Visiting Rwanda
 Cover of The Lilliput Press first edition (1998) | |
| Author | Dervla Murphy |
|---|---|
| Publisher | The Lilliput Press |
Publication date | 1998 |
| Pages | 246 (first edition) |
| ISBN | 1901866114 |
| Preceded by | South from the Limpopo |
| Followed by | One Foot in Laos |
Visiting Rwanda is a nonfiction book by Irish author Dervla Murphy, detailing her travels in Rwanda in the aftermath of the 1994 Rwandan genocide.[1][2][3] It was first published in 1998.[4]
Summary
[edit]In 1997, Murphy travelled to Rwanda to trek through the mountains there. However, the country was still reeling from the 1994 genocide, and Murphy conceded that conditions would not allow a trek. Instead, she talked to the Rwandans, professionals and peasants, Hutu and Tutsis alike, about the country's future. The result is part travel narrative, part genocide study.[5]
Murphy's usual publisher Jock Murray refused the book – "We didn't want another genocidal war" – so it was instead issued by The Lilliput Press who had earlier published a pamphlet of Murphy's on Northern Ireland.[6][5]
Critical reception
[edit]In his review for The Spectator, William Spindler criticised Murphy's examination of Rwanda's history, noting that "[h]er compassion for the victims of the genocide leads her to side with those who claim to govern on their behalf, accepting uncritically some of their most questionable assertions."[7] In a review for Third World Quarterly, Elaine Windrich found Murphy to be "particularly astute on the role of the churches in the genocide", which she attributed to the author's Irish roots.[8] In a review for African Business, Steven Williams found that Murphy "pulls no punches" in the book, including making a controversial argument in favour of the death penalty as a means for restoring order in Rwanda.[2] The Irish Times' Mary Russell noted that despite Murphy's "political vehemence", "the traveller within constantly escapes" and the book thus still holds appeal for fans of travel literature.[9]
References
[edit]- ^ Gavron, Jeremy (11 December 1998). "Journey among the ghosts". The Times Literary Supplement. No. 4993. p. 30.
- ^ a b Williams, Steven (March 1999). "Visiting Rwanda". African Business. No. 241. p. 57. ISSN 0141-3929. ProQuest 220450592. Retrieved 14 October 2022 – via ProQuest.
- ^ Hanna, Jack (1999). "Kill Thy Neighbour". Books Ireland. 219 (219): 21–22. doi:10.2307/20623810. JSTOR 20623810.
- ^ "Visiting Rwanda". British Library. Retrieved 13 October 2022.
- ^ a b "Visiting Rwanda by Dervla Murphy". The Lilliput Press. Retrieved 13 October 2022.
- ^ Stewart, Bruce. "Dervla Murphy". Ricorso. Retrieved 13 October 2022.
- ^ Spindler, William (13 March 1999). "Heart of darkness". The Spectator. Vol. 282, no. 8901. pp. 38–39. ProQuest 201292873. Retrieved 14 October 2022 – via ProQuest.
- ^ Windrich, Elaine (August 1999). "Revisiting Genocide in Rwanda". Third World Quarterly. 20 (4): 855–860. doi:10.1080/01436599913596. ISSN 0143-6597. JSTOR 3993592.
- ^ Russell, Mary (6 October 1998). "Down among the dead". The Irish Times. p. 14. ProQuest 310465385 – via ProQuest.
External links
[edit]- Visiting Rwanda on Open Library at the Internet Archive
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