Ambushed by guerrillas, a man is killed. His companion, a soldier, is injured. Nearby, a jaguar watches, then retreats into surrounding rainforest. A Jesuit priest saves the unnamed survivor and brings him to an Indian village. Rich in suggestion but pared down and cinematic, binding faith to peril and life with death, so begins the fifth novel by the London-based Greek writer Panos Karnezis.Almost 30 years ago, screenwriter Robert Bolt (Lawrence of Arabia, Dr Zhivago) also re-imagined Jesuit ministry in the jungles of South America. Ravishing cinematography and a haunting score are not the only reasons to recall The Mission. Like Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, it set spiritual, intellectual, personal and political challenge against a landscape of physical extremity and emotional compl
16 April 2015, The Tablet
The Fugitives
Get Instant Access
Continue Reading
Register for free to read this article in full
Subscribe for unlimited access
From just £30 quarterly
Complete access to all Tablet website content including all premium content.
The full weekly edition in print and digital including our 179 years archive.
PDF version to view on iPad, iPhone or computer.
Already a subscriber? Login