A whimsical, hilarious, heartbreaking tour of the world—a book of immense range and depth, the record of a world-class traveller's many discoveries and insights
Since making his first voyage as a sailor — to earn his passage from his native Holland to South America — Cees Nooteboom has been captivated by foreign countries and cultures and has never stopped travelling.
Now a selection of his most enjoyable travel pieces are gathered together in this wide-ranging collection, informed throughout by the author's humanity and humour. From exotic places like Isfahan, the Gambia and Mali to more familiar locales such as Australia and Zurich, Nooteboom shares his view of the world, showing us the strangeness in places we thought we knew and the familiarity of places most of us will probably never see for ourselves. His phenomenal gifts as an observer and the wealth of his reading and learning make him an authoritative and delightful companion. Beyond the places he visits, he also meditates, as every traveller has, on the ideal hotel.: a nomad's hotel for a global nomad.
With a new introduction from fellow world-class traveller and writer extraordinaire, Alberto Manguel.