Call number
FIC TRO
Collection
Genres
Publication
Ecco (2009), Edition: 1, 464 pages
Description
A colourful swashbuckling story based on the life of Sir Richard Burton, the flamboyant explorer of the nineteenth century.
Media reviews
"Troyanov succeeds at a different level, recreating that hunger for knowledge, hardship and space that was Burton’s distinctive cast of mind, depicting a man at once hard to like and impossible not to admire."
"Now Iliya Troyanov has given us the full fictional version in The Collector of Worlds, a long but consistently satisfying essay in biographical fiction, which is rapidly coming to seem a new genre."
User reviews
LibraryThing member monix
The Collector of Worlds is a novel inspired by the life and works of Sir Richard Francis Burton, the notorious nineteenth century English soldier, explorer, writer and translator of works such as The Kama Sutra, The Perfumed Garden and the ten-volume Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night.
The
Although Burton is the central figure in the novel and extracts from his own writings are incorporated into the text, we never engage directly with him. The author uses a variety of narrators to reveal some aspect of his behaviour but there is no real insight into his character or beliefs.
The book is divided into three distinct sections, each dealing with a major period in Burton’s life. The first, longest and, for me, best part depicts his time as a young officer in the East India Company, stationed in the remote outpost of Baroda. Boredom and ambition lead Burton to take his natural interest and facility in learning languages to a new and dangerous level; his fluency allows him to disguise himself as an Indian and he becomes a useful spy for the British government.
The narrators in the Indian setting are Burton’s former servant, Naukaram and the professional letter-writer he employs to write down his story. The encounters between the two of them and the flights of fancy employed by both in embellishing the tale are quite humorous and entertaining. These two and Upanishe, Burton’s wise teacher are the best-developed characters in the book.
The second part of the book deals with Burton’s pilgrimage to Mecca, disguised as an Arab. This is probably his most outrageous and dangerous exploit; if his disguise is penetrated he faces certain execution. After successfully completing the Hajj, he returns to England and publishes a book about his adventures and our insight into the affair comes from the imagined investigation by angry and offended Arab officials, who interrogate Burton’s companions who had been completely taken in by his disguise.
The final section is set in East Africa and concerns Burton’s attempt to discover the source of the Nile. The narrator is a former slave, employed as a guide and interpreter on the expedition. His family and friends find his account boring and self-indulgent and they have a point; I found myself skimming the pages in these final chapters.
Burton is a well-known figure in English history but there is no sense of his personality or his ideals in this novel; he isn’t the hero of the story. The book takes us to unexplored and dangerous places but it isn’t a conventional travel book or tale of derring-do. It is difficult to categorise it, although it is an impressive book and one I will return to because of the ideas it explores. It probably belongs in the philosophy rather than the fiction section of the library. It is a timely consideration of the difficulty, perhaps impossibility, of someone fully comprehending another culture. It looks at language, religion, slavery, loyalty, honour, exploitation and many other aspects of human behaviour. It certainly isn’t a light read but it is an enjoyable one.
The
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novel begins and ends with Burton’s death: “He died early in the morning before you could tell a black thread from a white.” The young priest, pressured by his bishop and Burton’s wife into administering the Last Rites to the dying man, is uneasy. He senses that something is not right about the situation; he wants to know more about the life of this man and his beliefs. In a way, the reader stands alongside the priest, pondering the myths and mysteries that surround the exploits of Richard Francis Burton and, at the end, both priest and reader are left with those mysteries unresolved. The man remains an enigma.Although Burton is the central figure in the novel and extracts from his own writings are incorporated into the text, we never engage directly with him. The author uses a variety of narrators to reveal some aspect of his behaviour but there is no real insight into his character or beliefs.
The book is divided into three distinct sections, each dealing with a major period in Burton’s life. The first, longest and, for me, best part depicts his time as a young officer in the East India Company, stationed in the remote outpost of Baroda. Boredom and ambition lead Burton to take his natural interest and facility in learning languages to a new and dangerous level; his fluency allows him to disguise himself as an Indian and he becomes a useful spy for the British government.
The narrators in the Indian setting are Burton’s former servant, Naukaram and the professional letter-writer he employs to write down his story. The encounters between the two of them and the flights of fancy employed by both in embellishing the tale are quite humorous and entertaining. These two and Upanishe, Burton’s wise teacher are the best-developed characters in the book.
The second part of the book deals with Burton’s pilgrimage to Mecca, disguised as an Arab. This is probably his most outrageous and dangerous exploit; if his disguise is penetrated he faces certain execution. After successfully completing the Hajj, he returns to England and publishes a book about his adventures and our insight into the affair comes from the imagined investigation by angry and offended Arab officials, who interrogate Burton’s companions who had been completely taken in by his disguise.
The final section is set in East Africa and concerns Burton’s attempt to discover the source of the Nile. The narrator is a former slave, employed as a guide and interpreter on the expedition. His family and friends find his account boring and self-indulgent and they have a point; I found myself skimming the pages in these final chapters.
Burton is a well-known figure in English history but there is no sense of his personality or his ideals in this novel; he isn’t the hero of the story. The book takes us to unexplored and dangerous places but it isn’t a conventional travel book or tale of derring-do. It is difficult to categorise it, although it is an impressive book and one I will return to because of the ideas it explores. It probably belongs in the philosophy rather than the fiction section of the library. It is a timely consideration of the difficulty, perhaps impossibility, of someone fully comprehending another culture. It looks at language, religion, slavery, loyalty, honour, exploitation and many other aspects of human behaviour. It certainly isn’t a light read but it is an enjoyable one.
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LibraryThing member ablueidol
When a book opens with a single cinematic sweep, moving from Sir Richard Burton death through the reluctant giving of last rites, to a sharp focus on a burning photograph of the 22-year-old Richard Burton that pulls you into his 1840's Bombay, you know you are in for a treat. This book is The
…individual lives are mysterious, particularly those of people one had never met. This Novel is intended as personal approach to a mystery rather than as an attempt at definitive revelation.
This approach shapes the unusual structure of the novel. It is divided into three sections: first is Burton's service in India in 1842-49, second is his travels in disguise to Mecca and Medina as a pilgrim on the hajj (1851-53)and concludes with his journey from Zanzibar to Lake Tanganyika in 1858 as he attempted to discover with a fellow explorer the source of the Nile. So we don't know his life before or after this period or even during this period when away from waving the Flag.
In each section, Burton’s reveals his thoughts through a third-person monologue whilst other narrators offer context or even contrasting views. Burton acts as the antagonist to these characters where as his is the culture or landscape of India, Arabia and Africa. In the Indian section, these others are Lahiya, a professional letter-writer, to whom Burton's one-time servant Naukaram goes to have his story written up, in the hope of gaining further employment. It’s soon clear to Lahiya that Naukaram is not telling the whole truth and as we see neither is Burton. In the Arabian section, a script like exchange between various Islamic officials, suggests that he spied on military positions. Perhaps he did, or perhaps they fear the loss of rich pickings as the long slow decline of the Ottoman Empire gave opportunities for the politically unscrupulous. The African section narrator is another historical character Sidi Mubarak Bombay, we meet him as a old man telling stories to his friends and relatives. He was a slave working in India before gaining his freedom and returning to Madagascar and becoming a key figure in most of the big exploratory expeditions of the time into East Africa. Through him, we explore the conflicting motives and styles for the Speke and Burton expedition to find the source of the Nile.
The language is poetic with scene after scene evoked with powerful physical detail and a constant parade of realistic characters from a long faded 19th Century that engage us in both Burton’s life as well as the other narrators. Together each section reveal a complex ambiguous man who loved language, disguises, adventure, learned to love sex, and wanted to understand cultures for the wider benefit of the Empire without perhaps realising the irony that Empires once they see the worth of other cultures the right to rule begins to crumble.
I strongly recommend the book for a highly enjoyable read and an introduction to a man well worth reading and in many ways a man ahead of his time.
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Collector of Worlds by Iliya Troyanov just published in the UK translated by William Hobson but originally published in Germany in 2006. The book is not a Biography, History or a novel but a biographical fiction meaning as the author says that the live and works of Sir Richard Burton inspired him because all…individual lives are mysterious, particularly those of people one had never met. This Novel is intended as personal approach to a mystery rather than as an attempt at definitive revelation.
This approach shapes the unusual structure of the novel. It is divided into three sections: first is Burton's service in India in 1842-49, second is his travels in disguise to Mecca and Medina as a pilgrim on the hajj (1851-53)and concludes with his journey from Zanzibar to Lake Tanganyika in 1858 as he attempted to discover with a fellow explorer the source of the Nile. So we don't know his life before or after this period or even during this period when away from waving the Flag.
In each section, Burton’s reveals his thoughts through a third-person monologue whilst other narrators offer context or even contrasting views. Burton acts as the antagonist to these characters where as his is the culture or landscape of India, Arabia and Africa. In the Indian section, these others are Lahiya, a professional letter-writer, to whom Burton's one-time servant Naukaram goes to have his story written up, in the hope of gaining further employment. It’s soon clear to Lahiya that Naukaram is not telling the whole truth and as we see neither is Burton. In the Arabian section, a script like exchange between various Islamic officials, suggests that he spied on military positions. Perhaps he did, or perhaps they fear the loss of rich pickings as the long slow decline of the Ottoman Empire gave opportunities for the politically unscrupulous. The African section narrator is another historical character Sidi Mubarak Bombay, we meet him as a old man telling stories to his friends and relatives. He was a slave working in India before gaining his freedom and returning to Madagascar and becoming a key figure in most of the big exploratory expeditions of the time into East Africa. Through him, we explore the conflicting motives and styles for the Speke and Burton expedition to find the source of the Nile.
The language is poetic with scene after scene evoked with powerful physical detail and a constant parade of realistic characters from a long faded 19th Century that engage us in both Burton’s life as well as the other narrators. Together each section reveal a complex ambiguous man who loved language, disguises, adventure, learned to love sex, and wanted to understand cultures for the wider benefit of the Empire without perhaps realising the irony that Empires once they see the worth of other cultures the right to rule begins to crumble.
I strongly recommend the book for a highly enjoyable read and an introduction to a man well worth reading and in many ways a man ahead of his time.
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LibraryThing member dudara
I was thrilled to receive an Early Reviewer copy of this book courtesy of Faber and Faber.
Originally published in German, this is the English version of Iliya Troyanov's fictional version of the life of English adventurer and polyglot, Sir Richard Francis Burton. Burton was an amazing man with many
The book deals with three episodes in Burton's life. We encounter him on his first posting to India, where he establishes a household and learns the native tongues. He undertakes spying missions for the British military and ultimately comes under suspicion for becoming too native. The second episode covers his trip to Mecca in disguise as Sheikh Abdullah. Lastly, we follow him on his trip to Lake Victoria in Africa, as he and fellow traveller, Speke, seek to find the source of the Nile.
I was initially hesitant about reading a book translated from it's original language. I often feel that something is lost in the traslation, that some elegant distinguishing turn of phrase is lost forever in the change from one tongue to another. It is clear when reading this book that it was not written in English, but it does not detract from the story in the slightest. Reading in different sentence structures to what you are accustomed sometimes forces you to read every world carefully. Somehow the language used in the book reflects the different and strange Eastern world that Burton inhabited.
The narrative techniques used to describe Burton's adventures are creative and interesting. We obeserve him second-hand from people who dealt with him and even from a third-hand viewpoint. The three sections have different tempos and each set of third-hand obeservers provides their own form of humourous relief.
I feel that Troyanov captured something of the essence of Burton. We are left with a portrait of a highly intelligent, adaptable man who yearned for some spirituality. He appeared to find some comfort in the Muslim faith, but as a westerner, could never declare it and I think that Troyanov communicates this dichotomy excellently.
Originally published in German, this is the English version of Iliya Troyanov's fictional version of the life of English adventurer and polyglot, Sir Richard Francis Burton. Burton was an amazing man with many
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accomplishments to his name. It is rumoured that he spoke nearly 30 languages, he translated The Arabian Nights and the Kama Sutra into english and he was the first westerner to make the trip to Mecca.The book deals with three episodes in Burton's life. We encounter him on his first posting to India, where he establishes a household and learns the native tongues. He undertakes spying missions for the British military and ultimately comes under suspicion for becoming too native. The second episode covers his trip to Mecca in disguise as Sheikh Abdullah. Lastly, we follow him on his trip to Lake Victoria in Africa, as he and fellow traveller, Speke, seek to find the source of the Nile.
I was initially hesitant about reading a book translated from it's original language. I often feel that something is lost in the traslation, that some elegant distinguishing turn of phrase is lost forever in the change from one tongue to another. It is clear when reading this book that it was not written in English, but it does not detract from the story in the slightest. Reading in different sentence structures to what you are accustomed sometimes forces you to read every world carefully. Somehow the language used in the book reflects the different and strange Eastern world that Burton inhabited.
The narrative techniques used to describe Burton's adventures are creative and interesting. We obeserve him second-hand from people who dealt with him and even from a third-hand viewpoint. The three sections have different tempos and each set of third-hand obeservers provides their own form of humourous relief.
I feel that Troyanov captured something of the essence of Burton. We are left with a portrait of a highly intelligent, adaptable man who yearned for some spirituality. He appeared to find some comfort in the Muslim faith, but as a westerner, could never declare it and I think that Troyanov communicates this dichotomy excellently.
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LibraryThing member finebalance
The challenge of producing fictional biography, as Iliya Troyanov does in this imagined life of Victorian explorer Richard Burton, is how you make your version of an imagined historical figure authentic and valid to the reader. Who in truth can see through Burton's eyes and stand in his shoes?
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Troyanov turns this issue on its head in imagining Burton's life at three separate points - early in his career in India, when he undertakes the hajj to Mecca and searching for the source of the Nile alongside fellow explorer John Hanning Speke. At every stage of this intricately constructed novel, the author builds a picture of Burton seen through others eyes. In India a former servant Naukaram is telling his story to the letter writer, who in turn starts to build his own imaginings around the tale he hears from the servant. After Mecca, Burton's actions and motivations are explored not only through Burton's narrative but through the men who travelled with him and the authorities who were trying to understand how he had slipped into Mecca, and what his purpose might have been. In the final section, we see him reflected through another historical figure Sidi Mubarak Bombay. This kaleidescope of perspectives builds a picture where, like the priest who frames the tale, we never quite grasp the man. For me, this felt appropriate rather than frustrating. I enjoyed the first two sections particularly, though the African element lost its way for me, rather like Burton and Speke's expedition, which left the two men disputing whether the source of the Nile had been found. Although read in translation, the deftness and beauty of the writing came through. This book shows promise and I will be looking out for more of Troyanov's work. Show Less
LibraryThing member wendyrey
A novelisation of the life of the British explorer, rebel, polymath and eccentric, Richard F Burton. It has a very complex structure, basically in three sections detailing Burton's early experiences in India, his Hajj (or pretend Hajj) and some of his journeys to the great lakes of Africa. Each
Burton's life is fascinating , more extraordinary than most novels and I am not sure this book does him justice, although well written the degree of complexity is overwhelming (and I have read a lot of meta fiction).
A decent book that would perhaps have been improved by a simpler structure.
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section is at least one story within a story and there it is told with many voices,so many voices that it is a challenge to keep track of who what and when. It was so complex in structure I found it difficult to engage with, no sooner had I got to grips with it the viewpoint and style of writing changed. The first and second sections were, I thought, much better than the third which was a bit of an anticlimax. Burton's life is fascinating , more extraordinary than most novels and I am not sure this book does him justice, although well written the degree of complexity is overwhelming (and I have read a lot of meta fiction).
A decent book that would perhaps have been improved by a simpler structure.
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LibraryThing member literarytiger
I received this book as an early reviewer with high hopes. It didn't take long however before I was completely bogged down and I only finished the book through sheer willpower. The story itself should have been a fascinating one. The author followed Sir Richard Burton through three of his
Unfortunately, the fact that this stylistic choice resulted in a book which was disjointed and lacking any flow was the least of the problems. Its greatest problem was the sheer excess of extraneous words. At more than 450 pages long, this book could have done with some serious editing. The large numbers of dense paragraphs containing seemingly irrelevant information undermined my will to live at times. I found myself skim reading just to get through and get on with another bit of actual story, sometimes flicking over several pages while I did so. Perhaps I was missing the point, but my goal in reading this was to learn more about Sir Richard Burton, not to marvel at how clever the author was.
I understand this was a translation, but in my opinion that isn't an excuse. It could have been a fascinating literary journey if it had had some coherence, if the author had spent more time selecting his words rather than simply writing to display his erudition (which, rather than impressing me simply emphasised how dull the writing was) and if the editor had been more dilligent.
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explorations, with each of the three sections being partially narrated by a different, minor character using three different styles. The first section of the book covered his time in India, partially narrated by his ex-servant. The second followed his journey to Mecca, and was narrated by several Turkish officials who were examining his motives for the journey after the fact. And the third described Burton's search for the source of the Nile, narrated by one of his guides.Unfortunately, the fact that this stylistic choice resulted in a book which was disjointed and lacking any flow was the least of the problems. Its greatest problem was the sheer excess of extraneous words. At more than 450 pages long, this book could have done with some serious editing. The large numbers of dense paragraphs containing seemingly irrelevant information undermined my will to live at times. I found myself skim reading just to get through and get on with another bit of actual story, sometimes flicking over several pages while I did so. Perhaps I was missing the point, but my goal in reading this was to learn more about Sir Richard Burton, not to marvel at how clever the author was.
I understand this was a translation, but in my opinion that isn't an excuse. It could have been a fascinating literary journey if it had had some coherence, if the author had spent more time selecting his words rather than simply writing to display his erudition (which, rather than impressing me simply emphasised how dull the writing was) and if the editor had been more dilligent.
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LibraryThing member Stromata
This work of biographical fiction about the extraordinary Richard Burton begins after his sending-down from Oxford and as he embarks on his career in the army of the East India Company. The story is told partly by Burton himself and partly by those with whom he has some sort of relationship with on
Iliya Troyanov paints a vivid picture of Burton, and those he encounters, in this book. A marvellous read that has not only sent me looking for more information on Burton, someone in whom I was not previously particularly interested , but has also left me waiting in great anticipation for more works by this exciting author. A highly recommended book.
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his travels - and what a story it is too. Burton is the man who was fluent in twenty-five languages, and spoke many of them well enough to be able to 'go native' , even to the holiest of Muslim shrines. However, this is only a small interlude in this truly fascinating mans life.Iliya Troyanov paints a vivid picture of Burton, and those he encounters, in this book. A marvellous read that has not only sent me looking for more information on Burton, someone in whom I was not previously particularly interested , but has also left me waiting in great anticipation for more works by this exciting author. A highly recommended book.
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LibraryThing member MichaelFerris
Traveling to Mecca still is difficult for a non-believer in the Islamic religion. But, in the past, the city was only known to hold a great deal of secrets. This book kept the suspense up to the very end.
LibraryThing member indi
Fascinating novel based on Sir Richard Burton that amazing 19th century explorer, adventurer, diplomat, writer translator HAven't finished the book yet I hope it won't let me down. The author is Bulgarian,Iliya Troyanov.
LibraryThing member Gary10
Fascinating fictional account of an actual historical figure--Sir Richard Francis Burton. Burton was a captain in the British Army who travelled extensively in India, the MiddleEast and Africa in the mid-1800s. Burton had one feature that was ridiculously simple and yet incredibly rare: he was
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actually interested in the cultures and beliefs of the people he lived and traveled among. Before reading this book I hadnt appreciated how critical this skill really was. It meant that he actually often had great intelligence about the cultures he was living amidst. This resonates so much in today's world where the United States is embroiled in cultures around the world and its ambassadors are most often soldiers with little or no training in the habits of the people they are being sent out to "liberate." The irony of course is that Burton was widely regarded as "unreliable" and just plain strange. His ability to master languages--something like 22 in all--and the fact that he took extensive notes on the cultures he visited made him highly suspect in the British military and basically curtailed his chances for promotion. The other big eye opener for me in the book was how big the world still was barely more than a century ago. It was still the case that no European had explored many parts of the world. And again, Burton was the man for the job. Because he spoke relevant languages and studied cultures, he got information that was blocked to most of his contemporaries. Show Less
LibraryThing member Opinionated
And what a great book it is. Or rather 3 books. One covers Richard Burton's time in India, told through both his own voice and that of his servant. Another is the story of his secret Hajj, told through his own voice and the voice of the Turkish authorities investigation of the incident. And a third
All of these disonant voices, with very different experiences, world views and contexts, Troyanov gets absolutely right. The India book is perhaps most convincing - especially as Burton struggles to understand the culture, prides himself on having understandings his fellow British officers do not, but yet totally misinterprets his relationship with his Indian lover
A fabulous book, highly recommended
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is his trip to Lake Tanganyika, also through the voice of his guide. All of these disonant voices, with very different experiences, world views and contexts, Troyanov gets absolutely right. The India book is perhaps most convincing - especially as Burton struggles to understand the culture, prides himself on having understandings his fellow British officers do not, but yet totally misinterprets his relationship with his Indian lover
A fabulous book, highly recommended
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LibraryThing member kakadoo202
This book with 3 parts started colorful and amazing. I was spellbound. The second part was a very different style but the language kept me going. However, part 3 lost me. The story was going nowhere.
LibraryThing member gerrit-anne
This novel is based on the life of Sir Richard Burton, the famous explorer whose translation of the 'Arabian Nights' scandalized Victorian society. Troyanov imagines Burton through the eyes of an Indian servant, an Ottoman governor, and a former slave who acted as Burton's guide.
LibraryThing member moukayedr
Reading this book was hard work. Firstly the German writing style is difficult. Secondly there was no drama.
The story gave only a ghostly sketch of Sir Richard Burton, who somehow did not come to life.
No doubt that the man was a fascinating character, a linguist and a traveller who was the first
The book only gives glimpses of his personality through the re-telling of his travels from three different viewpoints: The narrator of the first part is Burton's servant in India, the second part is narrated by officials in the Ottoman empire investigating his trip to the Islamic holy cities and the third part is narrated by the African guide who accompanied Burton and Speke on their trip in East Africa to find the source of the Nile.
The effect of this narration is to give the central character a back-seat, so we only get to see him through the eyes of others. This worked partially well in the first part where the servant was reasonably close to Burton, but in the two other parts it gave only a distant picture of the man and his adventure. The descriptions are long and there are pages upon pages of non-events. The book raised more questions about Richard Burton than it answered and I think I will have to meet him again in another biography.
The story gave only a ghostly sketch of Sir Richard Burton, who somehow did not come to life.
No doubt that the man was a fascinating character, a linguist and a traveller who was the first
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westerner to go on pilgrimage to Mecca. A man who translated the Kamasutra and spoke so many languages, and lived so many different lives. The book only gives glimpses of his personality through the re-telling of his travels from three different viewpoints: The narrator of the first part is Burton's servant in India, the second part is narrated by officials in the Ottoman empire investigating his trip to the Islamic holy cities and the third part is narrated by the African guide who accompanied Burton and Speke on their trip in East Africa to find the source of the Nile.
The effect of this narration is to give the central character a back-seat, so we only get to see him through the eyes of others. This worked partially well in the first part where the servant was reasonably close to Burton, but in the two other parts it gave only a distant picture of the man and his adventure. The descriptions are long and there are pages upon pages of non-events. The book raised more questions about Richard Burton than it answered and I think I will have to meet him again in another biography.
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Awards
Dublin Literary Award (Longlist — 2010)
100 German must-reads by Deutsche Welle (2006 — 2006)
Pages
464
ISBN
0061351938 / 9780061351938