A real gem. I read this several years ago, but was reminded of it after reading Mackintosh-Smith's book about Yemen recently, as it is similar in style. Elliot's writing is learned and poetic, and he is a sympathetic traveller.
The record of his extraordinary journeys through the parched 'Empty Quarter' of Arabia. All the more fascinating as it is set in the days before oil exploration had really changed the peninsula, and the world with it.
One of my favourite books as a child, this simply fired my imagination about faraway places. I always imagined myself as the "little captain", the main character in this book and the two that followed, who set off in his little boat in search of adventure.
The third "Kleine Kapitein" book.
The second "Kleine Kapitein" book.
If you like Borges, you'll love this book, multilayered and full of metaphysics. Another Hungarian reference from our reliable Lonely Planet.
One of the books I took with me on our world trip, and then left at a travellers book exchange somewhere in Peru, with my email address written inside the front cover. Have been getting reviews from people around the world ever since.
An excellent reference to Hungarian literature I found in our Lonely Planet. Skylark is a portrait of provincial life in the Austro-Hungarian monarchy at the turn of the century.
On the influence of television on our lives. Toussaint's work has been compared to that of Samuel Beckett, Jacques Tati and the films of Jim Jarmusch.
A great book about life at remote bases in Canada's far north.
Another travel book, a nice light read, perfect for a rainy stormy day on our travels.
On one level, a tale of sea adventure and mystery, but what makes it stand out for me is the complex symbolism.
You find this book everywhere in Vietnam (not the genuine Penguin of course), set during the period leading up to the American War in Vietnam.
Only read this just recently and I was pleasantly surprised. I had always thought of this as one of the most challenging books by one of the most challenging writers. Part dream, part satire, a brilliant evocation of a bureaucracy gone mad.
Another book I read on our travels.
I read this in conjunction with Thesiger's Arabian Sands. First class, written with erudition and insight.
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