Re: [Paddlewise] Books

I tend to agree with you regarding Theroux's observations of the people he
meets in most of his books. He seems to be mellowing a bit in some recent
magazine articles I've read, and perhaps trying to relate with the people he
meets, without exhibiting a city man's tunnel
vision of those far from the faceless mass. In Outside Magazine, September
1998 he writes "The Essential Nature of Islands".
In the December issue,of this year, he writes"Merry Christmas Island". In
both articles he is more subdued in his criticism of individuals. At the end
of his article on Christmas Island,when a woman off a cruise ship comments
to her companion that there isn't much on the island to see, Theroux
laments,  " You couldn't blame them. But it was a pity, for even in the
eight hours the ship stayed at Christmas they could have gone 15 or so miles
past the town line, where habitation ends and the richness of the island
begins...."
A book I really enjoyed reading, during a recent dark subarctic Winter, was
Kayaks Down the Nile by John Goddard. The story of an American and 2 French
adventurers who set out in 1950 to paddle the Nile's over 4,000 mile length.
Wonderful Winter reading about a sun drenched part of the world.
-----Original Message-----
From: Steve Cramer <cramer_at_coe.uga.edu>
To: Alex Ferguson <a.ferguson_at_chem.canterbury.ac.nz>
Cc: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net <paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net>
Date: Sunday, November 22, 1998 9:12 PM
Subject: Re: [Paddlewise] Books


>On Mon, 23 Nov 1998, Alex Ferguson wrote:
>
>> > 2.  Happy Isles of Oceana by Paul Theroux -  If you like Theroux you
will
>> > probably like this book.
>>
>> here's another writer with inaccuracies. Theroux at his usual
>> unlikeable self. With reference to his Fiji section, inaccurate
>> and unlikeable.
>
>Amen to that. As I recall, there was one island he liked out of about 50
>he visited. Judging from this book, Oceania is peopled by brutish louts
>living in filthy conditions. I don't think that's true.
>
>I've read several of Theroux's travel books and he seems to
>be totally disgruntled at everyone he meets. I frequently find myself
>staying "Paul, why don't you just stay home?"
>
>
>Steve Cramer
>Test Scoring & Reporting Services      Sometimes you never can
>University of Georgia                    always tell what you
>Athens, GA 30602-5593                      least expect the most.
>
>
>***************************************************************************
>PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List
>Submissions:     paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net
>Subscriptions:   paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net
>Website:         http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/
>***************************************************************************
>


***************************************************************************
PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List
Submissions:     paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net
Subscriptions:   paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net
Website:         http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/
***************************************************************************