ISBN: Ostalo
Godina izdanja: 1999
Jezik: Engleski
Autor: Strani

67874) TRUE AT FIRST LIGHT , Ernest Hemingway , William Heinemann London 1999 ,

Radnja započinje u safari kampu u podnožju planine Kilimandžaro u Keniji, tokom decembra 1953. godine. Ernest Hemingvej (koji je ujedno i glavni lik i narator) prikazuje atmosferu rane zore, trenutke kada se lovci pripremaju za pokret. Sa njim su njegovi verni lokalni tragači i pomoćnici – ćudljivi Ngui, smireni Čaro i gluvi, ali izuzetno oštrovidni Mtuka. Kampom vlada napetost jer njihov dugogodišnji vođa i legendarni beli lovac, Pop (Filip Persival), mora privremeno da napusti kamp. Pop ostavlja Ernesta kao glavnog čoveka zaduženog za bezbednost cele grupe.
Pretnja od Mau-Mau ustanka

Situacija u Africi je politički nestabilna. U toku je Mau-Mau ustanak, u kojem se domorodačka plemena bore protiv britanskih kolonizatora. Do kampa stižu glasine da je grupa odbeglih zatvorenika i pobunjenika viđena u blizini i da postoji realna opasnost od napada. Ernest preuzima ulogu „vratara“ i zaštitnika kampa, naoružava svoje ljude i organizuje straže. Umesto da pobegne, on oseća duboku odgovornost prema lokalnom stanovništvu i želi da dokaže da može da upravlja situacijom u kriznim trenucima.

Dok se kamp sprema za odbranu, unutar same grupe postoji još jedan veliki izazov. Ernestova supruga, Meri, postala je potpuno opsednuta idejom da ulovi velikog lava sa crnom grivom pre Božića. Taj lav već neko vreme napada stoku lokalnih plemena i predstavlja opasnost. Ernest s jedne strane želi da pomogne svojoj ženi da ostvari taj cilj, ali je s druge strane stalno zabrinut zbog njene loše tehnike pucanja i nesigurnog oka, što lov na opasnu zver čini izuzetno rizičnim.

Kako Ernest sve dublje ulazi u svakodnevni život Afrike, on se udaljava od zapadnjačkih normi. Ulazi u prisan odnos sa mladom i lepom Afrikankom iz obližnjeg sela po imenu Deba. Ernest počinje da je naziva svojom „drugom ženom“ i biva uvučen u lokalne rituale, običaje i plemenski život. Na taj način, on se nalazi rastrgnut između dva sveta: odanosti svojoj zakonitoj supruzi Meri u kampu i iskonske privlačnosti afričkog načina života koji predstavlja Deba.

Paralelno sa lovom na lava i stražarenjem zbog pobunjenika, roman je ispunjen Ernestovim unutrašnjim monolozima. Dok sedi pored logorske vatre, on se priseća svojih dana u Parizu i učešća u Španskom građanskom ratu, razmišlja o prirodi pisanja i umetnosti, te satirično kritikuje ulogu organizovane hrišćanske religije i misija u Africi. On pokušava da definiše granicu između istine i fikcije (otuda i naslov knjige – da je sve najjasnije i najistinitije u rano svitanje).
Knjiga se završava bez klasičnog holivudskog raspleta, ostavljajući čitaocu bogatu, atmosferičnu i emotivnu sliku afričkog pejzaža, divljine, složenosti bračnog života i Hemingvejove večne potrage za opasnošću i slobodom.


„We waited by the hunting car for it to be light enough to start and we were all solemn and deadly. Ngui nearly always had an evil temper in the very early morning so he was solemn, deadly and sullen. Charo was solemn, deadly but faintly cheerful. He was like a man going to a funeral who did not really feel too deeply about the deceased. Mthuka was happy as always in his deafness watching with his wonderful eyes for the start of the lightening of the darkness.

We were all hunters and it was the start of that wonderful thing, the hunt.

Written when Hemingway returned from his 1953 safari, but only recently edited by his son Patrick, True at First Light is a rich blend of autobiography and fiction, a breathtaking final work from one of this century`s most beloved and important writers.

The book opens on the day Hemingway`s close friend, Pop, a legendary hunter, leaves him in charge of the camp. Meanwhile, tensions are heightening among the various tribes and news arrives of a potential attack. Hemingway must take on his new role of leader and, of equal importance, assist his wife Mary to pursue the great lion she is determined to kill before Christmas.

Hemingway chronicles his exploits among the African men with whom he has become very close; aids his wife achieve her goal of killing her lion, whilst worrying about her wayward aim; is drawn further into the village life and customs of Debba, a beautiful young African woman whom he dubs his `second wife`; reminisces about writing and his days in Paris and Spain; and satirises, among other things, the role of organised religion in Africa. Torn between the rituals of his camp and life in Debba`s village, Hemingway reveals the many facets of rural Africa and explores the complexities of married life.

Passionately detailing the African landscape, the thrill of the hunt, and the heartfelt relationships with his African neighbours, Hemingway, a master of dramatic fiction, weaves a tale that is rich in laughter, beauty and insight.

Published here for the first time, True at First Light is an extraordinary and powerful addition to the perpetually popular work of one of the twentieth-century`s greatest writers.
Roman nije preveden na srpski jezik. Postoji hrvatski prevod.
engleski jezik , tvrd povez, format 16 x 24 cm , zaštitni omot, 320 strana