The Times newspaper has published a list of the 20 best travel books of the last century. These lists are only a bit of fun and I've been guilty of a couple of them myself, but even so, this particular one is - shall we say - a wee bit parochial. Of the twenty travel writers on the their list, 17 are English (17!). There's one Irish woman on there and the two Americans are Paul Theroux who of course has a couple of English children and who lived in London for twenty years and Bill Bryson who has dual British/American citizenship and who lives in Yorkshire. There are no French, German, Spanish, Polish, or Italian travel writers on the Times list. No one from Latin America, Africa or Asia. The great VS Naipaul doesn't get a look in or Carlo Levi or Peter Mathiessen or William Least Heat Moon or Pico Iyer etc. etc....
Still if you're looking for a list of the top 20 English travel books of the last century this is a good place to start, although why A Time of Gifts isn't #1 is a bit of a puzzle.
15 comments:
I've never read any Alain de Botton, have you? I noticed that he was on the list. I heard him recently on NPR and added his recent book on working --The Pleasure & Sorrows of Work--to my Amazon wishlist. He sounded pretty interesting. Since I'm writing about working, I've been trying to read more about it too. I picked up Studs Terkel's WORKING recently, though I haven't started it. I did like Barbara Ehrenreich's Nickel & Dimed. Any recommends you have on this subject are most appreciated.
HB
Havent read that DB. I read his Consolations of Philosophy and thought it was ok. To be honest he rubs me the wrong way a bit - spoiled child of priviledge who's never had a tough break in his life, but maybe his book is ok.
My wife taught Nickel and Dimed when she was at Denver University and I thought it was pretty good.
I know it was so last century, but I really like Mark Twain's Roughing It.
I like de Botton, although I think the only one I've read through is How Proust Can Change Your Life.
Adrian, I am kind of surprised that you haven't popped up an alternative top 20.
Seana
Here's my personal top 10
1, A Time of Gifts
2, The Old Patagonian Express
3. The Snow Leopard
4. A Goddess in the Stones
5. A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush
6. The Worst Journey in the World
7. Christ Stopped at Eboli
8. Blue Highways
9. The Tree Where Man Was Born
10. Labels
HB
Well Following the Equator came out at the turn of the century and is universally excellent. Not quite up there with Roughing It or The Innocents Abroad but very good.
Two Australian travel writers I like are Robyn Davidson and Michael Moran.
I loved Christ Stopped at Eboli. It's a bit hard to sell in Santa Cruz as the title gives people the wrong idea.
Thanks for the list--I know all the names, except Labels, but Theroux is the only one I've read, and unfortunately, not that one. Or perhaps fortunately, since it's nice to have more Theroux to look forward to.
Hardbarned, have you taken a look at the recent title Shop Class as Soulcraft by Matthew Crawford? It's hitting at least the Indie bestseller list. I haven't read it, but saw him interviewed and he seems pretty interesting. He has an auto shop I think and had to out himself as a writer to his clients when the book took off.
You couldn't be bothered with the names, right?
The Snow Leopard
Are you outing yourself as a Mac fan in the Mac-Pc debate?
I loved Christ Stopped at Eboli.
I haven't read it. I'm a very bad Italian.
Yeah, you'd tell it was right up my alley being the story of a fascist political prisoner. Probably it was talked about too much at some point in my life and, like Seana, I'm a bit of a contrarian.
Ken Livingstone interviews Iain (M) Banks.
Marco
Just for you:
Fermor, Theroux, Mathiessen, Lewis, Newby, Cherry-Garrard, Levi, Least Heat Moon, Mathiessen, Waugh.
Christ stopped is pretty good.
marco
I think he's right about Scotland (well they both are). Independence or something very close to it is going to come.
Seana, nope, haven't read Shopcraft, but thanks for the idea. Sounds like I should check it out, and I will. Also, my wife loves Least-Heat Moon but I've not read him.
Marco, if I was an Italian, I wouldn't have read Carlo Levi either. But I'm glad I did.
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