IT is commonly believed that New Zealand's Sir Edmund Hillary was the first man to conquer the 9,002-feet-tall Mount Everest, the highest mountain in the world, in 1953. But the matter is still a mystery in mountaineering circles, which still debate whether it was Hillary or George Mallory, the British mountain climber who was part of three mountaineering expeditions to Everest in the 1920s, who reached the summit first.
It is this mystery that acclaimed writer Jeffery Archer attempts to clear in Paths of Glory.
Sadly, the sole proof that Archer has that Mallory actually reached Everest's summit first is that the photo of Mallory's wife, Ruth, a photo Mallory promised he would place on the summit, was not in his wallet once his body was found in 1999, nearly 70 years after his death.
Not surprising then that the novel has created a controversy in mountaineering circles; many see the book as an insult to Sir Edmund Hillary's memory.
And closer to home, the novel has also spurred another controversy due to the fact that in the last section of the book, Archer attributes the 1930 murder of Lt Col Henry Morshead to his sister's Pakistani lover, even though Pakistan was not created at the time — a fact the press attaché at the Pakistan High Commission in London stated when asking for a correction.
Fatima Bhutto has also added her two cents on the issue, saying 'I'm not surprised by the slip-up. These days, whenever the word Pakistan is mentioned, it's usually followed by terrorist/nuclear/fundamentalist. (Archer) should absolutely change it — it's inaccurate. Not that that's necessarily a problem for Mr Archer ...'
The author has agreed to make a correction in future editions.
What differentiates Paths of Glory from Archer's previous novels is the fact that it is not filled with unexpected twists and turns; it is a straightforward, fictionalised biography of an extraordinary man.
A man who was consumed with love for two women — his wife Ruth and the treacherous Everest (so named after George Everest, the Welsh Surveyor-General of India) or Chomolungma as it was more commonly known then.
And despite giving away the fact that Mallory dies in the first few pages, Archer still manages to keep the reader's interest as he goes on to chronicle Mallory's life.
He writes of how Mallory had a passion for scaling new heights from childhood; how, as an infant, he 'climbed onto the roof of the village hall during a meeting of the Mother's Union' causing his mother Annie to panic.
And how, at age six, he attempted to wade into the sea towards a far-reaching rock, despite not knowing how to swim, making his father the Reverend Leigh Mallory realise that his son 'appeared to have no concept of fear, no sense of risk.'
And although Archer dwells on Mallory's days as a student at a prep school, and his experiences as a professor, as well the role he played during the First World War, it is clear that Mallory's fascination for climbing and adventure continued to surface in many instances.
However, despite writing a somewhat engaging account, Archer fails to bring to life the personality of Mallory; all he manages to do is create a semi-fictionalised, two-dimensional account of one of the most fascinating individuals of mountaineering history.
And that's not all. Archer conveniently alters or omits certain facts about Mallory, one of which is that he states that Mallory went on two expeditions to Everest, not three; he doesn't mention Mallory's controversial liaison with James Strachey, a British psychoanalyst; and nor does he give much-deserved attention to Mallory's literary accomplishments (he wrote a biography of James Boswell).
Consequently, Paths of Glory is a disappointment for Lord Archer's fans, mainly because it fails to measure up to his previous novels. Instead, you may well be justified in thinking that his years in jail have clearly impaired his writing abilities.
After all, this is the man who has written fascinating and memorable novels such as Kane and Abel, The Prodigal Daughter and As The Crow Flies, among numerous others.
And having recently heard that Archer has recently released an 'edited' version of Kane and Abel, which was published more than 20 years ago, perhaps it is best you get a hold of that, rather than Paths of Glory. As chances are it will be much more engaging — even if you're reading it the second time around.
Paths of Glory
By Jeffrey Archer
MacMillan, London
ISBN 978-0-330-50425-6
466pp. Rs495
