num_pages: 570
description: Henry Morton Stanley so the tale goes was a cruel imperialist who connived with King Leopold II of Belgium in horrific crimes against the people of the Congo. He also conducted the most legendary celebrity interview in history opening with Dr. Livingstone I presume? But these perceptions are not quite true as Tim Jeal shows in this biography. With unprecedented access to previously closed Stanley family archives Jeal reveals the extent to which Stanleys public career and intimate life have been misunderstood and undervalued.Few have started life as disadvantaged as Stanley. Rejected by both parents and consigned to a Welsh workhouse he emigrated to America as a penniless eighteen-year-old. Jeal vividly re-creates Stanleys rise to success his friendships and romantic relationships and his life-changing decision to assume an American identity. Stanleys epic but unfairly forgotten African journeys are thrillingly described.
language: English
title: Stanley: The Impossible Life of Africa's Greatest Explorer
publisher: Yale University Press