Thubrons first travel book, mirror to damascus, was published in 1967, the first such book on the city for a century. Above all, asserted kalfus, thubron is never a travel bore. The route chosen by colin thubron passes through china, uzbekistan, kyrgyzstan, afghanistan, iran and turkey, taking in the most sterile desert on earth the taklamakan and the strifetorn mountain valleys of todays conflicts, as he travels from the tomb of the yellow emperor the mythic progenitor of the chinese people to the ancient port of. The 87 greatest travel books of all time, according to. Artemis cooper is the author of the biography patrick leigh fermor. Shadow of the silk road audiobook by colin thubron. The narrow road to the deep north and other travel sketches, matsuo basho 1694 in 1689, the master of the haiku walked through northern japan for. His first writing was about the middle east damascus, lebanon and cyprus. The broken road is the longawaited account of the final leg of his youthful adventure that leigh fermor promised but was unable to finish before his death in 2011. A quest in lebanon, a lyrical account of a journey through the country, precivil war, and the next year by jerusalem. Colin thubron is a great descriptive writer and i could almost picture each of his encounters along his journey. It was followed the next year by the hills of adonis. To make up for the obvious lack of a point to the book, thubron has overdecorated his prose with baroque flourishes at every turn. Colin thubron is a great descriptive writer and i could almost picture each of his encounters along his.
It is hard to think of a better travel book written this century the times a beautiful and profound travel book mail on sunday a masterpiece of travel writing. Making his way by local bus, truck, car, donkey cart, and camel, colin thubron covered some seven thousand miles in eight monthsout of the heart of china into the mountains of central asia, across northern afghanistan and the plains of iran into kurdish turkeyand explored an ancient world in modern ferment. Time and again he has reminded me what a good book is. As thubron puts it since the holocaust, my world has made a duty of remembrance. Throughout his narrative i found myself caught somewhere between being captivated by his perceptive observations, which were seldom judgemental yet always intensely personal and enthralled by his pictorial prose, laden with metaphor and similie. In 1965 he became a freelance documentary filmmaker. Shadow of the silk road is a travel book, not a novel with a plot, and the enjoyment of reading it lies in the details of every traveler, every situation and every town thubron experiences along the way. The author, british travel writer colin thubron, traveled from xian, an ancient capital of china, to antioch in turkey along the silk road, blending broad historical knowledge with acute observations of contemporary life. To travel the silk road, the greatest land route on earth, is to trace the passage not only of trade and armies but also of ideas, religions, and inventions.
Shadow of the silk road, by colin thubron, delivers a wonderful tale of his adventures along the silk road as it exists today. There is a monotony of desert and steppes in colin thubrons ninth travel book, shadow of the silk road, a. With minimal complaint about traveling inconveniences, he keeps his focus on siberia. In 1982 he travelled all over russia in an ancient morris marina pursued at every stage by the kgb. In 2008, the times ranked him 45th on their list of the 50 greatest postwar british writers. This is as much a personal journey as it is a travel book. About the author colin thubron is an acknowledged master of travel writing, and the winner of many prizes and awards. This book was ok but i would reccommend the other two first. The best books on central asia and the silk road region. Thubrons travel books include his 1967 debut mirror to damascus, as well as among the russians, in siberia, shadow of the silk road, and 2011s to a mountain in tibet. I did enjoy the book but i had a few instances where my attention drifted. At 68yearsold he maybe ready to turn in the 3rd class hard seat for softer living. Shadow of the silk road by colin thubron, paperback.
Other writers describe what can be seen, thubron gives us a picture of what no longer exists. An adventure as well as the editor of words of mercury, a collection of leigh fermors writings. The trilogy about his exploits in the former soviet union. Shadow of the silk road, by colin thubron the independent. Colin thubron is the president of the royal society of literature. There are a lot of books on central asia and the silk road region. The book opens with the author traveling across northern nepal toward kailas, a 22,000foot mountain in western tibet. Thubron is currently in the spotlight thanks to his latest book, shadow of the silk road. Among the russians, siberia, and the lost heart of asia are literary masterpieces. Educated at eton college, he worked briefly for the publishers hutchinson and as a freelance television filmmaker in turkey, japan and morocco. The publishers werent keen on the silk road book shadow of the silk road, for instance, but the more i thought about it the more i wanted to do it.
His first book, mirror to damascus, was published in 1967. The mountain path is the road of the dead, writes thubron shadow of the silk road in this engrossing and affecting travel memoir that transcends the mere physical journey. Novelist and acclaimed travel writer thubron shadow of the silk road, 2007, etc. The best travel writing five books expert recommendations. Colin thubron project gutenberg selfpublishing ebooks. The authors tendency to read a land through its people put him at a disadvantage in his last travel book, in siberia, where i felt he neglected the. He joins jan morris, bill bryson and michael palin in being a recipient of the outstanding contribution award. Shadow of the silk road is thubrons ninth travel book. The best travel writing, as recommended by veteran british travel writer, colin thubron.
Not a book, rather a travel blog, this is the best contemporary account of travel across eurasia. Shadow of the silk road by colin thubron goodreads. Colin thubron, born june 14, 1939, london, england, british travel writer and novelist whose works, often set in foreign locales, explore love, memory, and the loss of faith as well as the differences between the ideal and the real after attending eton college, thubron worked as an editor at publishing houses in london and new york city. Shadow of the silk road by colin thubron used very. What makes thubrons book different from other travel writings is the mystery that is conveyed. Colin thubron, cbe frsl is a man booker nominated british travel writer and novelist. Colin thubron returns to familiar lands in shadow of the silk road, but the truth about this mythical trading route is tricky to pin down, says susan whitfield. British travel writer colin thubron is one of the most accomplished representatives of the trade. Third colin thubron travel book ive listened to but not as good as in siberia and shadow of the silk road. In the wake of his mothers death, thubron sets off to mount kailas in tibet, a peak sacred to onefifth of the worlds population and the source of four of india. In 2007, eight years after in siberia, was published, thubrons ninth travel book, shadow of the silk road, was released. Thubron did just that, and shadow of the silk road is the story of that adventure.
There is a monotony of desert and steppes in colin thubron s ninth travel book, shadow of the silk road, a record of an epic. Colin thubron went back to cross from china via central asia and afghanistan to iran and eastern turkey, to travel the ancient silk road. He published shadow of the silk road in 2006, the book, but more so his journey, an extraordinary feat, given the threat from sars in china and the hostilities in afghanistan at the time. A journey along the silk road 7,000 miles from china to turkey a brilliant account of an ancient world in modern ferment.
His books have been translated into more than twenty languages. Awardwinning travel writer and novelist colin thubron was born in london on 14 june 1939. Colin gerald dryden thubron, cbe frsl born 14 june 1939 is a british travel writer and novelist in 2008, the times ranked him 45th on their list of the 50 greatest postwar british writers. Indeed, the classic silk road of antiquity, extending from the mediterranean sea to central china, can still be traced in many places. The experiences add up to an interesting portrait of lands and people not well known or appreciated for all the twists of fate history has dealt them. So much of the silk road lays in ruins or lies buried. Thompsons 1972 acid trip fear and loathing in las vegas to herodotuss 440 b. Colin thubron is the master of classic travel writing, and a previous winner of the thomas cook travel book award. In the wake of his mothers death, thubron sets off to mount kailas in tibet, a peak sacred to onefifth of the worlds population and the source of.
Thubrons account of the silk road is a literary treasure. It took me a little while to get used to the style but once i settled in it is a great travel book. Histories, these are the writerapproved best travel books. Among his books are the lost heart of asia, shadow of the silk road, and most recently, to a mountain in tibet.
Making his way by local bus, truck, car, donkey cart, and camel, colin thubron covered some seven thousand miles in eight. Shadow of the silk road was published in the us in january 2007. To a mountain in tibet by colin thubron, paperback. So many obscure civilizations were brutally leveled with few, if any remnants remaining. The ultimate travel book gift guide national geographic. Cooper and colin thubron from a manuscript that the author left unfinished upon his death in 2011. Assembled from leigh fermors manuscripts by his prizewinning biographer artemis cooper and the travel writer colin thubron, this is perhaps the most personal of all leigh fermor.
Thubrons first book, mirror to damascus, published in 1967, was the first about syria written in english for 100 years. In the book, thubron relates his experiences from his epic eightmonth. Colin thubrons contribution to the travel writing genre over the last 40 years can only be described as immense. Thubrons first travel book was mirror to damascus, published in 1967, when he was in his late 20s. It was easily the bestselling travel book over the christmas period, and thubron has given an unprecedented three lectures on the subject at. The publishers werent keen on the silk road book shadow of the silk road, for instance, but the more i thought about it the more i. Among the russians the 20 best travel books of all time. Thubron has that rare ability to find the strangest outofthe way places, meet weird people, and then render his observations and encounters in. A conversation with colin thubron, travel writer take a magiccarpet ride along the length of the most storied of ancient trade routes, the silk road, with colin thubron, one of the worlds. Shadow of the silk road by colin thubron librarything. Thubron last saw china 18 years ago, before its market economy took off.
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