Who's There?: Travels in Place and Time

by Simon Loftus

I have invented nothing, but memory weaves its own histories.

These are travel stories, ranging in place and time. Some are memories of a re-imagined past, others more personal. From the first recorded performance of Hamlet (off the coast of Africa, in 1607) via the strange foundations on which probability theory was built and the forthright epitaphs of Suffolk gravestones, these explorations expand to include the pursuit of wine, a glittering dusk on the beach of Essaouira, the simit vendors of Istanbul, an elegy for Palmyra. And much more.

Vividly evocative, this collection is a coda to Simon's acclaimed Pike in the Basement, shaped by time and experience.

149 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 20, 2024

Reviews

[Thomas Firth]

Interesting book in theory but a few of the stories were just a bit dull. Once he started talking about wine I became interested!

[Ruby]

I really like travel writing and enjoyed the histories subsection but this guy loves wine and is not afraid to write every anecdote on it. We get it you go places to drink wine. Pages of Grapes etc. try a jäger bomb

[Jess]

Great if you like people and places (and wine)!

[Max]

Pretty interesting at points but quite a random collection of stories.

[Catriona]

A mixed bag for me - the travel vignettes were almost all beautiful, evocative and effective; the histories less so.
Overall an enjoyable read.

[Isabella Wordsworth]

The last three stories were enticing and wonderful but the first half of the book was so tedious

[Claire Miller]

Easy to read and good, not enthralling. Read home.