Peter Beard in Africa

I read another troubling book today, a biography of Peter Beard.  Beard is one of those people you've probably heard of, but maybe aren't sure why.  He's probably most famous for his marriage to Cheryl Tiegs and was born to money, but he's accomplished much in his own right as a photographer, conservationist, and artist.  Beard fell in love with "Africa" (as opposed to Kenya--Americans fall in love with the whole continent, seldom a particular place or country) at age sixteen, while reading Out of Africa and ended up being friends with its famous author, Karen Blixen.  He has lived much of his life at Blixen's old home in Kenya.  Beard has been much more concerned about Kenya's wildlife than its people, as he associates wild Africa with perfect freedom.  "What he likes most about Africa," noted an old friend, "is to do your own thing there, a way of life you create with no plan. . . . He can't--won't--accept the normal responsibilities of society."  Africa has long attracted Americans fleeing social responsibility and constraints.  This is a very common theme in film, literature, and memoirs.