I Dreamed of Africa
by Kuki Gallmann
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Description
This autobiography tells the story of an Italian woman whose life is driven by love of Africa. The prologue covers a string of deaths which shaped Kuki Gallmann's life including that of a woman friend who died in a car crash. The widower, Paulo (who then married Kuki), his two daughters and Kuki's son by a previous marriage all went to Kenya and bought a large estate. Paulo died in an accident and Kuki's son died aged 17, bitten by one of his own puff-adders. Kuki had a couple of affairs - show more one with a married white planter, another with a film stuntman who involved her in the film Out of Africa. Finally she set up a foundation which in fact is more like a private wildlife park. show lessTags
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mene Both about women who went to live in Africa.
Member Reviews
This has got to be one of the most heart wrenching yet uplifting books I have ever read about one woman's life experiences in Africa. After divorcing her first husband Kuki marries the widower of a friend (Kuki survives the same car accident that her friend did not). Paolo convinces Kuki and her young son to move to Kenya, a far cry from the life of privilege in Italy. There, Kuki and her son, Emanuele Pirri-Gallman, fall in love with the land, the animals, and the people of Ol Ari Nyiro. Even after Paolo is killed in a tragic accident, Kuki is determined to stay in Africa. Pregnant with his child, Kuki buries Paolo at the ranch and continues to carry out their dreams. Three years later, even after her seventeen year old son dies of a show more lethal snake bite, Kuki is even more determined to stay on the ranch. She buries Ema next to Paolo and slowly, through grief and time, finds new purpose to her life. show less
Memoir reading is something very personal - it requires your own personal identification with the experiences of the author. This then, is not fiction - and requires from us, the readers, an emotive attribute that is sometimes missing in other works we read. Yet, for me, while reading I Dreamed Of Africa - I missed this emotional attribute. Gallmann's story is well-known - her enduring love story with Paolo, and her love for Africa resulted in a movie by the same name.
I am fascinated by Africa, make no mistake about it, which is why I purchased the book despite the hefty price tag of more than $12. (Well, in these recessionary times, I guess that qualifies as hefty). Gallmann writes well but I found very little about Africa in the book. show more The people of Africa are there only as stage props, as loyal servants to Gallmann, and thus, a vast void is immediately apparent.
As a personal story, Gallmann scores - she is weepy, sentimental, psychic, loving, and courageous. But after a point, I just had enough about superhuman characters who are divinely beautiful. Paolo was one - he was the one who foretold his own death, (all of Gallmann's family seem to foretell their own death), and when he was not out shooting elephants to death, he was 'taking care' of the vast ranch. Kuki's son Emmanuel - ah, like all mothers, Kuki idolizes him. His craze of snakes causes his death eventually - and Kuki spares no effort in ensuring that his memory is still alive in the reader, who by this time must surely be wondering if there are any characters in this book who are not "beautiful," or "handsome" or "wise."
By now, you must be getting my drift - if you are interested in a lot of details about beautiful Paolo, and Emmanuel, then, by all means, pick up this book. If it is Africa you are searching for - Achebe, Wole Soyinka or Achak Deng may be a better choice. show less
I am fascinated by Africa, make no mistake about it, which is why I purchased the book despite the hefty price tag of more than $12. (Well, in these recessionary times, I guess that qualifies as hefty). Gallmann writes well but I found very little about Africa in the book. show more The people of Africa are there only as stage props, as loyal servants to Gallmann, and thus, a vast void is immediately apparent.
As a personal story, Gallmann scores - she is weepy, sentimental, psychic, loving, and courageous. But after a point, I just had enough about superhuman characters who are divinely beautiful. Paolo was one - he was the one who foretold his own death, (all of Gallmann's family seem to foretell their own death), and when he was not out shooting elephants to death, he was 'taking care' of the vast ranch. Kuki's son Emmanuel - ah, like all mothers, Kuki idolizes him. His craze of snakes causes his death eventually - and Kuki spares no effort in ensuring that his memory is still alive in the reader, who by this time must surely be wondering if there are any characters in this book who are not "beautiful," or "handsome" or "wise."
By now, you must be getting my drift - if you are interested in a lot of details about beautiful Paolo, and Emmanuel, then, by all means, pick up this book. If it is Africa you are searching for - Achebe, Wole Soyinka or Achak Deng may be a better choice. show less
GREAT book! At first I was prepared to take issue with the whole founding premise of this book: Europeans buying land in Kenya that originally belonged to native African tribes. But at least this woman, Kuki Gallman, didn't abuse what she called her "privilege" and reponsibility to care for the land. She worked really hard to protect the wildlife from poachers, beautify and preserve the land, and coexist peacefully with the native Kenyans. All her work has earned international recognition, and her land is still one of the most beautiful, best-preserved places in Kenya.
The overarching narrative above/behind all of that--that of the Gallmans' experience in Kenya--is very well-written and often heart-breaking. I was crying practically all show more the way through. If you like a good cry, read this book. It's very cleansing. Once you read it, you feel like you've been there, and lived through all of what Kuki did. Highly recommend. show less
The overarching narrative above/behind all of that--that of the Gallmans' experience in Kenya--is very well-written and often heart-breaking. I was crying practically all show more the way through. If you like a good cry, read this book. It's very cleansing. Once you read it, you feel like you've been there, and lived through all of what Kuki did. Highly recommend. show less
This is an intense book written by a woman who experienced many tragedies, but she keeps a kind, uplifting spirit throughout.
She loses a husband, gains a husband.
She loses a son to a lethal snake bite; she gains a baby daughter via a pregancny with husband number two.
She loses husband number two.
Personally, I've always wanted to go to Africa. But, I will keep this as a dream because it is so beautiful and yet so very dangerous.
Highly recommended! This is a tear jearker, worth reading.
She loses a husband, gains a husband.
She loses a son to a lethal snake bite; she gains a baby daughter via a pregancny with husband number two.
She loses husband number two.
Personally, I've always wanted to go to Africa. But, I will keep this as a dream because it is so beautiful and yet so very dangerous.
Highly recommended! This is a tear jearker, worth reading.
Have the tissues handy for the first 2/3 of the book. Her emotions and ties to her new homeland are impressive, as is her fight to provide habitat for the decimated species and thwart poaching. The pictures are a lovely addition
It is a vivid memoir of the author move to Kenya on a whim, her beautifully descriptive love of the country, wild life and its people, and the two most important people in her life: her son and husband. The writer presents an intense view of Africa, of its culture, problems, and dangers. After heartbreaking losses, the author still shows her love of her home, her healing through powerful pages, and her will to create joy out of her loss.
The blurb on the back of the book revealed that this was unlikely to be a happy tale, and indeed the author reveals early on that there is considerable tragedy forthcoming. Considering the fact that the untimely death of the son is expected throughout almost the entire book, it is perhaps a triumph that the telling of it is still sad. Despite her misfortunes, Kuki Gallmann still manages to convey the magic of Kenya – it's landscapes and the fascinating creatures that populate it.
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Common Knowledge
- Canonical title*
- Ik droomde van Afrika
- Original title
- I dreamed of Africa
- Alternate titles*
- Kuki Gallmann
- Original publication date
- 1991
- People/Characters
- Kuki Gallmann; Iain Douglas-Hamilton; Emanuele Perri-Gallman
- Important places
- Africa; East Africa; Europe; Italy; Kenya; Ol Ari Nyiro Ranch
- Epigraph
- "A hope beyond the shadow of a dream . . ." John Keats, Endymion
- Dedication
- In memory of Paolo and Emanuele
- First words
- From the Prologue: "Often, at the hour of day when the savannah grass is streaked with silver, and pale gold rims the silhouettes of the hills, I drive with my dogs up to the Mukutan, to watch the sun setting behind the lake,... (show all) and the evening shadows settle over the valleys and plains of the Laikipia plateau."
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)From the Epilogue: "Surrounded by my memories that night, I took my pen and I began to write." Laikipia, July 1989
*Some information comes from Common Knowledge in other languages. Click "Edit" for more information.
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- ISBNs
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