Bøger af Ronald MacKay

Sent deep behind the Iron Curtain to Bucharest by the British Government in 1967, Ronald Mackay serves as the "sharp end" of a trade initiative. How will he fare in communist-run Romania where suspicion abounds and Ceausescu's Secret Police are everywhere?With irony-tinged humour, Ronald tells of seductive informants; an ex-political-prisoner-turned-spy; fearful minorities; a hunting trip with the Communist elite; travels in Dracula's Transylvania; of running into a company of armed tanks; and of threatening Charles de Gaulle's attempt to be the first Western premier to court this bright but baffling tyrant-run country.

Dieciocho años, apenas £40 en el bolsillo, y la idea obstinada de llegar a Argentina: tal era el equipaje que acompañó a Ronald Mackay cuando, en 1960, decidió salir de su Escocia natal y comenzó un periplo en autostop hasta Cádiz, puerto de embarque hacia América Latina.Pero lo que sería una simple escala en las Canarias terminó convirtiéndose en una extensa y aprovechada estancia en la isla de Tenerife. El pueblo de Buenavista del Norte le acogió, y Ronald, a través de anécdotas que se relatan con sorprendente precisión y sentido del humor, aprendió el idioma, hizo amistades y se empapó de la cultura local hasta convertirse en uno más del pueblo.No espere encontrar en este libro solo una simple memoria de viaje: lo que nos cuenta, a través de las relatos y cuestiones vitales que experimenta el autor, es su personal viaje hacia la madurez. Un viaje con el que es fácil sentirse identificado, gracias a la cercanía y cariño con que se relatan las vivencias de aquel joven, que, con el tiempo, sintió la necesidad de dedicarle esta oda a todas aquellas personas que le acogieron en Buenavista, y le abrieron sus hogares y corazones.In 1960 and with a mere £40, 18-year-old Ronald Mackay hitchhiked from Scotland to Spain and then to Tenerife by boat, hoping to reach Latin America. But he finds a welcome in Buenavista del Norte and stays for a year. In that isolated norther village, he works, learns Spanish, makes friends, embraces their way of life, takes risks and grows into manhood.This is a charming account of a special time in Tenerife. There are moments of hilarity and of confusion as the young Scotsman with limited Spanish struggles to integrate into a family-run fonda in a traditional community. His empathy and willingness to work hard earn him a place and he is taken under the wing of the matriarch who runs the fonda.Mackay tells of a life very different yet oddly similar to that of rural Scotland. He addresses the challenges that we all must, as we come of age; and with that knowledge prepares himself for life.More than a travel memoir, this book charts a philosophical journey that leads to self-sufficiency and maturity. As well as recalling memorable characters and incidents with humor and insight Mackay also addresses the deeper, more fundamental issues of life.

Fortunate Isle: A  Memoir of TenerifeIn 1960, with a mere £40 in his pocket, 18-year-old Ronald Mackay hitched from Scotland to Spain then took a tramp steamer to Tenerife, thinking to voyage on to South America. Instead, he discovered the snug village of Buenavista del Norte, where he was welcomed in by the locals as 'El Extranjero'. He lived there for a year, working, making friendships, exploring and growing into manhood. 'Fortunate Isle' is a charming tale of a special time in the author's life, when he is entirely 'open to the universe'. His recall sparkles like the sun on the sea that was so important to his life there. The memoir contains moments of hilarity and of confusion, as a young man initially with no Spanish, struggles to integrate into a tight-knit village full of people with no English. Despite this, his likeable nature and willingness to work hard make him popular and he is taken under the wing of a matriarch who runs the small guest house he had found -- almost too fortunately to be happenstance -- the very day he arrived. Through the months in Buenavista del Norte, immersed in a life that was at once very different yet strangely similar to the one he had grown up in in rural Scotland, Mackay addresses the challenges that we all must, as we come of age; and with that knowledge prepares himself for life. Much more than a light-hearted travel memoir, this book charts a philosophical journey along a road that leads to independence, self-sufficiency and maturity. While offering humour and insight, it does not shirk discussion of deeper, more fundamental issues. Fortunate Isle is suitable for all ages and offers a warm, refreshing and invigorating read. It is illustrated with over fifty photographs, taken in 1960 by the author himself.