Journeys of a Curious Man

Journeys of a Curious Man reflects the many and varied adventures that the author, Henry Spencer, has undertaken. During the course of his life he has had over 30 different jobs; lived on three continents and worked in at least nine different countries. His career encompassed a variety of very different jobs – from underground mining to being MD of factories and eventually CEO of non-profit organizations.

He currently continues to work as a consultant in Pietermaritzburg; engages in research and study in the gerontological field, and writes books. (He has to date written seven ranging from positive ageing to this his newest venture, focusing on his interesting escapades. He has also written a poetry anthology as well as a book on philosophical observations).

His style of writing has been described as informal (with some readers commenting that he wrote just the way in which he spoke). It has also been described as cynically humorous and certainly anecdotal in nature. He once said that he avoided writing novels on the basis that most writers imagine their adventures – then live them in their literary productions; whereas he lives his adventures then merely records them.

In this book he commences with childhood adventures visiting his Afrikaans relatives who farmed in the Northern Cape, goes on to recount his military adventures during the sixties and seventies, and culminates in his experiences, working in the field of caring for elderly and vulnerable people, both locally and internationally. He informs reader that his escapades are not epics, such as for example climbing Mount Everest. Mostly they deal with human interaction. But invariably when dealing with people, facts are stranger than fiction!