About

Mr B's Emporium is thrilled to welcome award-winning journalist and author Sophy Roberts to Mr B's to chat to us about her incredible new book, A Training School for Elephants.

From the acclaimed author of The Lost Pianos of Siberia (a huge Mr B's favourite) comes a new journey, following four 19th century elephants marched from the East African coast towards Congo, to tell a heart-breaking story of folly and colonial greed.

Blending history and reportage, A Training School for Elephants is a look at our broken relationship with animals, a reckoning with colonialism, and most of all recognises that no one is nobody just because they have fallen silent in the historical record.

About the book:

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.

'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

'Superb and sobering. Sophy Roberts' restless curiosity and thoughtful probing makes her a superlative companion in this quest into the heart of Africa in search of colonial folly. An atmospheric travel narrative of the highest order.' – Cal Flyn, author of Islands of Abandonment