Far Away and Long Ago is the childhood memory of naturalist William Henry Hudson. He was born (1841) in the Quilmes Partido in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina, son of settlers of U.S. origin, and grew up on the pampas of Buenos Aires. The account covers the period beginning about 1845 and ending around 1860, during Hudson's formative years. The book has a bit more about birds than I care to know, but they were Hudson's love. He is an excellent writer and offers a glimpse into a fascinating period in a fascinating place. Following is an excerpt, as a sample:
One hot day in December I had been standing perfectly still for a few minutes among the dry weeds when a slight rustling sound came from near my feet, and glancing down I saw the head and neck of a large black serpent moving slowly past me. In a moment or two the flat head was lost to sight among the close-growing weeds, but the long body continued moving slowly by--so slowly that it hardly appeared to move, and as the creature must have been not less than six feet long, and probably more, it took a very long time, while I stood thrilled with terror, not daring to make the slightest movement, gazing down upon it. Although so long it was not a thick snake, and as it moved on over the white ground it had the appearance of a coal-black current flowing past me--a current not of water or other liquid but of some such element as quicksilver moving on in a rope-like stream. At last it vanished, and turning I fled from the ground, thinking that never again would I venture into or near that frightfully dangerous spot in spite of its fascination.
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As I read blogs about literature and art, I realized that most authors were born in Argentina, usually having European or American origins. Is that a coincidence? I feel an urge to get some Argentina apartments and investigate all the writers and painters that I admire that were born in Buenos Aires or its surroundings. I believe it would help me to understand much further their works of art!
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