Mesmerized all his life by the allure of freedom and danger, Finch Hatton was, writes Wheeler, 'the open road made flesh. Ever restless, Finch Hatton wandered into a career as a big-game hunter and became an expert bush pilot. Intellectual equals, Finch Hatton and Blixen were genuine pioneers in a land that was quickly being transformed by violence, greed, and bigotry. Later he entertained Karen Blixen and many friends in Kenya. In Nairobi, Finch Hatton met Karen Blixen and embarked on one of the great love affairs of the twentieth century. Cranworth - WW1 - Coles Scouts - Denys Finch-Hatton was another of my new brother officers. In 1910, searching for something new, he arrived in British East Africa and fell in love-with a continent, with a landscape, with a way of life that was about to change forever. Now esteemed British biographer Sara Wheeler tells the truth about this extraordinarily charismatic adventurer.īorn to an old aristocratic family that had gambled away most of its fortune, Finch Hatton grew up in a world of effortless elegance and boundless power.

A champion of Africa, legendary for his good looks, his charm, and his prowess as a soldier, lover, and hunter, Denys Finch Hatton inspired Karen Blixen to write the unforgettable Out of Africa.

Denys finch hatton and karen blixen