the corner office

Finished another book already... I'd started it back in South Africa already, so I'd had a head start. The book was Into the Past: A Memoir by Phillip V Tobias.

Phillip Tobias is a famous paleoanthropologist, whom I blogged about over years 3 ago, when Ronwen dragged me off to a commemorative lecture by (inter alia) Prof Tobias in 2003. I remarked at the time that Tobias' speech overran significantly, and after reading the book, have something of an appreciation for his joy in oratory: that's what famous academics do, and he's had some practice.

His memoir isn't a strict time-line recounting of his life experience - while some chapters are biographical, he also devotes some time to matters and issues dear to him (his academic contributions and efforts, evolutionary questions, his part in the struggle against apartheid), and his memories of people he worked with and was influenced by. Much of this might not have been particularly interesting to a philistine like me, but ultimately, the book was a pleasure to read, the enjoyment derived from his use of, and delight in words. The book is the product of a skilled wordsmith, the story one of a highly intelligent, somewhat eccentric, but fascinating person, and a well-lived life.