As you may have guessed from the title, Out of Isak Dinesen in Africa is a biography of Isak Dinesen/Karen Blixen, best known for her book Out of Africa. I picked up this biography by Linda Donelson because it was recommended to me by a friend of a friend on GoodReads. She suggested that if I wanted to read Out of Africa, I might also like to learn some of Dinesen's back-story as well, in order to further understand her writing.

In reading Linda Donelson's carefully researched and well-written account of Karen Blixen's life, I believe I've gained some insight into the life of a fascinating woman. In Out of Isak Dinesen in Africa, Donelson skillfully presents a rich picture of the many facets of Blixen's life on her coffee farm. The biographer carefully balances out the facts with a unique understanding of Blixen's literary works. Donelson attempts to shed new light on Blixen's frame of mind, using her short stories and the symbolism they contain. The biography is both engrossing and also sympathetic to Blixen, asserting that she is largely a victim of her own dramatic and romantic ideals. She felt the failure of her farm and marriage intensely, and suffered crippling depression as a result.

Donelson's writing manages to transport the reader to another time and place, while peeling away the layers of myth surrounding Karen Blixen, and getting down to the truth. She portrays Blixen as a complex woman - adventurous and interesting, but also fearful of what the future might bring.

Linda Donelson provides the reader with new insights into the life of a colorful literary figure in this smooth, lyrical biography. Out of Isak Dinesen in Africa is both informative and interesting, and I would recommend this highly readable biography to anyone interested in the life of Isak Dinesen/Karen Blixen. ( )