Während dem Zweiten Weltkrieg entschliessen sich in Namibia die zwei Geologen Henno Martin und Hermann Korn dafür, der Internierung zu entgehen, indem sie in die Wüste fliehen. Mit einem voll geladenen Auto fahren sie mit ihrem Hund Otto an einen abgelegenen Ort und verstecken sich in der Namib.
Das Buch schildert detailreich den Überlebenskampf der beiden Männer. Klar, dass dabei die Nahrungs- und Wasserbeschaffung eine tragende Rolle spielen. Aber auch die Angst davor, dass man sie entdeckt, ist allgegenwärtig. Das Jagen von Wildtieren sowie die Zubereitung der Nahrung werden bis ins kleinste Detail geschildert. Die beiden Männer finden jedoch auch genügend Zeit für philosophische Betrachtungen, so zum Beispiel über die Frage des Entstehens von Leben und welche Faktoren zur optimalen Anpassung der Tiere dieser unwirtlichen Gegend geführt haben könnten. Diese Gedanken und Gespräche machen deshalb auch einen grossen Teil der Geschichte aus.
Dieses Buch basiert auf Tatsachen und ist deshalb noch eindrücklicher. So bekommt man quasi aus erster Hand Schilderungen über das Leben in der Wüste. Allerdings sind die philosophischen Ausflüge teils etwas langatmig, für mich war aber auch dieser Aspekt interessant zu lesen. ( )

The Sheltering Desert (1957) is a fantastic African travel/adventure book, I loved every aspect of it. Two German scientists escape into the Namib Desert to avoid incarceration by the British at the start of World War II. They survive like Robinson Crusoe for 2.5 years in a landscape of harsh beauty and danger. Everything they need they learn how to make from scratch. Like Bushmen they revert to a primitive but naturally ideal state as each day is a struggle for water, food, shelter and safety from other predators. At night, from the safety of a cave eating the days kill, they philosophize on big questions such as the merits of civilization versus hunter gatherers, the nature of evolution, all the while listening to the progress of WWII on a radio. They become highly attuned to the thoughts, emotions and habits of animals around them. For the reader armed with a map of Namibia, it's a total immersion into a place where some of the oldest humans have existed, the next best thing to going there in person, or returning in spirit. For some reason the book is well known in Namibia, most modern travel guide books mention it, but it's completely unknown outside that context. I would put it nearly on-par with contemporary classics like Kon-Tiki and Seven Years in Tibet as a work of outdoor literature, for its mix of adventure, danger, natural description and exotic locale.

The 1958 English translation appears to be in the public domain, there is no copyright renewal registration for it. Internet Archive has a copy of The Sheltering Desert online free in various formats. A German publisher has it in print, and there are some (rather exspensive) used copies on the market. There was also a film version made in 1992, but does not appear to have made it to VHS/DVD (if you have a copy, pls contact me!)

--Review by Stephen Balbach, via CoolReading (c) 2010 cc-by-nd ( )

Namibia

Princeton geologist Adam Maloof has chosen to discuss The Sheltering Desert by Henno Martin on FiveBooks as one of the top five on his subject - Earth History.



“…Henno Martin is a Geologist who before World War Two was famous for finding and supplying water to farms in Namibia.During the war he spent a two year exile in the Namibia desert with his partner Hermann. What kept them sane during those two years of survival in the desert was mapping it. And this is a book about his experiences in the desert. For me the book demonstrates their deep respect and understanding of nature. …”



The full interview is available here: http://fivebooks.com/interviews/adam-maloof-on-earth-history ( )