Tim Butcher
Tim Butcher | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 15, 1967 United Kingdom |
| Occupation(s) | Writer, broadcaster, journalist |
| Years active | 1990–present |
| Known for | Travel literature combining historical context with modern exploration |
| Notable work | Blood River (2007), Chasing the Devil (2010), The Trigger (2014) |
Tim Butcher (born 15 November 1967) is a British writer, broadcaster, and journalist recognized for travel literature that combines historical context with modern-day exploration. His notable works include Blood River (2007), Chasing the Devil (2010), and The Trigger (2014).
Journalism
Between 1990 and 2009, Butcher was employed by The Daily Telegraph, where he held roles such as leader writer, war correspondent, Africa Bureau Chief, and Middle East Correspondent. He remains an active contributor to the BBC radio series From Our Own Correspondent and writes for a range of British, American, and international publications.
Author
Butcher’s first book, Blood River: A Journey to Africa's Broken Heart (2007), recounts his 2004 overland expedition through the Democratic Republic of the Congo following the Congo River, retracing the path taken by Henry Morton Stanley in the 19th century. Published by Chatto & Windus, this title achieved Number 1 on the Sunday Times bestseller chart and appeared on the New York Times bestseller list. It has been translated into six languages and was the only non-fiction selection in the 2008 Richard & Judy Book Club. The book was shortlisted for several awards, including the Samuel Johnson Prize and Dolman Best Travel Book Award, while its Polish edition was longlisted for the Ryszard Kapuściński Prize.
In 2009, Butcher contributed to Because I Am a Girl, a charity anthology published by Vintage and initiated by Plan International, aimed at supporting girls’ rights in developing nations.
His second major publication, Chasing the Devil: The Search for Africa's Fighting Spirit (2010), describes a 350-mile journey through Sierra Leone and Liberia, following in the footsteps of Graham Greene’s 1936 route from Journey Without Maps. This work was longlisted for the Orwell Prize recognizing political writing.
In 2010, in acknowledgment of his journalistic and literary contributions, Butcher was awarded an honorary Doctorate from the University of Northampton.
He also took part in Ox Travels: Meetings with Remarkable Travel Writers (Ox Tales) (2011), a collection supported by Oxfam that addresses issues of poverty and injustice.
In 2012, Blood River was included as an AS Level English Language and Literature curriculum text alongside Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness.
The Royal Scottish Geographical Society honored Butcher with the Mungo Park Medal in 2013 for his accomplishments as an explorer and educator.
His most recent book, The Trigger – Hunting the Assassin who Brought the World to War (2014), published by Chatto & Windus, investigates Gavrilo Princip’s role in assassinating Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo, an event that precipitated World War I.
Sources
- Tim Butcher interview on Blood River, KevinPerry.com, 10 October 2008
- Geoff Wisner, Solo in the Congo: Review of Blood River, The Wall Street Journal, 2008
- Amanda Ross on Why Blood River Did Well in the Richard & Judy Book Club, The Times