A great story of Jonny’s travels, on horse back as far a possible, from Islamabad to the Caspian via Kashgar and the wilds of Central Asia.
As he acknowledges throughout the book, Jonny brought some of the trials and tribulations on himself, embarking on the trip still raw from the breakup with the girlfriend with whom he’d planned the adventure. Instead he is accompanied by 23 year old Londoner Sarah, who he’d selected at short notice – the TV company funding the trip were doing so on the premise that it would result in video diaries and a documentary featuring Jonny, his girlfriend and the romance of the old Silk Road.
There are great anecdotes and adventures, with vivid descriptions of the characters they meet and the difficulties they all face, but perhaps the biggest story is the fragile relationship between Jonny and Sarah. Inevitably this book shows Jonny’s take on things – which makes me want to track down the series that did eventually get broadcast.
Amazon.co.uk link: Silk Dreams, Troubled Road – Jonny Bealby
Occupational Hazards is Rory Stewart’s personal account of his time working in the Western teams responsible for governing two provinces in Iraq during 2003 and 2004, a period when the Coalition Provisional Authority sought to bring sufficient stability to the country to allow for a successful handover to an Iraqi government.
I’d been wanting to read this ever since The Places In Between brought about the realisation that the author isn’t the traditional Oxbridge generated diplomat, but rather an independent thinker who brings a deep understanding and innate sympathy for the people and cultures he encounters. Not that this makes him a soft touch, as his accounts of political wheeler dealing with the tribes of Marsh Arabs of Maysan, and brushes with death during the attacks at Nasiriyah reveal.
An enlightening read, and a powerful first hand account of events that news reports and government statements made seem anodyne, remote and impersonal; the reality of war rather than the spin and an attempt to show just how complex the political, religious and social landscape in the region was, and is.
Amazon.co.uk link: Occupational Hazards: My Time Governing in Iraq – Rory Stewart
A fascinating account of the Balkans during the 1990s, combining nostalgic accounts of prior holidays in more tranquil times with analysis of the complex political, historical, ethnic and military mix in play in the region at the close of the 20th century, when journalist and writer Simon Winchester travelled from Vienna to Istanbul.
There are no easy answers, but there is plenty of digestible analysis and first hand accounts, from Winchester and the ordinary Serbs, Croats, Bosnians Kosovans, Montenegrans, Albanians, Macedonians, Turks, Slavs, Gypsies, Jews, Catholics, Orthodox Christians, Muslims, Communists … he meets, as well as his encounters with NATO forces, British military, NGOs and aid groups.
Amazon.co.uk link: The Fracture Zone: A Return to the Balkans – Simon Winchester
Again, another book it’s taken me years to pick up, principally because for a long time I thought – incorrectly – that the author was Lord Byron, the 18th century poet. My mistake, my loss.
The Road to Oxiana is an account by Robert Byron, a distant descendant, of his travels through the Middle East to Central Asia in 1933/1934 – close enough in time to Empire for the Great Game still be living memory, and for the key geopolitical units to include Persia and Sinkiang.
Whilst Byron’s privileged background means that his accounts of the people he meets is coloured by the social norms of the time (which isn’t always bad – there are some fantastic encounters with Governors and Ambassadors), he did get to see and explore some amazing locations and architectural gems that are now either lost or out of reach. That said, I see that Wild Frontiers are running trips to Afghanistan, so perhaps, one day, I too will get to visit Herat.
There are wonderful photos too, some of places I have been lucky enough to visit and it’s fascinating to see what has changed in the intervening 80 years, for example in Soltaniyeh Yazd and Isfahan.
For accounts of travels in the region in the last 20th/early 21st century, read:
* Shadow of the Silk Road – Colin Thubron
* The Carpet Wars – Christopher Kremmer
* The Places in Between – Rory Stewart
* Neither East Nor West: One Woman’s Journey Through the Islamic Republic of Iran – Christiane Bird
Amazon.co.uk link: The Road to Oxiana – Robert Byron
David Malouf tells the story of one Australian man, Digger Keen, and the people in his life.
Digger’s story starts with his mother’s arrival from England at the start of the 20th century. Having established a home and a store at Keen’s Crossing, children follow, but only Digger and his elder, “simple” sister Jenny survive to adulthood.
Digger’s experiences as a soldier and prisoner of war in Malaya and Thailand introduce us to the tales’ other key character, Vic Curran – a chap of conflicting characteristics whose life post war bring wealth and happiness, albeit built on slightly dodgy foundations. Having formed during their harsh PoW experience, and not always understood by either of them, the mateship between these two men is strong enough to endure the passing decades and the divergent paths their lives take.
It is a long novel, and the pace is slow – but this slow motion journey allows you to see and appreciate so much more about the characters and the times, places and events they live through. I loved every minute of it.
Amazon.co.uk link: The Great World – David Malouf