I first read Peter Capstick's Death in the Long Grass as an impressionable teenager in the 1970's. His exploits defined my own early longings for hunting adventures in a distant land. As a somewhat feral rural child living in the unpopulated Western plains of Canada, I spent most of my teenage years with a hunting firearm in hand, even if it was usually only a .22. Besides enjoying our abundance of small game, waterfowl and deer, or dreaming of soon to be realized Canadian wilderness hunts for Moose, Elk, Bears, Caribou and Sheep, I mentally incorporated Elephant and Eland and Buffalo in my must-do adventures.
Capstick's Death in the Long Grass really was the seed that lured me to Africa first. My first African trip encouraged me to go back again five times. I have two more trips booked for the future. The record of my travels seems like a pretty good marketing success by the author.
I've become mature enough in my literary appreciation to recognize an author's embellishment. But so what? Capstick was writing for the readers' entertainment, he was not making a documentary.
Reading about Capstick's and other people's experiences with dangerous African game provided me with the mental preparation and presence of mind to conduct myself properly and without embarrassment when a Zimbabwean bull elephant tried to kill me and our crew while hunting in Zimbabwe last March.
Had I not read of other's exploits, embellished or not, I may not have been so prepared or so minimally competent.
In an ideal world, writers would only write their own truth, and would not need to embellish the facts to sell a story. However very few people have lived such a perfect and interesting life that the complete truth of their own experiences is entertaining or marketable to the masses. Writers are sadly required by the mundane necessities of life to make a living. Personal experience stories often need a little "extra presentation".
I will also admit to adding a little bit of flair to a personal story or two to make them more appealing to the few who admire me retelling my personal exploits. That's part of what makes us human, and interesting, and makes a story worth telling.
I like Capstick. And recommend most of his books.
