Along the Ganges

by Ilija Trojanow

“A lyrical homage to India’s holiest, moodiest river.”— Financial Times Named as one of Condé Nast Traveler ’s 100 Greatest Travel Books of All Time, Ilija Trojanow’s Along the Ganges is a mythical journey along the great river that stretches across India for hundreds of miles. He describes a country caught between ancient tradition and astonishing modernity.

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction, India, Asia

266 pages, Hardcover

First published May 1, 2003

About the author

Ilija Trojanow (bulgarisch Илия Троянов) ist ein deutscher Schriftsteller, Übersetzer und Verleger bulgarischer Abstammung.
Ilija Trojanow im deutschen Wikipedia

Ilija Trojanow (Bulgarian: Илия Троянов) is a Bulgarian-German writer, translator and publisher.
Ilija Trojanow in the English Wikipedia

Reviews

[Thaths · Rating 3 out of 5]

From the book it is obvious that the author is intimately familiar with India and its fractured nuances. But I did not learn anything new from the book. I have read other books of the "gently down the ganges" genre before. This book does not add much to the canon.

[Димитър Тодоров · Rating 4 out of 5]

Защо този пътепис за Индия ми е по-близък до вкуса от предишния?
(Палецът на Свободата на Шущаркови)

Защото освен такива коментари:
„Тази пуджа беше сведена до най-необходимото, до думи и тонове. Тя беше смътен спомен за старото ведическо схващане, че боговете са били събрани от стихове с определена стъпка“,

съдържа и такива:
„Всички мъже, които се бяха събрали тук, принадлежаха към една уверена в себе си средна класа, която не се нуждаеше от рисковани сравнения със заобикалящата я среда“,

а също и такива:
„Варанаси, центърът на индуската вселена, място което е съществувало преди нашето сътворение, и което ще преживее и следващият апокалипсис, е раят на сексуално извратените типове“.

Правилната комбинация от наблюдателност, компетентност, приключения, митология без розови очила! Лодка, падаятра, железница и Кумбх мела!

Може би съм се забавил малко с прочитането му, но и Ганг тече бавно и какво са за нея 20 години. С едно наум за ледника на извора ѝ. Най-много правителството на Утар-Прадеш да се е сменило междувременно.

[Leenchen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Zum Buch: Dieses Buch wird als Reisebericht vermarktet, dabei ist es eher eine Geschichte über den Ganges, die während einer Reise entlang des Ganges entstanden ist. Das wird auch deutlich gegen Ende gesagt, als der Autor gefragt wird, warum er über den Ganges schreibt. Die Erzählweise ist nicht schlecht, trotzdem war es irgendwann langweilig und ermüdend. Der Autor reist zusammen mit einer Frau (Pac), aber sie ist nur dann wichtig, wenn es um das Verhalten der Inder gegenüber Frauen ging.

Zum Inhalt: Am Anfang wechseln sich Erzählung und mythische Nacherzählung ab, aber nach ci. 1/3 des Buches ist die Mythologie zu Ende. Ansonsten ist es eine Reise von Stadt zu Stadt, von zufälligen Begegnungen und viel Politik.

Manko: Was mir sehr fehlte war eine Landkarte, irgendeine Karte mit Reiseroute, irgendwas, wo die Orte drauf stehen. Diverse englische Sätze, die nicht übersetzt worden sind, selbst mit meinen mittelmäßigen Englischkenntnissen verstand ich nicht alles.

Positiv: Es gibt ein Glossar, leider standen nicht alle Fremdworte drin.

[Sujit Banerjee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyed going down the Ganges seeing the beauty. the dangers, sometimes the filth but always with a sense of purpose, with the author. Actually have done some stretches of it myself.

[Carol Buchter · Rating 1 out of 5]

Disappointing. Even though I am embarking on a trip down the Ganges soon, I found little in this oddly disjointed book to enhance my knowledge of the region, or to capture my imagination.

[Charlotte · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like armchair travel books, but this one didn't add much to my understanding. I did learn that Hinduism is more fractured than I thought, but no global information. Oh, and the Ganges has weeds and reeds just like in The African Queen.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this short book a bit dense to get through.

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A combination of the folkloric and the factual, this was an enjoyable expedition along the length of the River Ganges. I feel like I learnt an awful lot.

[Lesley · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely little book in which the author interweaves the modern-day story of his Ganges yatra, or pilgrimage, with ancient spiritual tales of Ganga's origins

[Maria Rossi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Poetic

[Marko]

I have the english translation.