author
Arthur J. Hayes
A British medical officer and travel writer, he is remembered for a vivid firsthand account of an early-1900s journey through Sudan and Abyssinia to Lake Tana, source of the Blue Nile. His writing blends expedition narrative with close observation of place, people, and the realities of travel at the time.
1 Audiobook
About the author
Little biographical information about Arthur J. Hayes is easy to confirm, but his surviving work shows him as a medical officer as well as a keen observer of the regions he traveled through.
In The Source of the Blue Nile, Hayes writes that in October 1902 he was serving as Medical Inspector in the native quarter of Alexandria when he was unexpectedly drawn into an expedition toward Abyssinia. The book follows his route through Sudan to Lake Tana and back to Egypt by way of the Atbara Valley, mixing adventure, geography, and notes on local customs and religion.
Published in the early 20th century, the book remains the clearest window into Hayes's life and interests. For modern listeners, he comes across as a practical traveler with a doctor's eye for detail and a storyteller's sense of atmosphere.