July 2004 Archives
As the number 48 bus drew up alongside Tescos on Bishopsgate, Jason Elliot ended his second visit to Afghanistan, weeping by the side of the railway tracks in Pashawar. I've raced through this book that tells the tales of his two trips to Afghanistan, separated by 10 years, and many changes both in his life and for the people of the country he comea across as loving so much.
The book describes the adventures and trials of travelling to Afghanistan and around the worn torn country, which comes across as more of a collection of ethnic groupings than a nation. We meet the Afghans and Europeans Jason encounters during his trips, and he makes no bones of the physical and emotional hardship he faces. Throughout the book he shares the things he learns and his impressions of the things he sees. Although a million miles from the time Hazel and I spent in Laos, some of the stories brought a smile of nostalgia - negotiating for transport and cramming 10 people, and their possessions into a space designed for 4.
Having read the book, I am caught between the ever-present desire to visit places and people that put my current London lifestyle into sharp focus, and the knolwedge that now is still not the time for a female westerner to explore Afghanistan. Hopefully one day, that will change.
Buy it: Amazon link
Inspired by Granta 84: Over There: How America Sees the Rest of the World, I decided to sample the 2000 collection of writings on Australia. The presence of Tim Winton's Aquifer was an indication that I'd find at least one item I liked, and so it turned out. As with the American collection, the mixture of photos, fact and fiction takes a little getting used to, but it's worth the (small) effort, and keeps the brain flexible. The geographic range was a pleasant surprise, as in Olypmic year it would have been all too easy to focus on the eastern seaboard. As it was, Sydney doesn't get much of a look in as a setting, and there are plenty of tales from the red Centre, the far North and the (allegedly) remote West.
The characters, factual and fictional, reflect Australia's cultural diversity, and the Polly Borland's Grog provided a greater insight into Melborne's aboriginal community than my visits to Australia ever brought. That said, reading through the collection did provide the odd occasion for nostalgia.
My favourite piece in the whole book was Ben Rice's Pobby and Dingan, and I'm going to check out Amazon to see what else he's written.
Buy it: Amazon link
Another easy slice of chick lit, a freebie with the Cosmo Hazel bought for the trip up to Leeds. A literary London couple try out life in the village of Eight Mile Bottom, complete with a gossip-monger postie, a "farmer fatale" and a reclusive pop star called Matt Locke (not to be confused with this Matt Locke mind you).
A lovely light read.
Buy it: Amazon link
A collection of novellas, short stories, photo montages and cartoons illustrating how Americans who travel perceive themselves in the USA and in the countries they travel to and settle in. I enjoyed the autobiographical items the most, with the fully fictional pieces the least satisfying. It was a bit heavy going in places, but given the range of material that's only to be expected.
A good souvenir from Salt's Mill, Saltaire and Cat's 30th birthday weekend.
Buy it: Amazon link