Rating: 
Summary: Swansong
Review: 'One man's impassioned song' is how the Sunday Telegraph describes this rare jewel of a book and a more apt description of it couldn't be found. It is truly one man's, one great artist's swansong to eternity and like all great works it has something to say to all of us.Billed as a 'travel book,' Bruce Chatwin's 'Songlines' is that in name only. Following in the steps of other literateurs who were also originally pigeonholed as mere travel writers ie. Conrad, Greene, etc...Chatwin magically transforms a place, the Australian outback, and a people, the 'aboriginals,' into the characters of a majestic cosmic play. In truth, Songlines is really an accessible and persuasive treatise on the nature of man, hiding under the guise of a travel book. Chatwin's thesis is simple: that human beings are migratory--'nomadic' is his catchy phrase--in their most natural (read here, best) state. To support this thesis, Chatwin follows the ancestral songlines of the Australian aboriginals who believe the world and all its creations were sung into existence by their semi-divine 'ancestors.' To reaffirm their identity, their place in this world and the 'world' itself, today's Aboriginals retrace the routes their ancestors walked across the continent, re-singing everything back into life. In mapping out this moving creation myth, Chatwin enlists the help of aboriginal 'expert,' Arkady, erudite son of Ukrainian exiles. With vibrant color, humor and sun-drenched clarity, Chatwin recounts their memorable encounters with the sometimes freakish, always original, denizens of the Australian outback. To support his claim of man as migratory animal, Chatwin interrupts these gem-like anecdotes with a vast array of historical and anthropological aphorisms, facts and commentary. While their placement sometimes appears rather arbitrary, these tidbits spice up the whole and provide a pleasant balance to the stories that surround them. Songlines is hard to put down as the effortless, pristine style carries the reader along on a voyage all its own. Nicholas Shakespeare wasn't far off the mark in crowning Chatwin as the 'greatest stylist writing in England today.' Even if you don't buy the idea the book is selling, the writing itself is enough to recommend it. Especially for writer wannabes. Every sentence is a cut and polished gem. Terse, tight and clean, all the fat has been cut off, leaving the choicest morsels. And what morsels! Not only does Chatwin say it exquisitely, he also has something to say. That's not just fine writing, that's art. And if the writing isn't enough, the seeds of thought that Songlines plants are tough stuff and unlikely to blow away all that easily. Chatwin makes a strong case that when humans decided to 'settle' down---to civilize themselves---they actually caused more evil than good. Settling down meant holding onto things and marking out borders of possession. And because our natural restlessness became inihibited, we learned to covet more things and wider boundaries. Not only that, but by settling down we lost something profoundly important to our physical and spiritual makeup: our connection with the earth itself and with its other inhabitants, who, unlike us, seem content to take only what they need and then move on. Songlines' greatest message is that life itself is a journey. Therefore, we should live it as one, constantly moving, constantly growing to the next level of existence, learning to let go of that which was never 'ours' to possess. Those who are looking for such a journey into the human condition won't regret picking up Songlines!
Rating:
Summary: Swansong
Review: 'One man's impassioned song' is how the Sunday Telegraph describes this rare jewel of a book and a more apt description of it couldn't be found. It is truly one man's, one great artist's swansong to eternity and like all great works it has something to say to all of us. Billed as a 'travel book,' Bruce Chatwin's 'Songlines' is that in name only. Following in the steps of other literateurs who were also originally pigeonholed as mere travel writers ie. Conrad, Greene, etc...Chatwin magically transforms a place, the Australian outback, and a people, the 'aboriginals,' into the characters of a majestic cosmic play. In truth, Songlines is really an accessible and persuasive treatise on the nature of man, hiding under the guise of a travel book. Chatwin's thesis is simple: that human beings are migratory--'nomadic' is his catchy phrase--in their most natural (read here, best) state. To support this thesis, Chatwin follows the ancestral songlines of the Australian aboriginals who believe the world and all its creations were sung into existence by their semi-divine 'ancestors.' To reaffirm their identity, their place in this world and the 'world' itself, today's Aboriginals retrace the routes their ancestors walked across the continent, re-singing everything back into life. In mapping out this moving creation myth, Chatwin enlists the help of aboriginal 'expert,' Arkady, erudite son of Ukrainian exiles. With vibrant color, humor and sun-drenched clarity, Chatwin recounts their memorable encounters with the sometimes freakish, always original, denizens of the Australian outback. To support his claim of man as migratory animal, Chatwin interrupts these gem-like anecdotes with a vast array of historical and anthropological aphorisms, facts and commentary. While their placement sometimes appears rather arbitrary, these tidbits spice up the whole and provide a pleasant balance to the stories that surround them. Songlines is hard to put down as the effortless, pristine style carries the reader along on a voyage all its own. Nicholas Shakespeare wasn't far off the mark in crowning Chatwin as the 'greatest stylist writing in England today.' Even if you don't buy the idea the book is selling, the writing itself is enough to recommend it. Especially for writer wannabes. Every sentence is a cut and polished gem. Terse, tight and clean, all the fat has been cut off, leaving the choicest morsels. And what morsels! Not only does Chatwin say it exquisitely, he also has something to say. That's not just fine writing, that's art. And if the writing isn't enough, the seeds of thought that Songlines plants are tough stuff and unlikely to blow away all that easily. Chatwin makes a strong case that when humans decided to 'settle' down---to civilize themselves---they actually caused more evil than good. Settling down meant holding onto things and marking out borders of possession. And because our natural restlessness became inihibited, we learned to covet more things and wider boundaries. Not only that, but by settling down we lost something profoundly important to our physical and spiritual makeup: our connection with the earth itself and with its other inhabitants, who, unlike us, seem content to take only what they need and then move on. Songlines' greatest message is that life itself is a journey. Therefore, we should live it as one, constantly moving, constantly growing to the next level of existence, learning to let go of that which was never 'ours' to possess. Those who are looking for such a journey into the human condition won't regret picking up Songlines!
Rating: 
Summary: Revealing human beings in a global landscape
Review: A story of a segment of humanity who have a commitment which confirms their identity as human beings in a global landscape. The aborigenes of Australia are not the poverty stricken dregs of mindless imperialism but a people who are aware of where they come from and where they are going regardles of what and who has sought to prevent them. The author has discovered this and reveals it to us in a way which will possibly, already now, be affecting the political consciousness of all original peoples. A mark in history which we will remember.
Rating:
Summary: A stroll in the desert with a wonderful storyteller
Review: Although I enjoyed all of Chatwin's other books, I was put off reading this one for many months by the tens of pages of quotes lifted from other writers and dumped in large blocks in the latter half of the book. However when I read the book, I found the quotes added much to the text and gave Bruce's desert wanderings more direction and purpose. I was fortunate to visit Central Australia several years ago and Chatwin's beautiful writing awakened a lot of good memories of that time. The area is enchanting and beguiling and the book reminded me of some of my reactions to the area around Alice. People have criticised his dubious anthropological theories, his blurring of fact and fiction, the portrayal of both black and white people, etc. If you are a serious scholar please go and buy a worthy text book on aboriginal culture....but if like me you just want an intelligent, stimulating, thought provoking book by a wonderful writer for whom spinning a good yarn is more important than hiring a team of pedants to check his facts.... ENJOY!
Rating:
Summary: Dreaming Chatwin
Review: An adventure in Australia? No. A traveller's log? No. An aboriginal rite of passage tale? No. A historical account? No. Songlines is the story of the Dreaming. It is a book about all the above in no particular order. The story unfolds when Bruce, the author and narrator starts his learning about Australia and the Aboriginal people through Arkady, a Russian-born Australian with a thorough but not glamorous understanding of the Aboriginals. Bruce is searching for himself the true meaning of the Songlines. This is his Work. By listening to Arkady, he learns. By going to Australia, he understands, or does he?
Rating: 
Summary: A journey of discovery
Review: Bruce Chatwin is considered to be a travel writer. However, he, himself, called this particular book a work of fiction. This is basically a journey of discovery. He wanted to learn about the Aboriginal and their "dreaming tracks". As they walk about the land they sing the names of every plant and rock and these "songlines" are one huge maze that define their world. He describes the people he meets and his quest to find out more and more, and the book is full of these descriptions. However, it doesn't really have a coherent feel to it, especially during the last third of the book, where he diverts completely from the present and inserts pieces from his notebooks that he had been keeping for many years. Basically, Mr. Chatwin is a philosopher who is fascinated with the nomadic existence, and the reader is subject to many anthropological theories about animal and human migration and the nature of human beings. While these concepts are interesting, it just couldn't sustain my interest, and I found much of this part boring. The book did increase my understanding of the Aboriginal world however, and added another element to my understanding of Australia. I yearn to know more. And that is good. But it was just too meandering and wordy for me.
Rating: 
Summary: Drivel
Review: Bruce Chatwin was a travel writer of moderate talent. While most travel writers tend to try to write books which generate laughs by trading on the comic elements of travel and the ridicule of different customs Chatwin was more of a poetic writer. In this book he writes about Aboriginal Australians and suggests a theory. The theory is that the map of Australia has a number of inter connecting song lines which represent points at which Aboriginal people communicate with others and as a result "songs" are passed on. The reality is that no such thing exists and that Chatwin has simply made it up after a brief Australian visit. One of the problems of course is that now because the idea has appeared in a "book" some people now accept it. Aboriginal people in Australia have over the years suffered considerably by being pushed of their lands, being marginalised and suffering ongoing discrimination. However their culture is rich and vibrant and for someone to make up something which is not true does them no good and is another manifestation of white paternalism.
Rating:
Summary: Philisophical Travelogue
Review: Bruce Chatwin's novel traces his search for a definition of human nature among the aboriginal people of Australia. Chatwin's basic tenet is that the human race has adopted a sedentary existence that destroys the creative process and fosters an agressiveness toward our fellow man. While his pitch is certainly difficult to accept, Chatwin writes beautifully and woven into the story are journal entries, observations and quotes Chatwin stumbled across all around the globe that stimulate an intense inner-dialogue. Ultimately, the book will appeal to people who love philosophical thought without the existentialist edge.
Rating:
Summary: I believe in the life of the nomadic human... I am one...
Review: Bruce Chatwin, a self-identified western "nomad", spends some time in Australia, learning about the Aboriginal "songlines." Chatwin is in the personal process of proving his life's thesis which is something along the lines of "Man was meant to be nomadic", or "it is biologically necessary for man to move". As part of the process, he spends some real time in the outback, travelling with the most bizarre humans to places in the Aboriginal land and the Aboriginal mind. The stories are dramatic, funny, and sometimes heartwrenching since they often run across the many reasons that a once beautiful and fascinating culture has become the alcoholic and violent bane of their neighbors' existences. As he relates what he is learning about how these people pass along their lives, their histories, and their environment in the geographically and historically accurate songs, we are shown a world of much greater self-awareness than most westerners can comprehend. The last third of the book is a collection of research and materials Chatwin collected in support of this thesis. Some of this information is a powerful incentive for mankind to get on the move and recognize that our history and our biology suggest this is the only way to live.
Rating:
Summary: I believe in the life of the nomadic human... I am one...
Review: Bruce Chatwin, a self-identified western "nomad", spends some time in Australia, learning about the Aboriginal "songlines." Chatwin is in the personal process of proving his life's thesis which is something along the lines of "Man was meant to be nomadic", or "it is biologically necessary for man to move". As part of the process, he spends some real time in the outback, travelling with the most bizarre humans to places in the Aboriginal land and the Aboriginal mind. The stories are dramatic, funny, and sometimes heartwrenching since they often run across the many reasons that a once beautiful and fascinating culture has become the alcoholic and violent bane of their neighbors' existences. As he relates what he is learning about how these people pass along their lives, their histories, and their environment in the geographically and historically accurate songs, we are shown a world of much greater self-awareness than most westerners can comprehend. The last third of the book is a collection of research and materials Chatwin collected in support of this thesis. Some of this information is a powerful incentive for mankind to get on the move and recognize that our history and our biology suggest this is the only way to live.
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