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Sunrise With Seamonsters: Paul Theroux's Fifty Glittering Pieces―Journeys Through People, Places, and Ideas
The journeys of Paul Theroux take place not only in exotic, unexpected places of the world but in the thoughts, reading, and emotions of the writer himself. A gathering of people, places, and ideas in fifty glittering pieces of gold.
384 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1985
95 people are currently reading
548 people want to read
About the author
Paul Theroux
237 books2,605 followersPaul Edward Theroux is an American travel writer and novelist, whose best known work is The Great Railway Bazaar (1975), a travelogue about a trip he made by train from Great Britain through Western and Eastern Europe, the Middle East, through South Asia, then South-East Asia, up through East Asia, as far east as Japan, and then back across Russia to his point of origin. Although perhaps best known as a travelogue writer, Theroux has also published numerous works of fiction, some of which were made into feature films. He was awarded the 1981 James Tait Black Memorial Prize for his novel The Mosquito Coast.
He is the father of Marcel and Louis Theroux, and the brother of Alexander and Peter. Justin Theroux is his nephew.
He is the father of Marcel and Louis Theroux, and the brother of Alexander and Peter. Justin Theroux is his nephew.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews
September 19, 2018
This book is 50 short essays and articles, written between 1964-84, which include travel pieces, interviews, studies of favourite authors, autobiographical pieces, etc. I have included the table of contents for your reference.
This is my least favourite nonfiction Theroux (so far). Don't get me wrong, I am a big Theroux fan, but it just took me forever to get through this book. As always, I did enjoy learning a bit more about Theroux's life, and I'm always happy to listen to Theroux's take on the world at large. The 1979 interview with a young John McEnroe was an interesting blast from the past!
A couple of quotes from the book.
"And that is all anyone can do, try to be honest about what he feels, what he's seen or thinks he's seen." 1967 Chapter 'Cowardice'
"It is the bumpkin who sees travel in terms of dancing girls and candlelight dinners on the terrace; the city slicker’s triumphant holiday is finding the right mountaintop or building a fire in the rain or recognizing the wildflowers in Dingle: foxglove, heather, bluebells." 1976 Chapter 'Discovering Dingle'
I'm not one of those who are put off by his literary references. Theroux is a voracious reader. I like gleaning reading recommendations from him.
Paul once commented on the relationship between nonfiction, and fiction, in travel pieces, 'The nearest thing to writing a novel is traveling in a strange country. Travel is a creative act – not simply loafing and inviting your soul, but feeding the imagination, accounting for each fresh wonder, memorizing, and moving on. The discoveries the traveler makes in broad daylight – the curious problems of the eye he solves – resemble those that thrill and sustain a novelist in his solitude."
I enjoyed the Afterword almost as much as the rest of the book. In it he, very briefly, gives you the back story to most of the chapters. As Mr Spock would say, "Fascinating".
3 Stars = I liked the book. I'm glad I read it.
This is my least favourite nonfiction Theroux (so far). Don't get me wrong, I am a big Theroux fan, but it just took me forever to get through this book. As always, I did enjoy learning a bit more about Theroux's life, and I'm always happy to listen to Theroux's take on the world at large. The 1979 interview with a young John McEnroe was an interesting blast from the past!
A couple of quotes from the book.
"And that is all anyone can do, try to be honest about what he feels, what he's seen or thinks he's seen." 1967 Chapter 'Cowardice'
"It is the bumpkin who sees travel in terms of dancing girls and candlelight dinners on the terrace; the city slicker’s triumphant holiday is finding the right mountaintop or building a fire in the rain or recognizing the wildflowers in Dingle: foxglove, heather, bluebells." 1976 Chapter 'Discovering Dingle'
I'm not one of those who are put off by his literary references. Theroux is a voracious reader. I like gleaning reading recommendations from him.
Paul once commented on the relationship between nonfiction, and fiction, in travel pieces, 'The nearest thing to writing a novel is traveling in a strange country. Travel is a creative act – not simply loafing and inviting your soul, but feeding the imagination, accounting for each fresh wonder, memorizing, and moving on. The discoveries the traveler makes in broad daylight – the curious problems of the eye he solves – resemble those that thrill and sustain a novelist in his solitude."
I enjoyed the Afterword almost as much as the rest of the book. In it he, very briefly, gives you the back story to most of the chapters. As Mr Spock would say, "Fascinating".
3 Stars = I liked the book. I'm glad I read it.
May 21, 2025
A wonderful collection of essays previously published in various publications demonstrating the incredible range of interests of this powerful writer, one of my favorites. As they first appeared during the 60's through the 80's, they are indicative of his insatiable curiosity and ability to describe, sometimes self deprecating, always honest. Whether he's discussing a favorite writer (I'd never read Pritchett, but will now), the importance of the Raj railroad system to India, or a harrowing rowboat excursion between the Cape and the Vineyard, he is clear, concise, and always interesting.
November 7, 2008
Paul Theroux has recently become one of my favorite authors. It started a few months ago when I read his book Riding the Iron Rooster. I picked up this book in a thrift store for fifty cents, not knowing what a gem it was. It sat amongst my cluttered shelves for several years before I actually read it, not having anything else to read and being mildly intrigued. And what a trip it was. I had stumbled upon one of the best travel writers of the 20th century.
This is what led me to his anthology Sunrise with Seamonsters, a collection of essays written by Theroux over a twenty-year period. It includes everything from travel narratives to book reviews; he even treats readers to a personal account of his high school reunion.
The progression of the writer himself is apparent in the way the essays are arranged in chronological order, from 1964 to 1984. The voice of the writer begins young and exuberant, working for the Peace Corp. in Central Africa. Through the years, the reader can track the writer's progression; the voice becomes confident, critical, insightful.
Paul Theroux is a writer's writer. He's inspiring. He verbalizes the struggles of writing -- and the exhiliration -- through his own experiences and those of other writers. He is an excellent interviewer. One of my favorite essays is "V.S. Naipaul," the first half of which was published in 1971, the second in 1982. Throughout the essay the reader can sense the influence Naipaul had on Theroux as a young writer and the respect Theroux has for him throughout his life. Theroux wrote, "He has considerable courage, a refined sense of order and an unswerving literary and moral integrity; his eye, attentive for the smallest detail, can give an apparently common landscape or unremarkable physique many features." The reader gets a glimpse of a young, self-conscious, unsure writer in Theroux. This is juxtaposed with the confident and quirky nature of Naipaul himself.
The sights and sounds Theroux observes are sometimes so minute, but he writes about them in a way that makes the reader identify with him. His descriptions are very human. In the article "Discovering Dingle," originally published in Travel & Leisure, 1976, Theroux recounts a trip he took with his family to the southwest coast of Ireland. Most of the article is gloomy as he describes the inclement weather on their trip and the oddness of the Dingle Peninsula. But the ending is so quiet and endearing:
The island hill becomes such a sudden ridge and so sharp that when we got to the top of it and took a step we were in complete silence; no wind, no gulls, no surf, only a green-blue vista of the coast of Kerry, Valencia Island and the soft headlands. Here on the lee side the heather was three feet thick and easy as a mattress. I lay down, and within minutes my youngest child was asleep on his stomach, his face on a cushion of fragrant heather. And the rest of the family had wandered singly to other parts of the silent island, so that when I sat up I could see them prowling alone, in detached discovery, trying -- because we could not possess this strangeness -- to remember it.
One of the biggest draws to Theroux's writing for me is his use of language. In "Making Tracks to Chittagong," 1983, he wrote, "I imagined my itinerary on a map as resembling my own elongated signature written in railway lines across the top of India." The reader not only comes away with a sense of his extensive traveling, but also the actual visual of the railways curling across northern India. It is poetic without being pretentious.
Theroux's success in this anthology is based on how much of his personality shines through in these pieces. His point of view of the world and it's happenings are unique and exquisitely displayed. The candid conversations he has with his readers about writing and living make this an anthology enjoyable to not just writers, but everyone.
This is what led me to his anthology Sunrise with Seamonsters, a collection of essays written by Theroux over a twenty-year period. It includes everything from travel narratives to book reviews; he even treats readers to a personal account of his high school reunion.
The progression of the writer himself is apparent in the way the essays are arranged in chronological order, from 1964 to 1984. The voice of the writer begins young and exuberant, working for the Peace Corp. in Central Africa. Through the years, the reader can track the writer's progression; the voice becomes confident, critical, insightful.
Paul Theroux is a writer's writer. He's inspiring. He verbalizes the struggles of writing -- and the exhiliration -- through his own experiences and those of other writers. He is an excellent interviewer. One of my favorite essays is "V.S. Naipaul," the first half of which was published in 1971, the second in 1982. Throughout the essay the reader can sense the influence Naipaul had on Theroux as a young writer and the respect Theroux has for him throughout his life. Theroux wrote, "He has considerable courage, a refined sense of order and an unswerving literary and moral integrity; his eye, attentive for the smallest detail, can give an apparently common landscape or unremarkable physique many features." The reader gets a glimpse of a young, self-conscious, unsure writer in Theroux. This is juxtaposed with the confident and quirky nature of Naipaul himself.
The sights and sounds Theroux observes are sometimes so minute, but he writes about them in a way that makes the reader identify with him. His descriptions are very human. In the article "Discovering Dingle," originally published in Travel & Leisure, 1976, Theroux recounts a trip he took with his family to the southwest coast of Ireland. Most of the article is gloomy as he describes the inclement weather on their trip and the oddness of the Dingle Peninsula. But the ending is so quiet and endearing:
The island hill becomes such a sudden ridge and so sharp that when we got to the top of it and took a step we were in complete silence; no wind, no gulls, no surf, only a green-blue vista of the coast of Kerry, Valencia Island and the soft headlands. Here on the lee side the heather was three feet thick and easy as a mattress. I lay down, and within minutes my youngest child was asleep on his stomach, his face on a cushion of fragrant heather. And the rest of the family had wandered singly to other parts of the silent island, so that when I sat up I could see them prowling alone, in detached discovery, trying -- because we could not possess this strangeness -- to remember it.
One of the biggest draws to Theroux's writing for me is his use of language. In "Making Tracks to Chittagong," 1983, he wrote, "I imagined my itinerary on a map as resembling my own elongated signature written in railway lines across the top of India." The reader not only comes away with a sense of his extensive traveling, but also the actual visual of the railways curling across northern India. It is poetic without being pretentious.
Theroux's success in this anthology is based on how much of his personality shines through in these pieces. His point of view of the world and it's happenings are unique and exquisitely displayed. The candid conversations he has with his readers about writing and living make this an anthology enjoyable to not just writers, but everyone.
June 23, 2008
A young Paul Theroux with all the makings of an important writer but too distracted by his own image of self-importance.
October 25, 2012
I have passively avoided Paul Theroux for years. Not for any reason, just that his books seemed like such an obvious choice. Also, I have always invented a false rivalry between Theroux and Bruce Chatwin, a similarly big-hit commercial travel writer who also wrote prolifically for magazines. I had such a soft spot for Chatwin and his strangely debonair lifestyle that I couldn't imagine falling for Theroux the same way. Theroux's books were more commercial, I felt, never having read them. They always showed up at the airport. I hadn't been impressed for the occasional Theroux New Yorker article, though I'd only skimmed them. I was judging, as I often do, without much evidence.
When my own travel book came out, Dr. Sheryl St. Germaine, a good friend and mentor, compared the manuscript (and my very writing abilities) to Theroux's. Still I waffled for more than a year, until I finally relented and read "Sunrise."
Now I regret ever hesitating. Theroux is exactly my kind of writer, not to mention my kind of personality. He's a fellow New Englander, a fellow arts critic, a fellow lover of trains and locomotion, and similarly obsessed with small watercraft that require lots of patience and no skill. This collection is particularly enjoyable, because it was published when I was about four years old; I recognize his reference points, but enough time has passed to render his descriptions historical. His New York City subway, for example, is incredibly dated, but I still remember climbing aboard those subterranean trains when their grit and danger where mythic. He describes the Orient Express as a dying system, on the cusp of closure; I encountered an "Orient Express" in Germany in 1996, not realizing that the private company had only borrowed the name for cache. I remember John MacEnroe as a veritable icon of bad behavior and poor sportsmanship. To read about him as a young upstart was mind-boggling.
I look forward to future volumes. Chatwin captured my early imagination, but Theroux may fuel middle-age.
When my own travel book came out, Dr. Sheryl St. Germaine, a good friend and mentor, compared the manuscript (and my very writing abilities) to Theroux's. Still I waffled for more than a year, until I finally relented and read "Sunrise."
Now I regret ever hesitating. Theroux is exactly my kind of writer, not to mention my kind of personality. He's a fellow New Englander, a fellow arts critic, a fellow lover of trains and locomotion, and similarly obsessed with small watercraft that require lots of patience and no skill. This collection is particularly enjoyable, because it was published when I was about four years old; I recognize his reference points, but enough time has passed to render his descriptions historical. His New York City subway, for example, is incredibly dated, but I still remember climbing aboard those subterranean trains when their grit and danger where mythic. He describes the Orient Express as a dying system, on the cusp of closure; I encountered an "Orient Express" in Germany in 1996, not realizing that the private company had only borrowed the name for cache. I remember John MacEnroe as a veritable icon of bad behavior and poor sportsmanship. To read about him as a young upstart was mind-boggling.
I look forward to future volumes. Chatwin captured my early imagination, but Theroux may fuel middle-age.
August 17, 2012
This is the first I have read by PT. He is a really good writer. It is remarkable how clearly he writes even while discussing the shockingly personal and almost a stream of consciousness. At the end of each piece I felt that I really knew Paul, what sort of man he is and what motivates him. Some of the pieces involve current events from decades ago -- I lack so much context that I couldn't enjoy them as much as I am sure others have. Mostly though, he writes about characters in his life, literature, and what it means to feel. I can't wait to read his travel writing, which -- I've been told -- is where he really shines.
May 5, 2019
I've said it before and I'll say it again, Paul Theroux is not everyone's cup of tea-but for me he's on target most of the time when he writes nonfiction. When It comes to his fiction I find him more hit-or-miss. Sunrise With Seamonsters (1985) is his first collection of essays from 1964-1984. In the introduction, he explains why he left out his book reviews (he says he wrote 356 during this time period) and it may make sense in the context of this book, but in the future I can image a collection of Theroux book reviews would be quite entertaining. Many of the essays are travel-related, but others are literature related and most have some sort of autobiographical element to them. It seems as though most of the longer pieces stood out for me such as: "Cowardice" and "The Killing of Hastings Banda" (both of which give some context about how Theroux landed in Africa and why he had to leave), "A Love Scene After Work" (about the writing life), "Memories of Old Afghanistan", "Stranger on a Train" (about travel in general)-for example. However, I also liked many of the literary profiles such as "V.S. Naipal" ((1971 and 1982 of which was reused in Sir Vida's Shadow), "Henry Miller", "V.S. Pritchett" and "Graham Greene's Traveling Companion". There were some oddities that were interesting in the sense that I was curious as how he would approach them: politics with "Nixon's Neighborhood" and "Nixon's Memoirs" and professional tennis with his profile on "Jon McEnroe, Jr.".
I find many of his conclusions apt and well-thought out:
(from "Cowardice") "We will not have told ourselves a lie and, after this truth which is a simple one, maybe even ugly, we can begin to ask new questions."
(from "V.S. Pritchett") "I wish someone had put a Pritchett story in my hand twenty years ago to remind me that you have to be a whole person and tell the truth to write well; and you have to read everything and experience love and enjoy some happiness, for your stories to be as full of life as Pritchett's."
(from "Graham Greene's Traveling Companion") "We are very lucky to have this companion volume, and it is appropriate because no one can read it without reaching the conclusion that Barbara was the best of companions."
In the Afterword, Theroux explains where the pieces originated and how they changed for this edition. I was surprised to learn about how many were "killed" or not used by the people who commissioned them-editors can be a fickle bunch. Overall, it was entertaining and informative.
I find many of his conclusions apt and well-thought out:
(from "Cowardice") "We will not have told ourselves a lie and, after this truth which is a simple one, maybe even ugly, we can begin to ask new questions."
(from "V.S. Pritchett") "I wish someone had put a Pritchett story in my hand twenty years ago to remind me that you have to be a whole person and tell the truth to write well; and you have to read everything and experience love and enjoy some happiness, for your stories to be as full of life as Pritchett's."
(from "Graham Greene's Traveling Companion") "We are very lucky to have this companion volume, and it is appropriate because no one can read it without reaching the conclusion that Barbara was the best of companions."
In the Afterword, Theroux explains where the pieces originated and how they changed for this edition. I was surprised to learn about how many were "killed" or not used by the people who commissioned them-editors can be a fickle bunch. Overall, it was entertaining and informative.
Read
September 27, 2016Long long ago, I used to enjoy Paul Theroux. And then I chose not to read him and others who view the world as through a film of scum. He is, undeniably, among those living authors whose works can be classified as Literature. Yet, like many such of these times, or, actually of a certain chunk of history, he manages, mostly, to leave one feeling distinctly soiled, leaves that which he writes about, tainted.
It was a random pick when I was in a bit of a hurry, that left me reading Sunrise with Seamonsters.
This is a book I would choose if I were to give one class on English literature. Theroux's pieces, of which this book is a collection, deal, as we are wont to expect from him, with his travels, on the one hand: Burma, Malaysia, Africa and India, among other places, lands he has traveled or lived in.
On the other side, the book has outstanding essays on authors like R L Stevenson and Henry James, to mention a few. One of my favourite chapters concerns the time he met Naipaul and how the latter became his mentor, in a way. I later found, by surfing the Internet, that they had a major feud along the way. So, this book is a great read for anyone who enjoys English language literature and a painless way for the amateur litterateur to acquire some knowledge about the great authors of that genre.
An added bonus is his splendid though sometimes noxious style. Little wonder that he chose to look upon Naipaul as a guru! And it is this trait which, of course, made the Singapore Government wary of him.
It's a delightfully gossipy and irreverent way to learn something of how famous authors, including Theroux, write, how they live and how the mighty can be flighty or just plain petty.
This is an excellent book for the traveler, the student of English and American literature, the reader who enjoys fine writing laced with piquant spice and anyone who enjoys a good read.
It was a random pick when I was in a bit of a hurry, that left me reading Sunrise with Seamonsters.
This is a book I would choose if I were to give one class on English literature. Theroux's pieces, of which this book is a collection, deal, as we are wont to expect from him, with his travels, on the one hand: Burma, Malaysia, Africa and India, among other places, lands he has traveled or lived in.
On the other side, the book has outstanding essays on authors like R L Stevenson and Henry James, to mention a few. One of my favourite chapters concerns the time he met Naipaul and how the latter became his mentor, in a way. I later found, by surfing the Internet, that they had a major feud along the way. So, this book is a great read for anyone who enjoys English language literature and a painless way for the amateur litterateur to acquire some knowledge about the great authors of that genre.
An added bonus is his splendid though sometimes noxious style. Little wonder that he chose to look upon Naipaul as a guru! And it is this trait which, of course, made the Singapore Government wary of him.
It's a delightfully gossipy and irreverent way to learn something of how famous authors, including Theroux, write, how they live and how the mighty can be flighty or just plain petty.
This is an excellent book for the traveler, the student of English and American literature, the reader who enjoys fine writing laced with piquant spice and anyone who enjoys a good read.
December 26, 2014
This is a wonderfully varied collection of - essays, I suppose. Pieces Theroux wrote 'to pay the bills' over a period of 20 years, 1964-84. They originally appeared in publications ranging from The Christian Science Monitor to The New York Times to The Telegraph Magazine and a whole lot more in between.
They show what a versatile writer he is and how his writing developed in that time. Some pieces are classic Theroux observations of place and people, scene and season; I will never tire of these. Others offer his thoughts on matters such as Cowardice, Homage to Mrs. Robinson, The Cerebral Snapshot (the joys of not owning a camera). John McEnroe,Jr. and V.S. Pritchett show how he can draw out interesting aspects of people in interviews (the young McEnroe is a bit of a surprise). Really fascinating are those that give more insight into the author himself. Being a Man reveals that he has often felt uncomfortable being a man in that American men are expected, above all to be macho: writers are not seen as manly unless they prove themselves, in the manner of Hemingway, as big game hunters or the like. There are some nice accounts of times spent with his family.
The finale is about when he rowed the waters around Cape Cod in a neat wooden boat he had bought. It gives an insight that shows him to be brave, obdurate, reckless, thoughtful, careless, persistent beyond belief... He just has this remarkable range of qualities that make him the unique and powerful writer he is.
I really loved this book and am pleased I actually bought it rather than borrowed it from the library.
Thank you for the lead, Shelley!
They show what a versatile writer he is and how his writing developed in that time. Some pieces are classic Theroux observations of place and people, scene and season; I will never tire of these. Others offer his thoughts on matters such as Cowardice, Homage to Mrs. Robinson, The Cerebral Snapshot (the joys of not owning a camera). John McEnroe,Jr. and V.S. Pritchett show how he can draw out interesting aspects of people in interviews (the young McEnroe is a bit of a surprise). Really fascinating are those that give more insight into the author himself. Being a Man reveals that he has often felt uncomfortable being a man in that American men are expected, above all to be macho: writers are not seen as manly unless they prove themselves, in the manner of Hemingway, as big game hunters or the like. There are some nice accounts of times spent with his family.
The finale is about when he rowed the waters around Cape Cod in a neat wooden boat he had bought. It gives an insight that shows him to be brave, obdurate, reckless, thoughtful, careless, persistent beyond belief... He just has this remarkable range of qualities that make him the unique and powerful writer he is.
I really loved this book and am pleased I actually bought it rather than borrowed it from the library.
Thank you for the lead, Shelley!
November 15, 2015
A nice collection of essays from the 70's and 80's mostly on autobiographical. There are a few book reviews which are so good it makes me want to read what he is recommending (Pritchett and Naipaul). His travel writing is where Theroux really shines. I read this over the course of a week of air travel and airport lounging. I feel inspired to take my Google and Yelp reviews to a new level. I am currently stuck in the lobby of a Hilton Garden Inn that is hours overdue for having rooms ready. My inner Theroux is just yearning for expression.
March 16, 2018
THis is a book of essays and short magazine articles an many subjects that I picked up in a used book store and have been reading off and on. Some interesting stuff here. I've read quite a few of his books, mostly the travel ones-the man has been everywhere. One of his books, at least, has been made into a movie-The Mosquito Coast. I remember seeing that long ago. I think Harrison Ford was in it.
August 31, 2025
Much superior to Fresh-Air Fiend. Classic essays on VS Naipaul, John McPhee and VS Pritchett.
June 20, 2018
A pleasant romp through 20 years of Theroux essays. Written between 1965 and 1985 with many in the form of book reviews. Nice to see the inner character of this superb and intelligent author.
His Mosquito Coast is a classic:
ONE OF MY TOP 5 BOOKS EVER........ Mosquito Coast
In my opinion this is Theroux's masterpiece. Ali Fox, a genius, eccentric inventor sees America as a cesspool and moves his family to the jungles of South America where he buys the abandoned town of Mosquito. He, his family, Mr Hadie and other employees turn a complete mess into a heaven within the jungle. "Ice is Civilization"........
Everything that went so right now goes so wrong, so wrong. The dreams and all of Mosquito are destroyed by fire, Ali moves hi family downstream and rebuilds a life on the edge of the sea. "If you can't find it here we don't need it" Another building of a great life and another wipe out with a storm. Ali loses his mind, endangers his family and loses himself in the process.
One of those books [or movies, directed by Peter Wier and starring Harrison Ford in his best acting role, River Phoenix and Helen Mirren] that encompass you and move you to a different place. One where you are there... in Mosquito Coast.
His Mosquito Coast is a classic:
ONE OF MY TOP 5 BOOKS EVER........ Mosquito Coast
In my opinion this is Theroux's masterpiece. Ali Fox, a genius, eccentric inventor sees America as a cesspool and moves his family to the jungles of South America where he buys the abandoned town of Mosquito. He, his family, Mr Hadie and other employees turn a complete mess into a heaven within the jungle. "Ice is Civilization"........
Everything that went so right now goes so wrong, so wrong. The dreams and all of Mosquito are destroyed by fire, Ali moves hi family downstream and rebuilds a life on the edge of the sea. "If you can't find it here we don't need it" Another building of a great life and another wipe out with a storm. Ali loses his mind, endangers his family and loses himself in the process.
One of those books [or movies, directed by Peter Wier and starring Harrison Ford in his best acting role, River Phoenix and Helen Mirren] that encompass you and move you to a different place. One where you are there... in Mosquito Coast.
January 23, 2025
Buku yang mengumpulkan lebih 20 cerpen perjalanan hidup Paul Theroux.
Ada cerita tentang penulis-penulis tersohor yang beliau temui.
Kisah penulis-penulis di era berbeza yang beliau suka baca bukunya.
Railway travelling di beberapa negara.
Kehidupan beliau di Afrika termasuk konflik pemerintahan, kehidupan rakyat tempatan, etc.
Pengalaman di negara-negara Asia termasuk Malaysia.
Kisah kehidupan keluarga besar beliau.
Penulis berjumpa kawan-kawan sekolah menengah setelah 20 tahun tidak terjumpa dalam satu majlis reunion mengungkap pelbagai kisah kenangan zaman remaja dan membenarkan teori ada sesetengah orang telah predestined akan berjaya gilang gemilang di dalam hidup.
Paul Theroux mulanya kurang keyakinan untuk menjadi penulis.
Tidak pasti adakah menjadi penulis boleh menjana pendapatan untuk kelangsungan hidup.
Macam-macam cerita dalam buku ni.
Menarik pelbagai rencah pengalaman hidupnya.
Cuma bukunya tebal sangat.
Jenuh hendak menghabiskannya.
Ada cerita tentang penulis-penulis tersohor yang beliau temui.
Kisah penulis-penulis di era berbeza yang beliau suka baca bukunya.
Railway travelling di beberapa negara.
Kehidupan beliau di Afrika termasuk konflik pemerintahan, kehidupan rakyat tempatan, etc.
Pengalaman di negara-negara Asia termasuk Malaysia.
Kisah kehidupan keluarga besar beliau.
Penulis berjumpa kawan-kawan sekolah menengah setelah 20 tahun tidak terjumpa dalam satu majlis reunion mengungkap pelbagai kisah kenangan zaman remaja dan membenarkan teori ada sesetengah orang telah predestined akan berjaya gilang gemilang di dalam hidup.
Paul Theroux mulanya kurang keyakinan untuk menjadi penulis.
Tidak pasti adakah menjadi penulis boleh menjana pendapatan untuk kelangsungan hidup.
Macam-macam cerita dalam buku ni.
Menarik pelbagai rencah pengalaman hidupnya.
Cuma bukunya tebal sangat.
Jenuh hendak menghabiskannya.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 16, 2025
This collection of essays by Paul Theroux include travel writing – mostly excellent, especially when he is talking about train travel, his favorite; some critical reviews – mostly I skipped, as I have never read anything by V.S Pritchett or S.J. Perelman and have only hazy memory of Henry James’ What Maisie Knew; some op ed musings on being a man, the ups and downs of British and American life, teaching experiences in Africa- some of which comes across as patronizing and snobbish; and the title essay, a thrilling account of rowing across Cape Cod, which puts the reader right in the boat, splashed and salty and exhilarated and sometimes scared. When Theroux is good he is very good indeed. The title essay is worth the whole book.
November 20, 2023
This book was more meh than wow for me. I really enjoy Theroux's travel writing, so those pieces resonated with me. But the many literary critiques and pieces about authors didn't hold my attention, perhaps because I was unfamiliar with most of those highlighted, but also because I found that those pieces were the ones that Theroux came off as particularly elitist.
I was also surprised to find that one of stories seemed to include a casual sexual assault, which severely impacted my enjoyment of rest of the book and had me questioning the author in general.
I was also surprised to find that one of stories seemed to include a casual sexual assault, which severely impacted my enjoyment of rest of the book and had me questioning the author in general.
September 2, 2021
This is a random collection of short stories and essays, which you can pick through depending on your taste and what interests you. I recently read Dark Star Safari, which I thoroughly enjoyed. In it P.T. mentions "The killing of Hastings Banda" which outlines his deportation from Malawi in the 1960's, which is excellent. Other stories I enjoyed were "Tarzan was an expatriate" and "Sunrise with Seamonsters" which is about his adventure rowing his boat around Cape Cod.
July 18, 2024
Gosh this is delightful, PT is the best travel writer. I become immersed in his words. This is a snap shot of a different time, of his early years. Some spent the 60’s protesting, others with the hippies, and others fight in the war, he spent the 60’s in Africa. There is a brilliant story about maps, a one about writing book reviews, one about his family, about rowing around Cape Cod, and of course trains, always trains. I love him and I will continue to work through his endless works
November 22, 2024
This is a collection of magazine articles he wrote in the 60's and 70's. I don't mind reading older books, but I just found very few articles interesting. I have read this guy before. I think his older articles are just not that good. (my opinion). I liked the last article in the book, his newest one there, about the boat. I can't recommend this book.
May 20, 2025
Paul Theroux, is, without a doubt, one of the best, if not THE best travel writer. His powers pf observation, mixed with solid education, analytical powers and writing skills= perfection. It astounded me to see the maturity of his writings as a twenty something year old in Africa.
What a delightful book. Another one of those I hated to end.
Thank you for the voyages.
What a delightful book. Another one of those I hated to end.
Thank you for the voyages.
June 29, 2019
Essays on a range of topics from and articulate, erudite writer and thinker. Always intelligent and well expressed, the essays have not dated at all, though some in this collection date back to the sixties and seventies.
December 17, 2024
I discovered Paul Theroux’s books a while ago now.
I enjoyed this one but it is different from his other books. Not my favourite and it’s not what I expected.
I can always find something I like in his books.
I enjoyed this one but it is different from his other books. Not my favourite and it’s not what I expected.
I can always find something I like in his books.
August 2, 2025
Theroux,s writing as usual is superb. This book contains essays that are varied and interesting. Really Theroux has led such a life that for most of us it would be several lifetimes of living. His observations are from somewhere a bit up a tree or behind the shed. I like it much.
July 18, 2017
Uneven but overall satisfying. This group of essays whetted my interest enough that I'll pick up some other of his writings.
October 29, 2019
4,5/5
March 3, 2020
My least favourite of Theroux's travel books - this one is just an assorted sampler of short pieces originally from magazine articles and doesn't have the narrative coherence of his other books.
September 4, 2020
One or two good essays, but the rest weren't worth the time to read.
January 13, 2021
I enjoyed Theroux best when he writes about travel. The book reviews or author-reviews were obscure at best, and whiny at worst. A very hefty selection of opinions.
May 19, 2021
There are some good pieces in here, but I was long ready to move on by the end of it. I wouldn’t advise reading unless you’re a completist.
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