Peter Fleming (1)Recensioni

"Brazilian Adventure" by Peter Fleming is a riveting and humorous account of an expedition into the heart of the Brazilian jungle. Written with wit and a keen sense of adventure, Fleming chronicles his journey with a group of British explorers in search of Colonel Percy Fawcett, who disappeared while seeking the lost city of Z.

Fleming's writing is engaging and filled with dry British humor, making the narrative both entertaining and insightful. He skillfully blends vivid descriptions of the Amazon's treacherous terrain and exotic wildlife with amusing anecdotes about the eccentric characters and unpredictable events encountered along the way. The book captures the spirit of adventure and the challenges of exploration with a lighthearted yet respectful tone.

The strength of "Brazilian Adventure" lies in Fleming's ability to convey the excitement and unpredictability of the expedition. His observations are sharp, and his reflections on the nature of adventure and human folly add depth to the tale. Despite the serious nature of the quest, Fleming's humor and self-deprecating style make the journey enjoyable for readers.

The first full account of the British Invasion of Tibet in 1904

"News From Tartary" is a remarkable travelogue that chronicles the extraordinary journey of author Peter Fleming, the older brother of James Bond" author Ian Fleming, through the remote and enigmatic regions of Central Asia. His captivating narrative takes readers on an epic adventure along the ancient Silk Road, offering a rare glimpse into the landscapes, cultures, and people that inhabit this historically significant part of the world.

Fleming's writing is infused with a sense of adventure and curiosity, drawing readers into his quest to explore the unknown. From the moment he embarks on his daring expedition, the book brims with excitement, anticipation, and the allure of the uncharted. His descriptive prose captures the rugged beauty of the Central Asian landscapes, transporting readers across vast deserts, towering mountain ranges, and bustling bazaars, evoking a sense of both wonder and wanderlust.

One of the book's strengths lies in Fleming's ability to convey the essence of the places he visits and the people he encounters along the way. He skillfully weaves historical context, cultural observations, and personal anecdotes, creating a multidimensional narrative that immerses readers in the intricacies of Central Asian societies. From engaging with nomadic tribes to experiencing local customs and traditions, Fleming's encounters offer insights into the region's rich cultural tapestry, providing a valuable window into a world that is often shrouded in mystery.

"News From Tartary" also shines a light on the historical significance of the Silk Road and its impact on the region. Fleming's exploration of ancient cities and archaeological sites adds depth to the narrative, offering glimpses into the historical layers that have shaped Central Asia. Through his observations, readers gain a deeper appreciation for the cultural exchanges, trade routes, and geopolitical dynamics that once thrived along this renowned trade route.

While the book is a captivating account of Fleming's journey, it occasionally lacks a strong overarching structure. The narrative meanders at times, and some readers may find themselves longing for a more cohesive storyline or deeper exploration of certain themes. However, this loose structure also mirrors the unpredictable nature of travel itself, reinforcing the sense of spontaneity and discovery that permeates the book.

In conclusion, "News From Tartary" is an enthralling travelogue that embarks on a grand adventure through the heart of Central Asia. Fleming's vivid storytelling and evocative descriptions paint a vivid picture of a region steeped in history, culture, and untamed beauty. This book is recommended for travel enthusiasts, history aficionados, and those seeking an immersive literary journey along the fabled Silk Road. It serves as a testament to the enduring allure of exploration, the resilience of the human spirit, and the transformative power of experiencing the unknown.

A wonderfully observant, compassionate, humorous account of a 3500 mile, 7 month journey across central Asia in 1935 undertaken with little preparedness or expertise. It's one of the best works of travel writing I have read. THe original cloth bound version with all of the photos and maps is recommended.

Peter Fleming was in many ways Ian Fleming (James Bond)'s more accomplished brother. Peter was the older brother, and a writer who enjoyed some success with travel writing. These are essays written by Peter for the Spectator Magazine, relating to Great Britain's retreat from the status as the greatest imperial power. They are, as the writer intended, gentle and amusing while being quite informative about that retreat. As well as being a travel writer, Peter served as a WWII expert on urban guerrilla warfare , and ended the war in a bureau dedicated to deceiving Axis military Intelligence.½

> COURRIER DE TARTARIE, par Peter Fleming. — C’est en 1935 que deux voyageurs (Ella Maillart et Peter Fleming) décident de tenter une traversée risquée dans des territoires peu connus : de Pékin, en Chine, au Cachemire, en Inde, à travers les déserts de l’Asie centrale. L’essentiel du récit se situe en Tartarie, qui désigne principalement le Turkestan chinois, ou Sinkiang (ou Xinjian). Principaux lieux traversés (en sept mois et six jours, 5600 kilomètres) : le Koko Nor (le lac du Démon), Cherchen, Khotan, les abords du Takla Makan, Yarkand, Kashgar, où « dormir dans un lit était devenu une coutume excentrique et distrayante », Gilgit, le Karakoram. Pour l’éditeur, Peter Fleming aurait « inventé le récit d’aventures distancié, où la stricte information et l’humour composent un cocktail parmi les plus toniques. » Et c’est vrai que l’on ne s’ennuie pas une seconde à la lecture de ce récit. Un voyage qui, sans passeports et dans des régions que la guerre civile dévastait, aurait pu ne pas avoir lieu. « Aucun de nous n’estimait nos chances d’aboutir à une sur vingt. » Et c’est pourquoi, tout au long du périple, nos deux voyageurs seront toujours entre deux chaises : les retards, ou autres tracasseries administratives, « une végétation susceptible de prospérer avec rapidité sur le sol de l’Asie », les « chances d’échec », n’empêchent pas « l’allégresse débordante », et le « hasard heureux » la « probabilité d’un succès ». La philosophie de base : « Arrivons d’abord et voyons ensuite ». La croyance qui forge tout : « J’ai la conviction superstitieuse que toute tentative invraisemblable, à condition d’être entreprise avec un minimum de sens commun et sur une échelle modeste, possède une sorte de droit divin à un hasard heureux répété à une cadence régulière. »
La caravane avance, « longue et circonspecte, avalant la distance comme une chenille mange une feuille. » Les étapes s’enchaînent. Courtes ou infiniment longues. Calmes ou tempétueuses. « La nuit tombait. Au dehors, le pays de fer se glaçait en silence sous la lune (…) Un loup hurlait. Une étoile tombait du ciel immense. Le campement dormait. » Manger, boire, dormir, et avancer. Telles étaient les leitmotiv, pour les hommes comme pour les bêtes. Il suffit de mettre un pied devant l’autre, dans un monde qui « à l’exception de la terre et de la mer, n’offre aucun contraste plus frappant que le désert et l’oasis. » Considéré à juste titre comme un classique, Courrier de Tartarie est, selon l’auteur, « une randonnée couronnée d’un succès immérité ». Tant mieux, ça nous fait de la lecture, et de la grande. Il ne reste plus qu’à lire également Oasis interdites, d’Ella MAILLART (Kini, dans le récit de Fleming), autre version du même voyage.
—Lionel Bedin, Moncelon.com

Interesting read. For the people of Xinjiang, it is quiet the what if: if the USSR made the region into an SSR in the 1930s, it might have ultimately become a free nation today. Sobering news for those reading the reports out of Kashgar these days. Fleming writes with a good sense of humor, although not much happens in their journey (bureaucracy was the greatest threat to their success). Worth a read if you are interested in Central Asia or China during the Civil War.½

Good as this book is, it could have been better. Invasion 1940 is a comprehensive overview of Germany's wartime plans to invade Britain. Fleming examines the German strategy, the British home front, the attitudes (and errors) of statesmen, as well as providing a broader historical account of Britain's preparations for invasion in previous conflicts. Fleming draws on a wide range of sources, both English and German, and has the great benefit of immediacy (the events took place only sixteen years before the book was written). Unfortunately, while Fleming's prose can often be witty and elegant, much of the book is less than clearly written. Too many workmanlike sentences pile subclause upon subclause, resulting in a syntactical labyrinth that obscures the writer's meaning. It seems wrong to say this about a book published by the great Rupert Hart-Davis, but I feel that Invasion 1940 would have benefited from more editorial attention. One feels that some literary retooling could even have elevated it to the status of a military classic. Despite this caveat, this book is still recommended as an authoritative account of a little-known episode in the Second World War.

One of my favorite authors - I think it was Neal Stephenson - recommended this book. And it was fantastic. The adventure is not much of an adventure, but Peter Fleming is very aware of that and handles it perfectly: with a lot of humour and quite a bit of self-deprecation.

If you come across this book, pick it up and read it. You'll be delighted.

While I am a massive admirer of PF's Travel, History and Journalism, this novel demonstrates Fiction is not his metier. Too many characters with silly names and titles made it difficult to read and ultimately I gave up. Very sad because he is a beautiful writer. Obviously the story-telling gene passed to his younger brother -- who was not such a beautiful writer!

Well written and enjoyabe account. Peter Fleming has a real knack for presentation of people and events. He injects some dark humor that does not detract from the effectiveness of the book. The story of the Boxer uprising is interesting and is important for understanding 20th century China.

David Shaw-Parker is a masterful narrator. This is an intriguing story and a fascinating time. I sometimes had a hard time following it. I should have had my atlas by my side.

"Kini's acute sense of smell I have mentioned as a handicap in travel; but here it stood us in good stead. She went out to have a look at the surviving camels and caught a whiff of rotting flesh; it came from the Prime Minister's camel, originally christened The Pearl of the Tsaidam and now known as The Pearl for short. Kini brought him into camp and we took his packsaddle off; on the spine between the humps an ancient sore under the skin had reopened and was festering fast. We pegged his head down and with little help from the Turkis, who were hopeless with animals, Kini doctored it despite his bellows. It looked a terrible place, but she made such a good job of it that it healed completely within a few days."

Do not be led by the star rating. There is a reason for the three stars, but on no accounts do 3 stars mean that this book is not worth your time.

News from Tartary is a great book. Peter Fleming had a marvellous ability to write. This report of his travel from Beijing across China and into India via Kashmir is a fantastic account of what it was like for a European to set out on a trip that very few people had accomplished before and that few adventurers have managed to describe to a Western readership since the days of Marco Polo.

When Fleming set out on his trip in 1935, he soon had to abandon his plans of travelling alone. Because of the political upheaval in China at the time - Japanese invasion of Manchuria, the rise of the Communist army - roads were blocked and warrants issued for anyone who did not have the right papers, the right connections, or the right demeanor. It was at this point that Fleming joined forces with Ella ("Kini") Maillart, a Swiss traveller and writer, who had also planned to follow the Silk Road across China - by herself.

Neither of them wanted to join forces, but the alternative for both would have been to abandon the trip. Together, they could produce enough languages, life skills, money, and passports/visa to at least leave Beijing - and try and by-pass the official control posts. Maillart also wrote an account of this trip in her book Forbidden Journey , but unlike Fleming her outlook on the trip and the content of her observations are quite different.

When reading News from Tartary, I probably learned more about Fleming than about the people he meets and the countries he passes through. It is also good to remember that when Fleming set out on his trip, he worked as a political correspondent for The Times, and much of Fleming's interests in the book focus on the political and military situation in China. For example, Fleming goes into quite some detail about the political leaders he meets, and troop movements he observes. As it turns out, however, his enthusiasm for political analysis may not have made up for a lack of expertise or indeed a lack of understanding of Chinese culture and society.

And this is really the crux of my hesitation to rate this book any higher: Fleming tried hard to transcend the stifled English attitude and open up to experience this different world that he threw himself into, but he never really manages to fully do this. As a result, the book reads like a boy's own adventure story - which it is, of course - but which could have been so much more in that his preoccupation with the British perspective seems to have blinded him to the marvels and wonders of the people and landscape he took so much trouble to encounter.

An astonishing "Life Imitates Art" novel pre-dating Rudolph Hess' 1941 flight to Scotland.

Read during Summer 2005

Although it took a huge amount of time for me to read, this was actually a very enjoyable book. It is about the summer and early fall of 1940 when both Germany and Britain where bracing for an invasion. The details of what happened are fascinating, esp. as this was written not long after the war ended and has alot of recent memory to go on. There are facts and figures but it is hardly dry. Cartoons from Punch also liven it up but the writing style is very engaging.

Peter Fleming was the brother of Ian Fleming. Before the war he was the famous brother, as the author of two best-selling travel books -- News from Tartary and Brazilian Adventure. His subsequent service was as the director of Allied deception efforts aimed at the Japanese.

This is probably the best travel narrative ever written about China (although Owen Lattimore's 'The Desert Road to Turkestan' is a close second) and has influenced a great deal of subsequent writing about the region--not in content, but in style.

Fleming presents himself as a bumbling amateur traveller, a mild eccentric, and someone who has only the vaguest idea what's going on. Later writers, attracted no doubt by the fact that this book has stayed in print for 80 years, have taken this as justification to write narratives which revel in their own ignorance.

But Fleming's amateurishness is merely a pose, and the book is full of humorous detail on life in China at that time, backed by sound journalism and knowledge of the political situation. It's also full of perceptive observations on the people he meets and their behaviour, guaranteed to bring a smile to the face of the modern traveller when coming across their latter day counterparts, both Chinese and expatriate foreigner.

I only recently came across a mention of this author – in a book on trains by Ludovic Kennedy (A Book of Railway Journeys http://www.librarything.com/work/book/94274899) - and was immediately attracted by his “voice” (prose and writing style) in the extracts from his various journeys. This brother of the James Bond author claims that he was “the brother to which nothing ever happens”. Given his various careers in the Guards Regiment, his war experiences in helping to create the British equivalent of the Nazi “Werewolves’, his explorations in Brazil and his extensive travels as a Times (of London) journalist this cannot be taken as just a shy, modest, British understatement, It is a transparent lie! In fact so many adventures did Peter have in his life that there are statements that his brother’s Bond character was based partly on him.

This declaiming modesty – more than partly humorous – is laid out in the preface to this book, clearly stating Fleming’s acknowledgement of his limitations as a “China Watcher” for The Times:”The author of this book is twenty-six years old. He has spent, altogether, about seven months in China. He does not speak Chinese”. Despite this modest disclaimer it is a brilliant book, despite the rather acidic review I found in The Asian Review by Paul French.

I would like to be able to communicate how much I enjoyed this book, his human observations, wit and slightly ‘Bertie Wooster’ views and encourage you to read this wonderfully engaging author. He continues this self-mocking humour even in death. He travelled widely in far places; Wrote, and was widely read. Soldiered, saw some of danger's faces, Came home to Nettlebed. The squire lies here, his journeys ended –Dust, and a name on a stone –Content, amid the lands he tended, To keep this rendezvous alone.so reads Peter Flemings own authored epitaph on his tomb-stone in his home town, forever a “piece of England” he held dear.

And note that one is still alone, keeping own own’s company.

I enjoyed this a lot. Peter Fleming (Ian's brother) spends several months travelling through Central Asia in 1935, with Swiss journalist Ella Maillart. Their aim is to get news from a conflict-torn Chinese province that no one has heard from in two years. It's a kind of intrepid and dangerous travel that wouldn't be likely these days; they travel by train, lorry, camel, donkey, horse, and on foot; at each checkpoint they risk being arrested or shot as spies, or being turned back.

The political commentary was pretty impenetrable to me at this distance, and you do have to tolerate 30s British colonial attitudes to other countries and ethnic groups. However, most of it is about the day to day travel experience, and this is done very well.

He manages to capture the occasional tedium of travel (e.g. bureaucratic delays) and make it interesting to read about. He is interested in the people around him, both those they meet on the way and their various guides on the journey.

I enjoyed reading about his travel companion and at some stage I'll try reading her version of events [b:Forbidden Journey|680543|Forbidden Journey|Ella K. Maillart|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348993254s/680543.jpg|666936]

Peter Fleming, in some ways 'a person of interest' to us as the brother of the much better known Ian Fleming (of Bond 007 fame if it is necessary to make that point), was back in those days just 'one of the gang'. That gang was, in the 1930's a pretty exclusive club, the wealthiest, best educated and best connected sons and daughters of an Empire that was about to plunge over the precipice into World War II. And oddly enough, for an Empire with vast military resources, and a history of using them without compunction (particularly against much less well equipped foes), a lot of the work of maintaining and extending its borders was done by projecting 'soft' power - the influence of trade agreements, playing contending forces off against each other, and slipping a little (or a lot of) cash into a pocket here and there. Britain had been playing a role in Central Asia (think of all the countries with the names ending in '-stan) between the Caspian Sea and Western China since the 1800's, bumping up against the Russian Empire (and later the Soviet Empire) along a thousand mile front. Known as the 'Great Game', the prize was not so much the colonisation of any of that territory by one power or the other, but the denial of it to the other. It was true, however, that India (and access to the indian Ocean) lay as a glittering jewel that the Russians from time to time dreamed of picking up. And it is true that Britain struggling to hold India against a rising tide of Nationalism couldn't afford not to take the Russian threats seriously. In this context Britain had a problem in the mid 1930's. They had lost track of (and influence over..) what was happening in Western China. In the days before satellites, and monitoring of radio traffic, they responded in the great tradition of British espionage, by sending a reporter from the Times Newspaper to have a bit of a 'look-see'. This is not to suggest that Peter Fleming was a spy and the inspiration for his brother's literary creation, well not entirely (in either case), in any case. But Peter Fleming's subsequent career working with Military Intelligence (and Deception) does, however, suggest a certain talent in that direction.

Peter Fleming's description of this journey, accompanied somewhat improbably by a Swiss female journalist Ella Kini Maillart, doesn't 'spill the beans'. There's no secret pen-guns, and the closest thing to a car fitted with ejector seats is an old horse with a loose saddle. But he does hide his diaries and has an extraordinary confidence in bluffing his way out of tight corners, and seems to carry a lot of photographic gear. And his description of how he obtains a look at the photograph of the half brother of a local potentate (and thereby confirms the half-brother's enrolment in the Soviet Army) is pure Bond. No, the book maintains the cover story, just a journalist wandering into a vast 'forbidden area' without proper documents, for no particular reason - 'a bit of a lark', 'see what's there old bean', 'pick up a story or two..' British author (and 'not in the spy business either') John Le Carre caught the role perfectly in his novel The Honourable Schoolboy. Somewhere about two thirds through the book is Fleming's 'report' on the political situation in the region, presumably largely the same story that he filed with his newspaper. He wrote that Russia was winning the game in bringing a railway line close to the region, thereby gaining military and trade access. But he also notes that the local tribes weren't happy with either Russian - or Chinese - control. At the same time he observes the mountain passes into India were proof against invasion from the north. His assessment is probably as valid today as it was then, and putting it in print (or at least that version of the story) was perhaps the main purpose of the exercise; gee up a bit of public sentiment among the locals and the Chinese to resist the Russian expansion, calm the folks at home about the prospects of a successful Russian invasion of Afghanistan (!) and India, and let the Indian Nationalists understand that the Russians weren't coming to their aid any time soon. If Fleming had 'other business' in Central Asia he isn't saying. But you could observe that his description of the condition of the roads, the water supply, bridges and fords, and mountain passes is incredibly detailed and - supplemented by photographs - would make a pretty good guide for anyone planning to move an army (or to resist an army) through that country.

The writing style is perfect British understatement. He was an amateur adventurer, but I suspect that he might have chosen to appear more 'amateur' than he really was, or perhaps due to his honesty about his own abilities he comes across as less 'professional' than some who write about their successes and cover up their mistakes. The situations that he threw himself into, and got out of, would (I suspect) give the modern 'adventure writers' such as Newby and Theroux cause to run home to their mothers. After listening (in a metaphorical sense) to Newby complain that boats couldn't be purchased for his convenience at the 'drop of a hat' on the Ganges, or Theroux complain about being pestered by his fans while travelling I must say I have nothing but contempt for their efforts. Peter Fleming is not just an engaging, amusing and interesting writer who is travelling through a fascinating time and place, but he is above all, the 'real deal'. Highly recommended.½

As could probably be implied by the title this is a rather long and drawn out historical description of the German plans for Sea Lion as well as the British response. There are some interesting facts and stories but overall it's a bit dry.

Re-read this old edition from 1933 once again in Oct' 2012. It is a fascinating book, so easy to follow along. More often than not, hard travellers are not natural writers. Peter Fleming comes out top in both schools.

Wonderful, witty, sardonic, record of a journey across the Soviet Union and Manchuria to Peking in the early 1930s.

Very much a period piece in terms of the characters, but a vivid portrait, both of life in the Soviet Union before the descent in paranoia during Stalin's purges, and of the strange bizarre mix of emigres from who knows where that made up the European community in the Japanese puppet state of Manchuria.

The writer's style is wonderfully laconic and understated.

Truly enjoyable. Should better known.

intriguing, very 1930's travel book, that both gives insight into the politics and instability of the warlord period of Chinese history and the last stages of the great game as played out by Britain and the Soviet Union. Also gives a taste as travel as no lnger possible across wild and inhospitable places living on what supplies one could find, what animals one could shoot, and travelling by horse and camel in a way that would no longer be possible

For a brilliant review of Brazilian Adventure, see the July/August 2010 issue of the Columbia Journalism Review. "Second Read" is my favorite column in the CJR, and it led me to this wonderful book.