While reading L´Usage du Monde by late Swiss journalist and traveller Nicolas Bouvier I realized how much our world and the way in which we see it changed over the last decades. Together with graphic artist Thierry Vernet whose works are included in the book, he made a trip from the Balkans to Afghanistan, in the early 1950s. The account of the adventures were published ten years after.
The stories included in the book are talking about people and places they got to know while living together with those people in those places they are talking about. This is why for the 21st century reader, the encounters may be uneventful and not too much focused on collecting experiences and impressions. Instead, they are taking their time, trying to find some work locally, and do blend as much as possible with the local population. Therefore, the travel stories shared are subjective accounts and experiences.
They are not trying to educate the reader or reveal unknown cultural or historical facts about the places they are visiting. Instead, they are reflecting at the places through the stories they went through.
For our fast forward mentality, L´Usage du Monde may sound old fashoned, but at the time it was written - at the beginning of a long decade of discovering the East (India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, sometimes Iran too) by minivan, travelling all over the world - the Western citizens particularly - it was a pioneering work in this field. From our technological and speedy perspective, it reminds us that there is so much to see in this world, and never may ever replace the importance of direct human contact and empathy. We need to learn how to use this world.
Rating: 4 stars
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