Travels with Herodotus

Iron window sculpture and graffiti, Barcelona, Spain.

As much of today's news is too awful to contemplate, let's not go there. Here's an excerpt about recording history from the late Polish journalist Ryszard Kapuscinski's fascinating book Travels with Herodotus:

"...Sometimes, when the offices emptied in the evening and the hallways grew quiet and I wanted a respite from telegrams about the strikes and armed conflicts, the coups and explosions convulsing countries I did not know, I reached for The Histories of Herodotus..."

"Herodotus begins his book with a statement explaining why he set out to write it...: 'Here are presented the results of the enquiry carried out by Herodotus of Halicarnassus. The purpose is to prevent the traces of human events from being erased by time and to preserve the fame of the important and remarkable achievements produced by both Greeks and non-Greeks; among the matters covered is, in particular,the cause of the hostilities between Greeks and non-Greeks."

"This passage is the key to the entire book. ...Herodotus informs us that he carried out some sort of 'enquiry.' ...Today we know that he devoted his entire life to this - and it was, for its time, a long life indeed. Why did he do it? Why, still in his youth, did he make such a decision? Did someone encourage him to conduct these investigations?

"...Or maybe he did everything on his own initiative, possessed by a passion for knowledge, driven by a restless and unfocused compulsion? Perhaps he had a naturally inquiring mind, a mind that continuously generated a thousand questions giving him no peace, keeping him up at nights?...

"Herodotus admits that he was obsessed with memory, fearful on its behalf. He felt that memory is something defective, fragile, impermanent - illusory, even. That whatever it contains, whatever it is storing can evaporate, simply vanish without a trace. His whole generation, everyone living on earth at the time, was possessed by that same fear.

"Without memory one cannot live, for it is what elevates man above beasts, determines the contours of the human soul and yet it is at the same time so unreliable, elusive, treacherous. It is precisely what makes man so unsure of himself... We do not know and stretching beyond that 'we do not know' is the vast realm of ignorance... of nonexistence.

"Man does not obsess about memory today as he once did because he lives surrounded by stockpiles of it. Everything is at his fingertips - encyclopedias, textbooks, dictionaries, compendia, search engines. Libraries and museums, antiquarian bookshops and archives. Audio and video recordings. Infinite supplies of preserved words, sounds, images...

"Of course, none of these techniques existed in Herodotus's time. Man knew as much and only as much as his mind managed to preserve. A few privileged individuals started to learn to write on rolls of papyrus and on clay tablets. But the rest? Culture was always an aristocratic enterprise...

"In the world of Herodotus, the only real repository of memory is the individual. In order to find out that which has been remembered, one must reach this person. If he lives far away, one has to go to him; to set out on a journey. And after finally encountering him, one must sit down and listen to what he has to say - to listen, remember; perhaps write it down. That is how reportage begins; of such circumstances it is born.

"So Herodotus wanders the world, meets people, listens to what they tell him. They speak of who they are; they recount their history. But how do they know who they are and where they came from? Ah, they answer, they have it on the word of others - first and foremost, from their ancestors. It is they who transmitted their knowledge to this generation, just as this one is now transmitting it to others. The knowledge takes the form of various tales. People sit around the fire and tell stories. Later these will be called legends and myths, but in the instant when they are first being related and heard, the tellers and the listeners believe in them as the holiest of truths, absolute reality."

Photo of graffiti on a doorway in Barcelona.

Comments

[Tara Bradford]

Di, isn't it a great book? I like the fact that so much of what Herodotus discovered still applies to today's world.

[Di]

I loved that book - it kept me company during my 2 weeks in Genova. Lovely to find him here.

[Tara Bradford]

Hi Lala - Yes, I'm afraid the French are rather unhappy with Sarkozy these days. Thanks for popping in. Au revoir! xo

[Tara Bradford]

Thanks for sharing this story, Helen. How wonderful that you and that woman had tread a similar path! I hope I live to be 95 - but only if I'm lucid enough to still attend auctions! :) Memory is a wonderful thing, but often all too fleeting - which is why so many of us make concerted efforts to record memories and events. Recently I saw on CNN International an interview with a woman who was 105 or 107 - she wasn't sure which - who had voted for Obama and was thrilled to be watching his inauguration. She had been invited to attend, but said it was enough for her just to see it on television. She had amazingly clear memories of days long before the Civil Rights Movement.

History was my favourite subject beginning in high school - maybe that's one of the reasons I'm drawn to old things. And thanks for the kind words about the photo!

[Helen]

Love the photo. The graffiti and the artful bars on the window (sculpture) and the small lamp up in the corner make an interesting composition on several levels as well as being really beautiful in its own way.

My favorite book--Remembrance of Things Past--has given me many decades to think about memory. Your post today reminds me to listen and remember. Sometimes I thing society has lost its collective memory because past mistakes keep repeating. I agree...we must write out own stories every day and cherish the memories that we already have.

I sat next to 95 year old woman at an auction on Monday night who still had her wits about her. She described her life in Queens, NY, many years ago.

Her description was so vivid. I remembered the buildings exactly from living on the same street 30 years ago myself. She remembered her address and we realized that we had lived there-- one building and 40 years apart. Oh! To remember like that! I loved hearing about the neighborhood when she lived there- pure serendipity based on shared memories.

[Tara Bradford]

Yes, it's hard to imagine how difficult it was to disseminate information in those days. We are lucky we have so much freely available (although at times, it's too much information or disinformation!)

[Tara Bradford]

Yes, Philip, Herodotus is appreciated in many cultures. We also call him the "Father of History."

[Tara Bradford]

Brenda, thanks for the lovely tip!

[Tara Bradford]

Gillian, that is a bit of serendipity! I think you'll enjoy the book. xo

[Tara Bradford]

So true about history repeating itself, if we fail to learn its lessons.

[my castle in spain]

Hi Tara,

just popping in quickly to wish you a "bonne journée" in spite of the general strike!
sounds like French are saying a total no-no to Sarkozy !

will be back to catch up on your posts
à bientôt
:-)

[Brenda Kula]

Perhaps you might enjoy this website: http://gardendeva.com. It is in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where my grown daughters live. I visit there sometimes, or custom order steel sculptures for my garden.
Brenda

[Gillian daSilva]

Memory is in the air today.
I discussed with mum, about how lucky she is to have such vivid childhood memories. I do not. I don't remember diddly. Its a shame really.
And here you post on the importance of Herodotus' histories, incredible. That book has been on my must read list forever. I simply cannot find it anywhere. I should look to order it online. In the meantime, Travels looks good, I think I'll give it a whirl. I've seen that one in the stores.
Happy Wednesday love!
xo

[Philip]

What a nice post Tara about the Greek Herodotus... father of History as we call him!

[jeanie]

I so love this line:

"People sit around the fire and tell stories. Later these will be called legends and myths, but in the instant when they are first being related and heard, the tellers and the listeners believe in them as the holiest of truths, absolute reality."

This is so true. I keep thinking of how that affects us in our history, the Bible, so many things.

[Colette Copeland]

Brilliant passage, Tara. Memory is indeed fragile and impermanent, which explains why history repeats itself. To those who say, "Why don't we ignore this or that and it will go away", I always answer, "Because if you do, you are destined to repeat it." (But then, no one listens to me!!! hehe!)

[Tara Bradford]

Marilyn, I think that's a wonderful thing!American Indian tradition of story-telling and those story-telling dolls they make. I expect future generations will appreciate your efforts.

[Marilyn]

This story reminds me of the American Indian memory keepers. Each family seems to have one. As I get older I find that as the oldest girl cousin, I am the gatherer of memories.

[Tara Bradford]

Judith, there is always that possibility. But usually, in every family, there's at least one person curious enough and interested enough to want to know about the past and research the road that led to their present. They'll be happy you recorded your experiences.

[judith]

Indeed, the "repository of memory IS the individual" ... . and yet , I often feel that my inclination to record my personal experiences is more than a bit egotistical. My feelings that my grandchildren may find these memory collections of interest spur me on to take note for their future. Perhaps it will help them to know themselves by knowing their lineage . Then again - they may not give a damn!
Jjjjjj

[Tara Bradford]

That's a fear many of us share - which is one reason we must write down our stories; tell them to others, before they are lost. And yes, surely the good will outweigh the bad. xoxox

[Tara Bradford]

Barbara, thank YOU for the kind words!

[Christina]

One of my biggest fears is that, one day when I get much older, I will lose my memory. I keep telling myself I will remember, I am here, conscious. I will remember these good and bad times now and say something beautiful as I get older, such as; I remember this book or that president and the good out weighed all the bad: )

Happy tears.
xxoo : )

[Barbara]

I read Di Mackey's posts earlier today and the refrain ran through my mind, "We will remember. We will remember." Thank you for this - it helps me focus my thoughts.