When I am not reading or writing, I travel intensively and travel writing is one of my passions. Not too much into travel guides, I am always looking for insightful writings, helping me to understand the spirit of the places and its people. With summer on its way in the rainy Europe, I am up for new adventures. These three books are a happy meeting between unique places and good writing.
I lived in Japan for one year, in the countryside, without speaking any Japanese at all. I worked and made Japanese friends and went all over the country, but still not grasped too much about the soul and culture. Michael Pronko is living there for years, in the big capital city of Tokyo and speaks the language. His essays are studies into the Japanese psyche, written with attention to details and curiosity towards this world that still remains a big secret even for someone so close to it.
I want so much to return to Corsica...I wild world with its own rules and a nature that reminded me of some dramatic existential texts by Sartre. It is one of the places that it is hard to read at first and second sight. Dorothy Carrington moved there at the end of the 1940s and had dedicated her life to learning about this small and curious space. Her stories are anthropological journeys, opening the eyes on historical aspects and cultural habits still practiced after so many years.
I never been to Argentina but after reading this collection of stories written with journalistic precision and deep understanding of the invisible nets that connects the individual with historical occurences, I know what to expect. I especially appreciated the references to the dictatorship which brings a complex reflection about humanity or rather lack thereof.
Disclaimer: Books obtained from publishers via NetGalley.co, opinions, as usual, my own.
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