finally, the book discusses at length the ethics of the removal of the art and manuscripts by Western archaeologists. Hopkirk certainly makes a strong case that the these cultures should be better known and that Western museums should do a better job of showcasing the materials they have.
Call me a cultural imperialist, but I am less troubled by the removal of the art and manuscripts then Hopkirk. As a conceptual matter, I am all for keeping cultural materials in the country of origin (as inapplicable as the modern nation-state is to many ancient cultures). However, the reality is that many of the countries that "should" be protecting their cultural patrimony have failed to do so. China presents something of a special case - specifically the Cultural Revolution and China's subsequent handling of its cultural heritage - are examples of systematic, deliberate destruction of cultural assets. As Foreign Devils on the Silk Road makes clear, the treasures of Central Asia were hardly being protected by the relevant authorities at the time. In the instance of some painted caves, the caves were used to house soldiers resulting in destruction of important murals. So, on balance, I lean toward sympathizing with the archaeologists who removed the manuscripts and art that they could take. Certainly today, where China is actively preserving and protecting its cultural assets, the conduct of Western archaeologists would constitute theft. But this wasn't the case at the end of the 19th century and there is strong evidence that, but for the work of these explorers, nothing of this cultural and artistic heritage would have survived. show less
A Ripping Yarn! With footnotes! I recommend this book to all adult survivors of Rudyard Kipling. The real story that fictional persons like Flashman palely imitate. this is the classical clash between the great land power, who had to add to her borders to feel safe, and the naval octopus, intent on maintaining its dividends. Geographical determinists like Mackinder are also dragged in, as well as games-playing theory. It is hard to put down...ah, where was I? Right...got to sign off on this show more review and do a re-read. show less
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Statistics
- Works
- 8
- Also by
- 10
- Members
- 4,406
- Popularity
- #5,687
- Rating
- 4.1
- Reviews
- 82
- ISBNs
- 89
- Languages
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- Favorited
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