That was actually the first time I encountered Markham, and I just had to know more after reading all about her singular life. I read the book as soon as it was released, and I loved the poetic descriptions of her life and the sweeping landscapes of Africa.

Paula McLain wrote a fictional account of Markham’s life in 2015 called Circling the Sun. It became a bestseller and allowed Markham, who was living in poverty in Africa at the time, to spend the rest of her years in comfort. But can write rings around all of us who consider ourselves as writers.Īfter reading this quote in one of Hemingway’s letters, George Gutekunst (a friend of the family) sought out Markham’s book, loved it, and helped to get it reissued so that more people would be able to read it. I felt that I was simply a carpenter with words, picking up whatever was furnished on the job and some times making an okay pig pen. As it is, she has written so well, and marvelously well, that I was completely ashamed of myself as a writer. In a letter to his editor, Maxwell Perkins, he wrote:ĭid you read Beryl Markham’s book, “West with the Night”? I knew her fairly well in Africa and never would have suspected that she could and would put pen to paper except to write in her flyer’s log book. Ernest Hemingway – Photo courtesy of WikipediaĮrnest Hemingway spoke highly of Markham’s writing. Hemingway met Markham on a safari in 1934, and obtained a copy of her book.

Denys finch hatton