Synopsis
"Starting in a hollowed log of wood--some thousand miles up a river with infinitesimal prospect of returning, I ask myself `Why?' and the only echo is `damned fool!...the Devil drives.'" So wrote Richard Francis Burton, while preparing for an exploration of the lower Congo in 1863. Tormented by the question of "why?", his answer "the devil drives" applies not only to his explorations, but to the whole of his turbulent life. The nature of his demon, the source of his restlessness, has baffled many biographers. Drawing from Burton's own published works and from the few manuscripts that managed to escape destruction by Lady Burton, Fawn Brodie explains the "why?" and in doing so creates a fascinating portrait.
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
About the Author
Fawn Brodie was born a Mormon in Ogden, Utah, in 1915. She attended the universities of Utah and Chicago. Her prize-winning No Man Knows My History, the life of the Mormon founder Joseph Smith, was published in 1945. Afterwards, at her own wish, she was excommunicated from the Mormon Church, but was nevertheless elected a Fellow of the Utah Historical Society in 1967. Her other works include a critical edition of Burton's The City of the Saints, a best-selling biography of Thomas Jefferson and an acclaimed study of Richard Nixon. She died in 1981.
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
Other Popular Editions of the Same Title
Search results for The Devil Drives: A Life of Sir Richard Burton
Stock Image
The Devil Drives: A Life of Sir Richard Burton
Seller: JR Books, Grand Rapids, MI, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
mass_market. Condition: Very Good. No writing or tears; lightly tanned pages; s. Seller Inventory # 53KT2L000LS2