Letting some hot air out of Robert Ruark

Russ16 said:

That’s exactly what it is and exactly why it is great.

His writing isn’t about how to hunt or the ballistics or technicalities.

It is a view of a magical place though the eyes of a newbie falling in love with it. It’s about the land, the people and his experiences. The life lessons he learns by being there.

No matter how much any of us prepare and hunt we will almost always be closer to Ruark than Selous. That’s the beauty of Ruark’s writing

Click to expand...

steve white said:

Well, this will likely sling a skunk into the room, and not saying that Ruark did not exhibit a masterful use of the English language, but what I am suggesting is that he had not earned the right to the use of such language in Horn of the Hunter!
Just keepin' it real, as they say:
Ruark admits that he had never so much as fired a rifle, especially HIS rifles prior to the safari. Abomination!
He has zero grasp of the basics of marksmanship when firing upon his first animals, striking one antelope in the foot! Disrespectful of game.
His choice of a 220 swift is not explained, but he abandons it after seeing dismal results in blowing a ham off a warthog.
He gets talked into immediately going after a lion and "places the shot right behind the ear" a low odds horrible first shot choice, especially given the sloping skull, topped by hair.
He turns down a free leopard! (Should he have been properly prepared to hunt, this alone would constitute a reason to commit him to asylum)
He talks about how incompetent hunters place the PH at risk, while himself embodying said incompetent hunters.
He idol worships his PH as ALL first timers do when they come back as instant experts.
He proceeds to give us all sage advice, written like a thriller, while he is still wet behind the ears, and repeating good advice he's heard/just learned.
He describes armchair bullshit like facing buffalo stampedes by shooting one, then standing on it while the others stream by, really? (does he know just how rare an actual oncoming stampede is--not just the jostling forward to see whats of danger? Or how hard it is to instantly "drop" a buff?)

Entertaining reading, written about others level of experience/expertise which he adopted, as any learner should, but not authoritative. Colorful description of a beautiful land and experience which doubtlessly helped the safari industry then and now by evoking wonder and appreciation.

Still, beginner gushing, all dressed up. Your comments?

Click to expand...

DLSJR said:

As to his Hero Worship of his first PH… It WAS Harry Selby, after all.

Click to expand...

BryceM said:

First, it was a different time. There’s a lot of modern judgement passed against people who are long gone and in no position to defend what they did and what they wrote.

Unfortunately it still isn’t so unusual to see relative hunting novices on safari. Most of them do their best and have a great experience.

The vast majority of all writers aren’t as interesting as their books. I once met one of my literary heroes and found out he was a pompous jerk.

I never met Rourke or Capstick, or Hemingway, but they knew how to write, and that kept the dream alive in me until I was in a position to go see for myself.

Do any of us have beautiful photos of gorgeous creatures we shot basically from the road with minimal effort? I much prefer “earning it” but I don’t pass up gifts and unusual opportunities either. Do we correct others when they wonder in amazement at the experience?

Click to expand...

steve white said:

Well, this will likely sling a skunk into the room, and not saying that Ruark did not exhibit a masterful use of the English language, but what I am suggesting is that he had not earned the right to the use of such language in Horn of the Hunter!
Just keepin' it real, as they say:
Ruark admits that he had never so much as fired a rifle, especially HIS rifles prior to the safari. Abomination!
He has zero grasp of the basics of marksmanship when firing upon his first animals, striking one antelope in the foot! Disrespectful of game.
His choice of a 220 swift is not explained, but he abandons it after seeing dismal results in blowing a ham off a warthog.
He gets talked into immediately going after a lion and "places the shot right behind the ear" a low odds horrible first shot choice, especially given the sloping skull, topped by hair.
He turns down a free leopard! (Should he have been properly prepared to hunt, this alone would constitute a reason to commit him to asylum)
He talks about how incompetent hunters place the PH at risk, while himself embodying said incompetent hunters.
He idol worships his PH as ALL first timers do when they come back as instant experts.
He proceeds to give us all sage advice, written like a thriller, while he is still wet behind the ears, and repeating good advice he's heard/just learned.
He describes armchair bullshit like facing buffalo stampedes by shooting one, then standing on it while the others stream by, really? (does he know just how rare an actual oncoming stampede is--not just the jostling forward to see whats of danger? Or how hard it is to instantly "drop" a buff?)

Entertaining reading, written about others level of experience/expertise which he adopted, as any learner should, but not authoritative. Colorful description of a beautiful land and experience which doubtlessly helped the safari industry then and now by evoking wonder and appreciation.

Still, beginner gushing, all dressed up. Your comments?

Click to expand...

Wooster said:

I, along with @WoodFire, arrived at a remote African hunting camp only to sit down to eat alongside an honest-to-goodness world famous author. He was held in very high esteem by WoodFire until the dinner was over. Then we concluded that he must have had a ghost writer.

Click to expand...