A Training School for Elephants

From the author of The Lost Pianos of Siberia , this is travel writing with a dash of whimsy. Sophy Roberts recreates the story of Frederick Carter, a charismatic Irish adventurer in Africa in the late nineteenth century, whose story has to date been consigned to the footnotes of Victorian history. An orphan who took to the sea, Carter found himself headhunted in 1879 to join King Leopold of Belgium''s quest to plunder Africa''s resources as part of his dream of taming Africa. But Carter''s journey was soon beset by difficulties. Following in his footsteps, Roberts pieces together Carter''s biography, digging deep into his expedition records to reveal his extraordinary journey to lead a caravan of Indian elephants into the heart of the tormented, exploited and beautiful Congo. With a rich cast of characters including slave traders, ivory dealers, busybody missionaries and African chiefs, Roberts brings the Congo and Carter''s story to life and, through it, dares to confront our difficult imperial history.

Autorentext
Sophy Roberts is an award-winning British journalist, and a regular contributor to FT Weekend. Her critically acclaimed first book, The Lost Pianos of Siberia, was a Sunday Times Book of the Year in 2020, and went on to be published in eight more languages. Her second book, A Training School for Elephants, is another unusual quest, threading lost history with modern reportage in India, Iraq, DRC, Tanzania and Belgium. Following an 1879 journey that four elephants from Pune made to Africa's Great Lakes, it is a reckoning with colonial ambitions gone berserk.

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**INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER

WINNER OF THE STANFORD'S TRAVEL WRITING BOOK OF THE YEAR 2026

THE WAINWRIGHT PRIZE FOR WRITING ON CONSERVATION - SPECIALLY COMMENDED

A FINANCIAL TIMES BEST BOOK OF 2025

From the acclaimed author of The Lost Pianos of Siberia, comes a new journey, following** **four 19th century elephants marched from the East African coast towards Congo, to tell a heartbreaking story of folly and colonial greed.

'BEST SUMMER BOOKS OF 2025: An illuminating tale of imperial ambition and ineptitude.'** FINANCIAL TIMES

'A beautiful, intelligent and heartfelt book, a brilliantly researched account of an imperial fever dream alongside a no less feverish contemporary journey'- THE SUNDAY TIMES

'History and travelogue combine wonderfully in this tale of colonial plunder and hubris...Sophy Roberts' luminous new book is a journey through Africa from Zanzibar to Lake Tanganyika and back, retracing the steps of a long-forgotten expedition.' - GUARDIAN

'This is a marvellous book, an important footnote to history - of Sophy Roberts' intrepid travel with a real purpose, shining a light on colonialism, Belgian and British, and their peculiar obsessions.'' - Paul Theroux, author of The Great Railway Bazaar

'Masterfully weaving adventure, intrigue and the darker truths of colonial ambition into a story as gripping as it is eye-opening.' - Levison Wood, author of Walking the Nile

'Deeply researched. Brings to life a bizarre and long-forgotten story of Africa with empathy, intriguing encounters and memorable characters, not least the elephants themselves.' - Luke Pepera, author of Motherland: A Journey through 500,000 Years of African Culture and Identity

'Sophy Roberts brings history to life, tackling difficult, sensitive subjects with careful, exquisite prose. Unputdownable.' - Mary Harper, author of Getting Somalia Wrong?

'A brave and searching book, rich in history and fierce in spirit. The best sort of travel writing: handsome prose, teeming with humanity and an unwavering sense of wonder.' - Justin Marozzi, author of Baghdad, City of Peace, City of Blood

In 1879, King Leopold II of Belgium launched an ambitious plan to plunder Africa's resources. The key to cracking open the continent, or so he thought, was its elephants - if only he could train them.

And so he commissioned the charismatic Irish adventurer Frederick Carter to ship four tamed Asian elephants from India to the East African coast, where they were marched inland towards Congo. The ultimate aim was to establish a training school for African elephants.

Following in the footsteps of the four elephants, Roberts pieces together the story of this long-forgotten expedition, in travels that take her to Belgium, Iraq, India, Tanzania and Congo. The storytelling brings to life a compelling cast of historic characters and modern voices, from ivory dealers to Catholic nuns, set against rich descriptions of the landscapes travelled.

Roberts digs deep into historic records to reckon with our broken relationship with animals, revealing an extraordinary - and enduring - story of colonial greed, ineptitude, hypocrisy and folly.

'A cautionary tale from the early days of the Scramble for Africa, but poignant and scholarly too. Roberts writes beautifully.' - Thomas Pakenham, author of The Scramble for Africa

'A rich, engrossing tapestry of greed and disregard for life ... Few write as compellingly as Roberts, this is her as only she can write.' - Amal Chatterjee, author of Across the Lakes