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Out of Africa

By Karen Blixen
Series: Penguin Essentials
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3.91 goodreads logo

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Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
In Out of Africa, Karen Blixen recounts her years living on a coffee plantation in Kenya during the early 20th century. The memoir paints a vivid picture of her experiences with the land's stunning beauty, its diverse wildlife, and the multicultural community she encounters. Blixen's reflections are deeply personal, capturing the complexities and emotional connections she formed in a world far from her Danish origins.
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This book may appeal to you if you enjoy vivid storytelling and immersive descriptions of life in colonial Africa, as it captures the beauty and challenges of running a coffee plantation in Kenya. With its blend of nostalgia and personal reflection, it offers a deeply moving and insightful glimpse into the author's experiences and observations in a unique time and place.

Book Hero thinking about your next read

From the moment the author arrived in Kenya in 1914 to manage a coffee plantation, her heart belonged to Africa. Drawn to the intense colours and ravishing landscapes, she spent her happiest years on the farm. In this title, her experiences and friendships with the people around her are vividly recalled.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

The lyrical and luminous memoir of Kenya that launched a million tourist trails

'I had a farm in Africa, at the foot of the Ngong Hills . . . Up in this high air you breathed easily . . . you woke up in the morning and thought—Here I am, where I ought to be.'

From the moment Karen Blixen arrived in Kenya in 1914 to manage a coffee plantation, her heart belonged to Africa. Drawn to the intense colours and ravishing landscapes, Blixen spent her happiest years on the farm, and her experiences and friendships with the people around her are vividly recalled in these memoirs.

Out of Africa is the story of a remarkable and unconventional woman, and of a way of life that has vanished forever.

Series: Penguin Essentials

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Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Out of Africa is celebrated for its lyrical prose and vivid depiction of life in East Africa, offering a heartfelt tribute to a land and culture. Critics praise it for its poetic narrative and powerful storytelling, capturing the beauty and complexity of Kenya with both passion and nostalgia.

Book Hero reading reviews

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780241951439

Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 07 April 2011

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Penguin Books Ltd

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 20.0mm

Width: 112.0mm

Height: 180.0mm

Weight: 188g

Pages: 336

Collections

Best Sellers at Book Hero Biography & Memoir Black Friday Sale Black Friday Sale: Biographies & Memoirs Black Friday Sale: Books Classic Fiction Classic General Fiction General Fiction In Stock Books Karen Blixen Literary Fiction New Release Fiction Non-Fiction Penguin Books Series: Penguin Essentials

About the Author

Karen Blixen was born in Rungsted, Denmark, in 1885. After studying art at Copenhagen, Paris and Rome, she married her cousin, Baron Bror Blixen-Finecke, in 1914. Together they managed a coffee plantation in Kenya until they divorced in 1925. She continued on the farm until a collapse in the coffee market forced her back to Rungsted in 1931. Although she had written occasional contributions to Danish periodicals since 1905 (under the nom de plume of Osceola), her real debut took place in 1934 with the publication of Seven Gothic Tales, written in English under the pen name, Isak Dinesen. Out of Africa (1937) is an autobiographical account of the years she spent in Kenya. All of her subsequent books were published in both English and Danish, including Winter's Tales (1942) and The Angelic Avengers (1936). Among her other collections of stories are Last Tales (1957), Anecdotes of Destiny (1958), Shadows on the Grass (1960) and posthumously Ehrengard (1963). In the 1950s she was mentioned several times as a candidate to receive the Noble Prize in Literature. Baroness Blixen died in Rungsted in 1962. In 1991 her house was opened as The Karen Blixen Museum.

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