When I reviewed In the Empire of Genghis Khan, I mentioned Bruce Chatwin, one of the best of the British travel adventure writers. He was one of those rare birds who did what many of us dream of doing -- quit his job and went off to see the world.
In 1975 Chatwin sent a telegram to his then employer, saying "Gone to Patagonia for six months." That trip was the basis for his first (and perhaps best) book, In Patagonia, which I've just reread and recommend highly to those who like to read tales of the exotic and the bizarre.
What attracted me to the book the first time was the promise of the story of what really happened to Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. The eponymous movie -- one of Walt's favourites -- places their demise in a hail of bullets in Bolivia. However, in Butch Cassidy My Brother, Lula Parker Betenson paints a considerably different picture, suggesting that Butch and his sidekick (or was it the other way around) returned to the USA to end their days.
Bruce Chatwin picks up the outlaws' trail in Patagonia, and reports on several confirmed sightings. And this is just one of numerous stories about strange characters which delay him on his travels through one of the most remote and inhospitable places on earth.
In Patagonia is full of incident and anecdote and the oddest facts imaginable. Chatwin's enquiring mind takes him to the truth -- and there is truth -- behind the stories of prehistoric animals in Patagonia, the Kingdom of Arucania, and the Patagonian giants.
The book wins high praise from Paul Theroux, who followed in Chatwin's footsteps ... literally. The two later collaborated on Patagonia Revisited, which is next on my must read list.
No comments:
Post a Comment