Age 14+
The Life of Richard Francis Burton (1821 – 1890)
A new story By Giles Abbott
Amongst venerated British explorers such as Scott, Livingstone and Stanley, the no less figure of Richard Frances Burton remains a historical outcast. Why? In his new touring show, storyteller Giles Abbott tells us the tale of an irreverent, sensual, driven and daring character who deserves to known.
Burton was fluent in over forty languages. With the support of The Royal Geographical Society he led an expedition to the true source of the Nile; he lived in disguise for a year and completed the Haj from Suez to Mecca, in the face of prudish restrictions he ingeniously published the Karma Sutra in Britain. Burton continually broke away from demurring Victorian attitudes turning exploration into a practice of human freedom.
Burton’s capacity for the unexpected, strange and obscure dominates Giles reflections. Told in a style that reflects the Arabian Nights, this story, which begins at Burtons Bedouin tent mausoleum (in a Catholic church!) takes us on a voyage that loops back and forth in time.
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