With Rommel's Army in Libya

by L Almasy; Gabriel Francis Horchler


Formats

Softcover
£10.37
Softcover
£10.37

Book Details

Language : English
Publication Date : 27/04/2001

Format : Softcover
Dimensions : 6x9
Page Count : 160
ISBN : 9780759616080

About the Book

The name László Almásy gained worldwide recognition as the "English Patient" through the novel and motion picture bearing that title. The real Almásy was a polyglot, cosmopolitan Hungarian who fell under the spell of the Sahara. He spent most of his adult life exploring large tracts of the Libyan Desert - often accompanied by British colleagues - and became one of the foremost experts on this part of the world, publishing several books in French, German, and Hungarian on his expeditions. He developed an uncanny ability for finding his way around the vast emptiness, by automobile and small airplane. Even the Bedouins acknowledged his skills, naming him Abu Ramla, the "Father of the Sands." It was because of this familiarity with the Libyan Desert that he ended up serving for two years under General Erwin Rommel in the Afrika Korps in North Africa. He became a commander of long-range desert patrols and led a number of secret, high-risk missions through the Sahara.

Based on his diaries, With Rommel’s Army in Libya was published in Budapest in 1943. It was placed by the Communists on the index of forbidden books after World War II. Copies of it were removed from public libraries and destroyed. The authorship of this supposedly treasonous book was one of the charges brought against Almásy before the People’s Court, but thanks to the efficiency of the censors, not even the prosecuting attorney could find a copy to present as evidence. The defense had to provide a copy to show that the charges were false.


About the Author

The translator, Gabriel Horchler, has been employed by the Library of Congress for more than 30 years. He has a special interest in the large collection of Hungarian books held by the Library of Congress.

Horchler has traveled extensively in the Sahara, and has also fallen under the spell of the Great Desert.