Ferdynand Ossendowski – Beasts, Men, and Gods

Beasts, Men, and Gods is a book I picked up over ten years ago and never read. I remember starting it and finding it widely disappointing. It wasn’t the promised adventures in the woods or a fight for survival. Instead, Ferdynand Ossendowski narrates his flight from Russia to Mongolia in a pragmatic way, recording his experiences in a rational almost scientific manner at times.

Older now, I have a different perspective on his writing. I know more about the early days of communist Russia, I have read about Mongolia more widely, and I am more open to different styles of writing. I enjoyed the narration, following events unfold through Mongolia that I never heard about, mixing both historical events and spiritual beliefs. But Ferdynand Ossendowski is not a narrator I trust. Details are often scarce, events reported with an obvious bias but then, the author never claims to bring the truth. It is sometimes even easy to read his journey as a work of fiction.