Watch this sumptuous film about Sophy Roberts’ latest book, A Training School for Elephants. It’s such an incredible story, and you can hear all about it at Bridport Electric Palace on Friday 7 November at 4pm. Tickets online from the Palace or from Bridport Tourist Information Centre in person or by phone – 01308 424901.
In 1879, King Leopold II aimed to exploit Africa by training elephants, commissioning Frederick Carter to transport Asian elephants to Congo. In A Training School for Elephants, Sophy Roberts retraces this expedition, exploring colonial greed and human-animal relationships through historic and modern narratives, revealing a tale of exploitation and folly across diverse landscapes.
The book is for readers interested in history, travel and how we treat animals. It was shortlisted for this year’s Wainwright Prize, the world’s leading literary award for nature and conservation writing.
Barnaby Phillips, writing in The Times Literary Supplement, described it as a story of ‘folly and hubris’.
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. She lives with her family in West Dorset.
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