Reminiscences of My Life

REMINISCENCES OF MY LIFEby Emmanuel Abraham REMINISCENCES OF MY LIFE by Emmanuel Abraham Price: $29.95 Retail: $29.95 You Save: $0.00 Quantity: Brief Description Detailed Description Specifications This book is an exemplary narrative about the inner workings of Emperor Haile Sellassie s government. It contains an account of some of the personalities who held high government offices and the state of ecumenical relations during the imperial period. Yet, the history of this period will not be complete until those who, like His Excellency Ato Emmanuel Abraham, had the privilege of serving in various positions of responsibility in the emperor s government offer us their reminiscences.... This book is an exemplary narrative about the inner workings of Emperor Haile Sellassie s government. It contains an account of some of the personalities who held high government offices and the state of ecumenical relations during the imperial period. Yet, the history of this period will not be complete until those who, like His Excellency Ato Emmanuel Abraham, had the privilege of serving in various positions of responsibility in the emperor s government offer us their reminiscences....What is expected of the former officials, who are now in their twilight years, is not to criticize from the sidelines what others have written, but to present their version of the true account of the period with the same care for quality and organization evident in this memoir. Prof. Tadesse Tamrat, from the Amharic edition of Reminiscences of My Life Students of Ethiopian history and politics are greatly indebted to Ato Emmanuel Abraham for having accomplished the invaluable task of writing down his reminiscences with remarkable detail and elegance....Having served Emperor Haile Sellassie in various capacities for nearly four decades and half (1931-1974), Ato Emmanuel is eminently qualified to tell that story. The diversity of posts that he came to occupy during that period headmaster, legation secretary, director-general, ambassador, and minister has given his story a richly variegated character. The conscientiousness with which he had kept records of his official correspondence gives his narrative a wealth of documentation that is uncommon in a work of this genre. His personal integrity and relatively independent character has also invested his account with a degree of detachment that is not so often encountered among loyal public servants....With this book, Ato Emmanuel has done great service to all students of history as well as to the country and the church that he served with so much dedication. Prof. Bahru Zewde, Journal of Ethiopian Studies, Vol XXIX, No. 1, June 1996 Reminiscences of My Life offers an invaluable window on less dramatic, but critical developments in the evolution of modern Ethiopia such as the early years of the Tafari Mekonnen School, the beginning of a modern provincial administration in the 1920s, and the impact of the work of the Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus on the life of many Ethiopians. Equally valuable is the rare insight the author provides into Emperor Haile Sellasie s life in exile during the Italian occupation, which he witnessed from close quarters, and the political intrigues and infighting within the imperial government, which he experienced on the receiving end. What makes this memoir unique is the author s perspective as the emperor s confidant who was nevertheless kept on the fringes of power, and his willingness to tell his story without undue prejudice or embellishment. Prof. Ezekiel Gebissa, Kettering University, Flint, Michigan, USA