The Lost Oasis
The True Story Behind The English Patient
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
The Lost Oasis tells the true story behind The English Patient. An extraordinary episode in World War II, it describes the Zerzura Club, a group of desert explorers and adventurers who indulged in desert travel by early-model-motor cars and airplanes, and who searched for lost desert oases and ancient cities of vanished civilizations. In reality, they were mapping the desert for military reasons and espionage. The club's members came from countries that soon would be enemies: England and the Allied Forces v. Italy and Germany. When war erupted in 1939, Ralph Bagnold founded the British Long Range Desert Group to spy on and disrupt Rommel's advance on Cairo, while a fellow club member, Hungarian Count Almasy, succeeded in placing German spies there. Ultimately, the British prevailed. Saul Kelly's riveting history draws on interviews with survivors and previously unknown documentary material in England, Italy, Germany, Hungary, and Egypt. His book reads like a thriller -- with one key difference: it's all true.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Finally, a reliable popular account of The English Patient era North African desert exploration, here from Kelly (Cold War in the Desert) who covers various expeditions, spies and war from 1920 to 1943 with accuracy and flair. The legendary oasis of Zerzura, and the lost ancient army of King Cambyses were huge draws for pre-WWII European expeditions to the area. British explorer Ralph Bagnold cuts a dashing figure, and there's much material on Hungarian desert explorer Lazlo Almasy, so rippingly played by Ralph Fiennes. Neither Zerzura nor Cambyses's army were found, although much evidence of prehistoric man in the area was discovered during these rival expeditions. Once the war began, the experience of seasoned explorers was utilized by both the British and Germans. Almasy worked for the Germans carrying out long-range intelligence missions behind enemy lines, by vehicle and aircraft: transporting espionage agents, carrying out acts of sabotage and tracking enemy movements. Firsthand accounts from a variety of sources are nicely blended into the narrative, which keeps the tension steady, but the book is heavy on operational mechanics. For those looking for romance, the novel and movie remain the better choices.
