A Training School for Elephants | 誠品線上

A Training School for Elephants

內容簡介

內容簡介 【誠品選書】殖民歷史與象群交錯，對人類貪婪的反思揭露19世紀比利時國王的殖民狂想，從印度運送四頭亞洲象至東非，試圖訓練非洲象協助資源開發。索菲．羅伯茨沿歷史足跡踏查比利時、印度、坦尚尼亞與剛果，結合歷史紀錄與當代訪談，探討殖民主義對自然與文化的影響。本書融合歷史、人文與環境議題，呈現人類貪婪如何形塑生態與社會，並對人與自然的共生關係提出深刻反思。《四頭大象的遠征》——殖民貪婪、瘋狂計畫與動物的歷史悲歌★ 《西伯利亞失落的鋼琴》作者索菲．羅伯茨（Sophy Roberts）再度啟程，踏上一場橫跨非洲的震撼旅程「歷史與旅行紀實在這場殖民掠奪與狂妄的故事中交織得淋漓盡致……索菲．羅伯茨的新書以光輝筆觸，從桑給巴爾到坦干依喀湖，追尋一場被遺忘的遠征。」——《衛報》（Guardian）「這是一本精彩絕倫的書，一段歷史的重要註腳——索菲．羅伯茨懷抱真摯的使命，勇敢追尋殖民主義的痕跡，深入探討比利時與英國殖民者的奇異執念。」——保羅．索魯（Paul Theroux），《大鐵路市集》（The Great Railway Bazaar）作者「將冒險、陰謀與殖民主義的黑暗真相巧妙交織成一個令人屏息的故事。」——萊維森．伍德（Levison Wood），《步行尼羅河》（Walking the Nile）作者「深入考察，細膩重現一段荒謬而被遺忘的非洲歷史，並充滿感性、引人入勝的際遇與難忘的人物，當然，還有那些大象本身。」——盧克．佩佩拉（Luke Pepera），《母國：穿越五十萬年的非洲文化與身份之旅》（Motherland: A Journey through 500,000 Years of African Culture and Identity）1879年，比利時國王利奧波德二世（King Leopold II）發起了一場宏大的計畫，意圖掠奪非洲的資源。他認為，要征服這片大陸，關鍵就在於大象——只要能成功馴服牠們，他便能掌控非洲。於是，他委託來自愛爾蘭的冒險家弗雷德里克．卡特（Frederick Carter），從印度運送四頭馴服的亞洲象到東非海岸，再徒步帶往剛果內陸，期望建立一所專門馴養非洲象的學校。然而，這場遠征最終成為殖民狂妄與無能的象徵，留下了一段鮮為人知的歷史。索菲．羅伯茨循著這四頭大象的足跡，展開一場橫跨比利時、伊拉克、印度、坦尚尼亞與剛果的旅程，透過歷史記錄與當地人的敘述，拼湊出這場荒誕計畫的全貌。書中呈現了一群令人難忘的歷史與現代人物，從象牙商人到天主教修女，穿梭於壯闊的非洲與亞洲景觀之間。本書不僅是對殖民歷史的探索，更是對人類與動物關係的深刻反思。透過細緻的考察與生動的敘述，羅伯茨揭示了這場殖民企圖的貪婪、愚蠢、虛偽與無能，並試圖回應我們對動物世界的破裂關係。「一本令人警醒的書，記述了『瓜分非洲』初期的荒謬歷史，卻又富有學術深度與詩意的哀愁。羅伯茨的筆觸極為優美。」——湯瑪斯．帕肯漢（Thomas Pakenham），《瓜分非洲》（The Scramble for Africa）作者「一幅貪婪與對生命漠視的細膩歷史畫卷……極少有人能像羅伯茨這樣寫出如此扣人心弦的故事，她以獨特的方式呈現這段歷史。」——阿馬爾．查特吉（Amal Chatterjee），《穿越湖泊》（Across the Lakes）作者From the acclaimed author of The Lost Pianos of Siberia, comes a new journey, following four 19th century elephants marched from the East African coast towards Congo, to tell a heartbreaking story of folly and colonial greed.'History and travelogue combine wonderfully in this tale of colonial plunder and hubris…Sophy Roberts’ luminous new book is a journey through Africa from Zanzibar to Lake Tanganyika and back, retracing the steps of a long-forgotten expedition.' - GUARDIAN'This is a marvellous book, an important footnote to history - of Sophy Roberts' intrepid travel with a real purpose, shining a light on colonialism, Belgian and British, and their peculiar obsessions.’' - Paul Theroux, author of The Great Railway Bazaar‘Masterfully weaving adventure, intrigue and the darker truths of colonial ambition into a story as gripping as it is eye-opening.’ - Levison Wood, author of Walking the Nile'Deeply researched. Brings to life a bizarre and long-forgotten story of Africa with empathy, intriguing encounters and memorable characters, not least the elephants themselves.’ - Luke Pepera, author of Motherland: A Journey through 500,000 Years of African Culture and Identity‘Sophy Roberts brings history to life, tackling difficult, sensitive subjects with careful, exquisite prose. Unputdownable.’ - Mary Harper, author of Getting Somalia Wrong?'A brave and searching book, rich in history and fierce in spirit. The best sort of travel writing: handsome prose, teeming with humanity and an unwavering sense of wonder.' - Justin Marozzi, author of Baghdad, City of Peace, City of BloodIn 1879, King Leopold II of Belgium launched an ambitious plan to plunder Africa’s resources. The key to cracking open the continent, or so he thought, was its elephants ― if only he could train them.And so he commissioned the charismatic Irish adventurer Frederick Carter to ship four tamed Asian elephants from India to the East African coast, where they were marched inland towards Congo. The ultimate aim was to establish a training school for African elephants.Following in the footsteps of the four elephants, Roberts pieces together the story of this long-forgotten expedition, in travels that take her to Belgium, Iraq, India, Tanzania and Congo. The storytelling brings to life a compelling cast of historic characters and modern voices, from ivory dealers to Catholic nuns, set against rich descriptions of the landscapes travelled.Roberts digs deep into historic records to reckon with our broken relationship with animals, revealing an extraordinary ― and enduring ― story of colonial greed, ineptitude, hypocrisy and folly.‘A cautionary tale from the early days of the Scramble for Africa, but poignant and scholarly too. Roberts writes beautifully.’ - Thomas Pakenham, author of The Scramble for Africa‘A rich, engrossing tapestry of greed and disregard for life … Few write as compellingly as Roberts, this is her as only she can write.’ - Amal Chatterjee, author of Across the Lakes

各界推薦

各界推薦 評論摘要「歷史與旅行紀實在這場殖民掠奪與狂妄的故事中交織得淋漓盡致……索菲．羅伯茨的新書以光輝筆觸，從桑給巴爾到坦干依喀湖，追尋一場被遺忘的遠征。她的文筆深思熟慮、細膩敏銳，令人沉浸其中，幾乎忘了她也是一位傑出的歷史學家。她具備尋找故事的非凡能力，能在最意想不到的地方挖掘出動人的歷史。」——《衛報》（Guardian）「羅伯茨的文字優雅且富有同理心，本書的一大力量在於透過她敏銳的視角，展現出眾多壯麗大象所遭遇的淒涼與詭異命運。」——《獨立報》（Independent）「羅伯茨生動地重現了一段離奇而鮮為人知的歷史——比利時國王利奧波德二世曾計畫在非洲訓練大象，以助其掠奪當地資源。這本書融合了旅行與歷史，經過深入研究，流暢敘述，充滿同理心與引人入勝的故事，書中的角色令人印象深刻，尤其是那些大象。」——盧克．佩佩拉（Luke Pepera），《母國：穿越五十萬年的非洲文化與身份之旅》（Motherland: A Journey through 500,000 Years of African Culture and Identity）「索菲．羅伯茨從風暴肆虐、荒涼的多尼戈爾（Donegal）出發，深入歷史的黑暗角落，解開比利時國王利奧波德二世瘋狂計畫的謎團——他竟試圖用來自印度的大象，來開發剛果的資源。她編織出一幅貪婪與對生命漠視的豐富畫卷，橫跨大陸與世代，從十九世紀延伸至今。這不只是一本歷史敘述，更是對殖民主義貪婪與複雜性的深入探究，而羅伯茨以她卓越的敘事能力，賦予那些被遺忘的人物、地方與行動嶄新的生命。讀完此書，將使我們更深刻理解過去如何塑造當今世界。極少有人能像羅伯茨這樣寫出如此扣人心弦的故事，這本書展現了她獨特的筆觸與視角。」——阿馬爾．查特吉（Amal Chatterjee），《穿越湖泊》（Across The Lakes）「這是一則來自『瓜分非洲』初期的警世故事，既富有學術價值，也充滿情感張力。羅伯茨的文字極為優美。」——湯瑪斯．帕肯漢（Thomas Pakenham），《瓜分非洲》（The Scramble for Africa）「索菲．羅伯茨因偶然發現的一張地圖，踏上了一場尋找殖民計畫真相的旅程——這是一項將印度大象帶入非洲，以馴化當地象群的荒唐計畫。她重走這條路徑，以細膩的筆觸描繪險惡地形，並與仍受此歷史影響的後代交流，重現這場殘忍而誤導世人的遠征。羅伯茨處理這些困難且敏感的議題時，展現出極高的文字功力，讓人愛不釋手。」——瑪麗．哈珀（Mary Harper），前 BBC 非洲新聞編輯、聯合國顧問、《誤解索馬利亞？》（Getting Somalia Wrong?）作者「她將冒險、陰謀與殖民主義的黑暗真相巧妙交織成一個令人屏息的故事。」——萊維森．伍德（Levison Wood），《步行尼羅河》（Walking the Nile）作者「這是一本勇敢且發人深省的著作，既富含歷史，也充滿堅韌精神。這是最好的旅行寫作：優美的文筆、對人性的深刻描繪，以及不滅的探索精神。」——賈斯汀．馬洛奇（Justin Marozzi），《巴格達：和平與血腥之城》（Baghdad, City of Peace, City of Blood）作者「這本書精彩非凡，是歷史中的一個重要註腳——索菲．羅伯茨勇敢踏上旅程，揭開殖民主義的面紗，無論是比利時還是英國的統治者，他們對大象的痴迷，最終也讓這些珍貴的生物遭受殖民壓迫與剝削。」——保羅．索魯（Paul Theroux）ReviewHistory and travelogue combine wonderfully in this tale of colonial plunder and hubris…Sophy Roberts’ luminous new book is a journey through Africa from Zanzibar to Lake Tanganyika and back, retracing the steps of a long-forgotten expedition. Reflective, watchful, calm, Roberts is such a vivid travel writer that you forget what a brilliant historian she is. She has the water-diviner’s gift for stories in unlikely places. ― GuardianRoberts writes elegantly and empathetically and part of the book's power is seeing through her astute eyes the bleak and strange fate of so many magnificent elephants. ― IndependentRoberts brings to immediate life the bizarre and long-forgotten story of Belgian king Leopold II's plan to train elephants in Africa that would help plunder its resources. A deeply-researched and smoothly-written blend of travel and historical writing filled with empathy, intriguing encounters and memorable characters, not least the elephants themselves. -- Luke Pepera, author of Motherland: A Journey through 500,000 Years of African Culture and Identity Published On: 2024-11-27Sophy Roberts takes us from stormy, desolate Donegal on to a journey into a dark corner of history, untangling the strands of Belgian king Leopold’s seemingly insane plan to use elephants from India to plunder the Congo. She weaves a rich, engrossing tapestry of greed and disregard for life, human and animal, that stretches across continents, and across time, from the late nineteenth century to this day. This is more than an account, it’s a deep dive into the avarice and complexity of colonialism, skilfully guided by a narrator whose words brings to life people, places and actions that have been set aside or glossed over. To read it is to know so much more of the world today and then, and how the past shapes the present. Few write as compellingly as Roberts, this is her as only she can write. -- Amal Chatterjee, author of Across The LakesA cautionary tale from the early days of the Scramble for Africa, but poignant and scholarly too. Roberts writes beautifully. -- Thomas Pakenham, author of The Scramble for Africa Published On: 2024-12-04Sophy Roberts’ chance encounter with a map leads her to a bizarre colonial project to march Indian elephants into the heart of Africa to train their unruly cousins. She retraces their journey, bringing history to life with vivid descriptions of brutal terrain and encounters with living descendants of those involved in this cruel, misguided venture. Roberts tackles difficult, sensitive subjects with careful, exquisite prose. Unputdownable. -- Mary Harper, former BBC Africa editor, UN Advisor and author of Getting Somalia Wrong? Published On: 2024-12-04Masterfully weaving adventure, intrigue and the darker truths of colonial ambition into a story as gripping as it is eye-opening. -- Levison Wood, author of Walking the NileA brave and searching book, rich in history and fierce in spirit. The best sort of travel writing: handsome prose, teeming with humanity and an unwavering sense of wonder. -- Justin Marozzi, author of Baghdad, City of Peace, City of Blood Published On: 2024-12-18This is a marvellous book, an important footnote to history - of Sophy Roberts' intrepid travel with a real purpose, shining a light on colonialism, Belgian and British, and their peculiar obsessions, in this case elephants, beloved creatures also colonized and exploited. -- Paul Theroux Published On: 2025-01-10

作者介紹

作者介紹 索菲．羅伯茨（Sophy Roberts） 是一位屢獲殊榮的英國記者，並經常為《金融時報週末版》（FT Weekend）撰稿。她備受好評的首部著作《西伯利亞失落的鋼琴》（The Lost Pianos of Siberia）曾入選2020 年《星期日泰晤士報》年度好書，並被翻譯成八種語言。她的第二本書**《大象訓練學校》（A Training School for Elephants），則是一場別開生面的探索之旅，將被遺忘的歷史與現代紀實報導交織，穿梭於印度、伊拉克、剛果民主共和國、坦尚尼亞和比利時等地。這本書追蹤1879 年四頭來自浦那（Pune）的大象踏上非洲大湖區的旅程**，深刻反思殖民主義如何走向失控與瘋狂。Sophy Roberts is an award-winning British journalist, and a regular contributor to FT Weekend. Her critically acclaimed first book, The Lost Pianos of Siberia, was a Sunday Times Book of the Year in 2020, and went on to be published in eight more languages. Her second book, A Training School for Elephants, is another unusual quest, threading lost history with modern reportage in India, Iraq, DRC, Tanzania and Belgium. Following an 1879 journey that four elephants from Pune made to Africa’s Great Lakes, it is a reckoning with colonial ambitions gone berserk.

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最佳賣點

最佳賣點 : 本書不僅是對殖民歷史的探索，更是對人類與動物關係的深刻反思。透過細緻的考察與生動的敘述，羅伯茨揭示了這場殖民企圖的貪婪、愚蠢、虛偽與無能，並試圖回應我們對動物世界的破裂關係。

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