Sean Bala reviewed The Old Patagonian Express by Paul Theroux
Review of 'The old Patagonian express' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
"The Old Patagonian Express" by Paul Theroux is in some ways the negation of most travel narratives. While most delve deeply in thick, often exotic description of the writer's destination, Theroux decides to make the journey the narrative, writing a book c...oncerned with "the going and the getting there, the poetry of departures." A classic of travel literature, "The Old Patagonian Express" is a deeply engaging book from a keen, talented author and traveler. The idea behind the book is simple: Theroux decided to travel from his childhood home in Medford, Massachusetts to Esquel, Argentina entirely by rail. He argues that in the modern world the rise of faster ways of traveling means that travel only becomes a way to go from point A to point B. Ultimately we loose something in this utilitarian enterprise: a deep, personal experience of the traveler engaging with the world. It would be foolish …
"The Old Patagonian Express" by Paul Theroux is in some ways the negation of most travel narratives. While most delve deeply in thick, often exotic description of the writer's destination, Theroux decides to make the journey the narrative, writing a book c...oncerned with "the going and the getting there, the poetry of departures." A classic of travel literature, "The Old Patagonian Express" is a deeply engaging book from a keen, talented author and traveler. The idea behind the book is simple: Theroux decided to travel from his childhood home in Medford, Massachusetts to Esquel, Argentina entirely by rail. He argues that in the modern world the rise of faster ways of traveling means that travel only becomes a way to go from point A to point B. Ultimately we loose something in this utilitarian enterprise: a deep, personal experience of the traveler engaging with the world. It would be foolish to try to list all of the fascinating characters and experiences that the author meets on this journey. It would not do the work justice. The book was written in 1979 and in hindsight offers many insights into that particular year in the Western Hemisphere. I will say that what makes the narrative so strong is that the author loves the idea of travel but does not fetishize his destinations. He never lets himself become a complacent observer. Theroux straddles the line between the tourist, who has set ideas about what exactly he wants to see, and the itinerant wanderer, whose blatant and prideful thrift is disgusting. Travel is ultimately about the individual and one can see this in the final chapters, when the author finds himself completely alone in distant railways station in Patagonia. A wonderful, thoughtful read.