Basil Davidson

I used to own a book by him, on Africa, the title of which I now forget. Story of Africa, maybe. My friend S has an earlier book by him, Lost Cities of Africa, which I started reading; I am torn between fear of wasting time on an old -- 1959 -- books, and enjoying the rhythm of his prose style. I should say that he's well respected as s historian of Africa, sympathetic to its peoples while not going overboard in ahistorical 'redemption'.

In reading up on him, I found this obituary. He had a rather interesting life, such as being a special forces operative helping partisans in eastern Europe, and being a radical journalist, often blacklisted for being too friend to Communism, though not one himself. Later he threw himself into African history, with strong anti-colonial opinions.