Wednesday, February 22, 2006

Why I Named This Blog "Giraffe Dreams"

Several years ago I read the book Out of Africa by Isak Dinesen. A section on giraffes touched my heart and from then on I have been a lover of giraffes. Here in my blog I wanted to reprint the section of the book that moved me, but the publisher denied me permission. Here's a chance for you to read a good book. Pick up a copy of Out of Africa, and look in Book 4, the chapter entitled "The Giraffes Go to Hamburg." Read it and tell me you didn't fall in love with giraffes as well. What a piece of writing that is, to convey so much emotion that I remember it for years!

I call my blog "Giraffe Dreams" in honor of those giraffes who still dream of Africa, and also in honor of my own dreams of "gentle amblers of the great plains." (Dinesen, Out of Africa [1989] pg. 288)

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