Desire Paths: Real Walks to Nonreal Places

by Roy Bayfield

Desire Paths begins on a hospital gurney as the author prepares for open heart surgery. Thereafter, it dances back and forth in place and time between an array of connected walks that Roy has undertaken over the years. Each chapter starts with a quote from Phil Smith's Mythogeography, specifically from the 'Legend' given in that book-'legend' as in a set of definitions of symbols used on maps to define landscape features. Roy uses these symbols to organize the book. The main body of each chapter is an account of a walking journey he has done, arranged by Legend, not time. Towards the end of each chapter, Roy reflects on a Landscape Feature that corresponds to the Legend-exploring the workability (or playability) of mythogeographical concepts and illustrating how they have manifested in his own walking. Finally, the Jump Over the Back Fence notes in each chapter suggest further actual walks which readers could make. [Subject: Walking, Memoir, Sociology, Argleton, Mythogeography, Psychogeography]

142 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2016

Reviews

[Alan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have to declare a conflict of interest: Roy's a mate and fellow Piccadilly Cowboy. But us cowboys never let our shared love of very unPC westerns and associated stuff get in the way of slagging each other off, whether justified or not. So .... it's a terrific book, unlike anything I've read before. The man has a superb range of reference points, no discernible cultural snobbery and a great sense of humour. That said a wee bit more sex and violence wouldn't go amiss but I think that's true of every book ever .