A Journey: Memoirs - Paperback

by Imru Zelleke (Author)

Former ambassador Imru Zelleke, son of a minister in Emperor Haile Selassie's first cabinet, grandson of a founder of Addis Ababa and a warrior for Menelik at Adwa, tells the story of a life lived in the thick of history.

His wide-ranging experiences provide a noteworthy and fascinating look at Ethiopia in the twentieth century. As a young child, he was ripped away from the privileged life he'd known and sent to the notorious Danane concentration camp. Italy's Fascists invaded the country violently, and the occupation was bloody and disastrous. Many decades later, after traveling the world as a diplomat, Zelleke ended up in the exclusive realm of international banking. His compelling memoirs covers the many years of his life and the developments in Ethiopia that shaped history. Zelleke offers a view of history from the heart of things, an honest inside look at Emperor Haile Selassie as he attempted to modernize an unsettled nation while still maintaining an opulent court.

Zelleke's is a life lived to the fullest, including the highs and lows that inevitably go along with that. His illuminating story is ultimately one of love for his country, a love that never wavered, even in the darkest of days.

Author Biography

Born in Addis Ababa in 1923, Imru Zelleke served in the Ethiopian government from 1941 to 1956 in various capacities, notably in the Foreign Service. He participated in the first UN General Assembly and the Paris Peace Conference in 1946. He served as Special Assistant to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, then Chief of Protocol and Director General of the European and United Nations Departments. He was Chargé d'Affaires in Stockholm and Paris and Ambassador to Germany.

After managing his own import-export business, Zelleke rejoined the government in 1967 as Ambassador to Ghana followed by an ambassadorship to Scandinavia. He was Minister of State for Commerce and Industry when the military coup d'état broke out in 1974. Zelleke immigrated to the United States in 1975 and held executive positions in business and banking. He is now retired and lives in Arlington, Virginia. He continues his engagement in Ethiopian public affairs.