“Look Here, Sir, What a Curious Bird”
Posted on 07. Jul, 2023 by Paul Sochaczewski in Books
“Look Here, Sir, What a Curious Bird”
Searching for Ali, Alfred Russel Wallace’s Faithful Companion
Publishing details
Publication: July 4, 2023
ISBN: Trade Paperback: 978-2-940573-41-7
ISBN: eBook: 978-2-94-573-42-4
310 pages
Prices:
- Paperback: $18.95
- eBook: $8.95
Note: The book is also available on order from independent booksellers
Description
For some 50 years, I have been on the trail of famous naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace and his little-known assistant Ali.
We know quite a bit about Alfred Russel Wallace, one of the great figures of modern science.
But what of Ali, the young man Wallace called his “faithful companion,” and “head man” who supported him during much of his eight-year sojourn in the Malay Archipelago? What did teenage Ali think of this tall, strange European man who swooned over a new beetle, cuddled a baby orangutan he had orphaned, and lived rough in the forest? What did Wallace teach Ali? What did Ali teach Wallace? Where did Ali go after Wallace left? Can we find Ali’s descendants to spur a conservation movement? Could I speak with Ali’s spirit through a medium? These questions have sparked my interest for some 50 years.
The result of this quest is an imaginative “enhanced biography” of a young man who helped Wallace become one of history’s most successful explorers of the natural world. Ali’s story has universal resonance: “Is there someone in your life who has quietly helped you, perhaps without adequate recognition, on your journey?”
Critical Praise
“Once again, Paul Spencer Sochaczewski has created a new literary genre, which he simply calls an ‘enhanced biography’ of Wallace’s assistant Ali. His creativity is remarkable — he somehow manages to combine solid scholarship, personal memoir, good heart and hearty humor, delicious speculation, soul-touching imagined scenarios, a plenitude of cartoons and photos, and riveting asides. He even invokes the aid of mediums and shamans to pursue his quest to learn more about this intriguing and under-appreciated 19th-century Borneo teenager. A splendid work of innovative history writing.
— James Clad, Board of Supervisors, Library of Congress, and former professor of Asian Studies, Georgetown University
“Through the ages, our famous explorers and adventurers have rarely pursued their quests alone. They’ve been helped along by others who, barely acknowledged, have helped them on their way through seemingly impenetrable forests, swamps, and ravines. This was the case with Alfred Russel Wallace, the great Victorian naturalist whose daring expeditions were aided by a young man referred to simply as ‘Ali.’
This is an important, enlightening book not only because it tells Ali’s story, at last giving him the prominence he deserves, but because it reminds us that we each have Alis in our lives, people to whom we should from time to time raise a grateful glass in thanks.”
— Benedict Allen, BBC Television explorer and author of Explorer: The Quest for Adventure and the Great Unknown
“Another fascinating and insightful book from the prolific pen of Paul Spencer Sochaczewski. Some of us are lucky enough to have had an Ali in our lives. I have had two outstanding such individuals: Kelakua, the best mehariste in the Sahara, a Tuareg with whom I rode by camel many miles through the Niger desert; and Nyapun, my dearest friend, a nomadic Penan, with whom I travelled through the rainforest for a year in Borneo.”
— Robin Hanbury-Tenison, explorer and author of Mulu: The Rain Forest, The Oxford Book of Exploration, and The Great Explorers
“Readers of his earlier books have been enthralled by Paul Spencer Sochaczewski’s perceptions of people and places of the island realm that was named ‘the Malay Archipelago’ by the 19th-century natural history collector and naturalist, Alfred Russel Wallace. Paul has now focused his attention on the Malay youth, recruited by Wallace in Sarawak ― a man, named only as Ali, whose features were captured by a single photograph. Not one of Wallace’s other temporary assistants was as competent and none so loyal as Ali, who remained with him until the end of his journey in the Archipelago. As a collector, Wallace might not have succeeded as he did without Ali, whose competence and, at times, compassion, undoubtedly safe-guarded and supported Wallace during his travels among the many different islands now united under the red and white flag of Indonesia.
“An additional attraction of Paul’s interpretive writing is his fascination with the mystical, in ways that still linger in the consciousness and practices of many thoughtful people in modern Indonesia. In this ‘enhanced biography,’ he has described in detail his search for the true identity of Ali through the intervention of dukuns, spiritual mediums. He offers few certainties but certainly provides readers with an imaginative perspective on the enigmatic personality of the man who probably retired to Ternate island and there styled himself ‘Ali Wallace.’” Okay to keep ‘probably’ since we are also using similar terms elsewhere
— Dato Sri Gathorne, Lord Cranbrook, author of Mammals of Borneo, Mammals of Southeast Asia, and Wonders of the Natural World of Southeast Asia
“Through the ages, our famous explorers and adventurers have rarely pursued their quests alone. They’ve been helped along by others who, barely acknowledged, have helped them on their way through seemingly impenetrable forests, swamps, and ravines. This was the case with Alfred Russel Wallace, the great Victorian naturalist whose daring expeditions were aided by a young man referred to simply as ‘Ali.’
“This is an important, enlightening book not only because it tells Ali’s story, at last giving him the prominence he deserves, but because it reminds us that we each have Alis in our lives, people to whom we should from time to time raise a grateful glass of thanks.
“Paul Spencer Sochaczewski, a conscientious scholar and gifted raconteur (a rare and welcome combination), pursues the unsung Wallace-Ali relationship (reminiscent of the classic Holmes-Watson partnership) through the distant corners of the Malay Archipelago and into the spiritual realm.”— Indraneil Das, professor, Institute of Biodiversity and Environmental Conservation, University of Malaysia, Sarawak
“Alfred Russel Wallace’s assistant Ali is an adopted son of Ternate. He lived here for some three years in the mid-19th century, and ‘retired’ in Ternate after Wallace left for England. And it was in Ternate where Alfred Russel Wallace wrote his famous Ternate Essay that outlined his Theory of Evolution by Natural Selection. Paul Spencer Sochaczewski’s story of Ali tells of an important period in Ternate’s long and proud history. And his book will be an important stimulus to continue conservation efforts and to educate Ternate citizens about the important role the island has played in the history of science.”
— Tauhid Soleman, mayor of Ternate, Indonesia
“North Maluku is one of the richest parts of the world for biological diversity. It was here that Alfred Russel Wallace made some of his most exciting and important discoveries — the famous Wallace’s standardwing bird-of-paradise, that gives the book its title, was found on the North Maluku island of Bacan. This fascinating and informative book should be essential reading for everyone — both residents of North Maluku and visitors — who want to learn more about our province’s nature, and by extension, the need to conserve, protect, and love what we have.”
— Abdul Ghani Kasuba, governor of North Maluku Province, Indonesia
“I have known Paul Spencer Sochaczewski for years and worked with him and other like-minded friends to search for Ali’s descendants in Ternate and the location of Wallace’s house. As director of the Fort Oranje Historical Site, I appreciate how important it is to present history in an informative, and entertaining manner, as Sochaczewski has done. His new book, “Look Here, Sir, What a Curious Bird,” is a vital resource and strongly recommended for anyone who wants to visit Ternate and the region.”
— Rinto Taib, director of the Spice Museum and Fort Oranje Historic Site, Ternate, Indonesia
“Paul Spencer Sochaczewski has been a good friend over the years, not just to me personally but to the people of the province of North Maluku who are working to save our precious natural heritage. His latest book, Look Here, Sir, What a Curious Bird, reveals how important Wallace’s discoveries were in our understanding of our region’s biodiversity. The book also provides a detailed, touching, and insightful portrait of Ali, the young man who helped Wallace and who settled in Ternate after Wallace left for England. It’s essential reading for anyone planning to visit this beautiful and historic part of Indonesia.”
— Azis Momanda, tourist official, North Maluku Tourist Office, and freelance guide specializing in Wallace-related travel
“The achievements of Alfred Russel Wallace in Indonesia, assisted by the young man we know only as Ali, are important to the nation’s past, but more important, are a source of inspiration and motivation for the younger generation. Wallace was British, but he was not a colonizer; he made no attempt to impose his views and beliefs on the 19th-century population of our country. Just the opposite — he traversed the country, from Sumatra to Papua, respected the people he met, and marveled at the country’s astounding biological diversity and rich natural heritage. Studying, conserving, and being proud of our flora and fauna is important to modern-day Indonesia. Our heritage is found not only in ancient temples and statues but also as living, breathing wildlife in our forests and oceans — our Tanah-Air. Conservationist and journalist Paul Spencer Sochaczewski’s book promotes Indonesia’s biodiversity by vividly describing the achievements of Wallace and his assistant Ali, a young man who came from Borneo and who ‘retired’ in Ternate.”
— Pustanto, acting director of National Museum, Indonesia
“Alfred Russel Wallace is best known as a ground-breaking naturalist, but he also played an indirect but important role in promoting the mid-19th-century exotic bird trade between eastern Indonesia and Europe. This book offers an insightful look at the relationship between Wallace and his able assistant Ali, who likely collected some 5,000 of the more than 8,050 rare birds that Wallace is given credit for.”
— Marc Argeloo, author of Natuuramnesie and historian focusing on the Ternate bird trade
“A fine work. Paul Spencer Sochaczewski has achieved the improbable — written a compelling ‘enhanced biography’ of an unheralded, little-known 19th-century teenager. Focusing on Ali, the Borneo-born assistant of Alfred Russel Wallace — the man who developed the theory of evolution independently of Darwin — Sochaczewski reveals how Wallace would not have been as successful as he was without Ali’s support. Recounting Ali’s adventures eloquently while exploring his relationship with Wallace, Sochaczewski is incisive, funny, and highly informative.”
— Peter Mikelbank, co-author of Albert II de Monaco, l’homme et le prince
“Paul Spencer Sochaczewski has done a great service in bringing Ali, Wallace’s faithful companion and camp manager, alive to us through this intriguing book. It could be argued that, without Ali, Wallace’s achievements in the Malay Archipelago would have been much less successful. Among other interventions, Ali nursed Wallace during his famous malaria fit during which he had his epiphany of the Theory of Evolution by Natural Selection. I fully support the proposal that a replica of Wallace’s house be erected in Ternate and that this education center should also commemorate the important role that Ali played in Wallace’s achievements.”
— Nicholas Hughes, co-author of The Quest for the Legendary House of Alfred Russel Wallace in Ternate
“Alfred Russel Wallace and Charles Darwin are often linked for their work in developing the Theory of Evolution by Natural Selection. But the career paths of the two men could hardly have been more different. Darwin sailed in relative comfort on an official British navy ship, while Wallace travelled independently through the Southeast Asian archipelago on perilous native craft. Darwin’s experience on the Beagle has been well-chronicled; Wallace’s much more adventurous voyages have attracted little attention.
“Darwin does not seem to have developed any important relationships with the people of the Pacific, while Wallace more or less adopted a Malay teenager named Ali, who shared his travels for years. Paul Spencer Sochaczewski skillfully gathers information about him as reflected in the words of others, mainly Wallace, to reconstruct something of the history of a boy/man who otherwise would have joined the extensive ranks of the ‘people without history’ but who were nonetheless directly responsible for shaping the way we think of ourselves and our relationship with nature today.”
— John Miksic, emeritus professor, National University of Singapore; senior research fellow, Nanyang Technological University; and author of Borobudur: Majestic Mysterious Magnificent
“Like Alexander von Humboldt before him, Alfred Russel Wallace had struck out with most of the guides and assistants he hired during his South American travels and was not having better luck in his first year in the Malay Archipelago in the mid-1850s. Then he met the Malay teenager known only as Ali, and things turned around. Ali proved to be a most faithful companion and highly competent as an interpreter, guide, collector, and cook. The story of their relationship, as told here by journalist Paul Spencer Sochaczewski, is a most interesting one, enlivened as it is by the author’s dedication to the subject, the relative dearth of information on Ali, and the reality that historical accounts are seldom clear and absolute but often a mash-up of speculation and morsels of information crafted into a feasible tale.”
— Charles H. Smith, founder and curator of The Alfred Russel Page
“‘Who am I?’ is a question we sometimes ask ourselves without ever coming up with a definitive answer. Our stories change according to age, circumstance, and experience. How much harder then to ask the same question of an unheralded 19th-century teenager from Borneo. Paul Spencer Sochaczewski approaches Ali, Alfred Russel Wallace’s loyal assistant, from every conceivable angle, bringing to bear academic research, colonial perceptions, and the mystical mindset that would have been Ali’s own to define the kaleidoscopic facets of his being. Fieldworkers know the crucial importance of the — usually nameless — ‘local assistant’ who significantly helped the scholar’s research but whose name never made it into print. This important and delightful work questions both the conventional limits of biography and highlights an often-ignored element that is crucial to the development of the myth of ‘Western scientific achievement.’”
— Nigel Barley, author of White Rajah and The Innocent Anthropologist and former curator for Southeast Asia, British Museum
“Paul Spencer Sochaczewski’s strength is that his mind, like that of Alfred Russel Wallace, seeks truth and accuracy but also relishes a broad palette of ideas, themes, and imaginings.
“In this easy-to-read volume, he offers two memorable heroes: Alfred Russel Wallace, a 19th-century giant, one of the world’s greatest naturalists and collectors, and his ‘faithful companion’ Ali, who, up to now, has largely been overlooked.
“Sochaczewski, who has documented Wallace’s life for more than 50 years, now digs into Ali’s story and constructs a fascinating portrait of a young man who helped Wallace become as successful as he was.
“This intriguing book ranges far and wide and employs conventional evidence-based scholarship but also explores the realm of spiritualism — in the unusual but captivating guise of an open-minded non-believer who contacts mediums worldwide in an unrequited quest to uncover fresh information linked to the tantalizing mysteries surrounding Ali’s life and legacy.”
— Derek Partridge, author of What Makes You Clever: The Puzzle of Intelligence and Charles Darwin and a Tale of Two Theories (in preparation), which reinterprets aspects of Darwin’s development of the Theory of Evolution by Natural Selection
“Not everything can be explained by science. Not everything can be explained by history. Paul Spencer Sochaczewski’s literal and literary book about the search for Ali is a wonderful contribution to the multi-dimensional story of Alfred Russel Wallace. The wide-ranging themes covered by this book include scientific breakthroughs, the re-examining of what we know from history (and why history can be slippery), and the possibility that answers for some of the questions we pose may come from supernatural dimensions. Wallace was a philosophical naturalist, and I think he would have enjoyed the imaginative and speculative passages and conversations in the book, perhaps especially those involving mediums. I am certain he would have applauded Sochaczewski for giving Ali a voice.
“But the real enjoyment of reading Look Here, Sir, What a Curious Bird, came from the journey of investigation through which Sochaczewski leads us — as if we are co-conspirators in a detective story. I am reminded of J.B. Priestley’s play An Inspector Calls. As the mysterious Inspector Goole says at one point: “One line of enquiry at a time.” Sochaczewski follows the Ali trail systematically and engagingly. Do we find Ali in the end? Just as in the play, we may never know the answers by relying solely on the scientific method.
“The book commemorates Ali and Wallace, acknowledges the role of Wallace’s many assistants whilst travelling the Malay Archipelago, and helps to rebalance the history of one of the greatest adventures ever told.”
— Barry Clarke, organizer of the campaign to create a statue of Wallace and Ali in Singapore
“The majority of the bird specimens collected by Alfred Russel Wallace during his time in the Malay Archipelago are kept at the Natural History Museum at Tring, UK. But while Wallace gets the credit for compiling his impressive collection, we should realize that some 5,000 of Wallace’s total of 8,050 birds were actually collected, and often skinned and prepared, too, by his assistant Ali. Without their skilled and dedicated assistants, the famous men and women of science would not have been as successful as they were. Paul Spencer Sochaczewski’s insightful and gloriously written book shines the much-deserved light on Ali, who was such an important but sadly overlooked helper to Wallace.”
— Hein van Grouw, senior curator, Bird Group, The Natural History Museum, UK