Worst Journeys : The Picador Book of Travel

by Keath Fraser

Experience - at comfortable second-hand - a selection of the worst journeys in the world, described by some of the best writers on travel in the world. "Worst Journeys" combines reportage, fiction and poetry in an anthology that features many of the best-known writers of our times.'It is always good to discover new excuses to stay at home, particularly when the excuses are as enjoyable and well-written as these' Peter Mayle'We are all brutish in our relieved enjoyment of the misadventures of others, and some of these stories make the toes curl with pleasure in one's safe, cosy bed . . . all the big guns are represented in Fraser's admirable Colin Thubron and Bruce Chatwin . . . Theroux, Raban, Fenton, Young, Gellhorn, Thesiger, Newby . . . no wonder the writing is of the highest order, telling of blistering heat and crippling cold, injustice and cruelty, the hell of Vietnam and the Sudan' Moira Shearer, " Daily Telegraph"'An excellent book full of funny, moving and exciting prose' " Time Out"'Exquisitely uncomfortable far-flung moments from all the usual suspects, both venerable - Greene, Gellhorn, Newby - and chic - Chatwin, O'Hanlon, Amis, Rourke - plus unfamiliar gems and novel extracts that leave you eager for more' Independent on Sunday"All royalties are donated to Canada India Village Aid"

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction, History

Paperback

First published January 1, 1993

Reviews

[Jane Routley · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some great writing here and some interesting authors anthologized but really who wants to listen to a bunch of privledged mostly English writers grumbling about bad travel expereinces when you're in Covid lockdown or just too poor to go anywhere.

[Cabbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Worst Journeys contains 55 stories by some of literature’s best travel writers, primarily in prose form. They relate all sorts of hellish situations, from the banality of dislikable traveling companions, to exceptional, near death experiences. It was a pleasure to discover writers who have had similar experiences to me, and a relief that I have not had the misfortune of some of the more adventurous.

Jan Morris is the optimistic traveler that I would like to be. No matter how grim the experience, she finds no excuse for self-pity, and there is no mishap, however grave, that cannot be accommodated with a glass of Chardonnay.

I have so far been lucky enough not to be robbed while traveling, unlike Stephen Brook. He describes how his ignorance led him to check in to a whorehouse masquerading as a motel, and the consequent theft of all his belongings. It was easy to sympathize with his British sense of outrage in the face of American criminal activity and laid-back policing.

A collection of essays on the effects of war provided the most appalling travel experiences. P.J. O’Rourke visited Northern Ireland in 1988 and witnessed an “acceptable level of violence.” Gavin Young revisited Hué in Vietnam in 1968 and discovered how friends coped with US bombing, day and night over 14 days. Bruce Chatwin got caught up in a coup in Benin, was arrested, accused of being a mercenary and faced execution.

But it’s not all harrowing. Al Purdy’s poem recounting an episode in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago when he had to do in rocky terrain what bears do in the woods, left me yelping with laughter.

[Josephine Draper · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a digest of travel writing; ranging from fictional depictions of travel, poetry, and classic tales of adversity through to musings on the nature of travel itself, spanning most of the world but with a concentration on challenges in the developing world. Many of the authors are well known either in the travel writing or general fiction field, including Jan Morris, Martin Amis, Paul Theroux, JM Coetzee and Anita Desai. It's 30 years' old now and strange to reflect many of the writers are no longer with us.

The book is arranged into themes, including a specific section on fear of flying, one about road trips, and one horrible section on war. My favourite is the last: "Classic Questers in Extremis" and includes extracts by Wilfred Thesiger and Eric Newby in the vein of true exploration, without cars or modern technology, human against the elements and often in life-threatening situations. This to me is where travel writing really excels; the ability to transport us to situations we would not dream of adventuring in ourselves, and yet, through the eyes of others, we are able to experience it.

As a digest, there's bound to be something for everyone, but it does suffer a little through the short story nature. Those extracts I really enjoyed - including Paul Theroux's reminiscences of one night in Limon, trying desperately to get away from a limpet fellow traveller only to find that the alternative is worse - were too short, while many of the war extracts were so awful they were too long.

I have taken away a couple of ideas about further reading, JM Coetzee, Russell Banks and Paul Theroux, which is certainly a sign of some good writing in this collection.

[Martin Chambers · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although dated there is some great stuff here, anecdotes really, but in the back of my mind is the true 'Worst Journey' - the one you don't survive. So far, no one has managed to write about them. Something to do with mortality and the ability to hold a pen. Still, if you travel and like reading, here is a book for you to pick up secondhand.

[Edward Potts · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book a lot. It is full of short, punchy chapters of different peoples travels around the world and throughout the 20th century. I think it is a good look into a world of travel that does not exist anymore and a good introduction to classic travel authors.

[Leonie · Rating 4 out of 5]

We run the gamut of hilarious to outright terror in the pieces in this collection. Bruce Chatwin's piece which walks a balance between fear and ludicrousness is particularly notable.

[D'face · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love travel writing and this book is an excellent collection from more than fifty fine writers - a taster of sorts that will leave you with a list of authors and books to follow up. There are some famous contributors here - John Updike, Martin Amis, Paul Theroux, Umberto Eco and Graham Greene to name a small selection. 

The extracts are grouped - defining a bad trip, flying, tourism, bad patches of the road, war and near death experiences. I found the war stories from Afghanistan, Benin, Vietnam and Cambodia difficult to read and I marveled at some of the stories from writers who had thought they would die but were rescued, or push on and endured to survive. 

There are some very humourous accounts and some wonderful poetry and fiction here also. The short chapters make it an ideal bedside book, but one that left me dreaming of difficult journeys and wondering how some us live such sedate suburban lives, while others decide to climb mountains, push through jungle clad rivers or brave war zones. 

An excellent book, one to whet your appetite for travel and adventure, if only from the safety of a shady city cafe. 

[Rod]

great collection of stories and poems describing terrible journeys. definitely worth reading

[Skyring]

I registered a book at BookCrossing.com!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/11801727

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well worth reading. Great travel stories