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there's a little bit of everything for everyone here. i didn't know what to make of this book when i heard about it. if you like personal vignettes, it's got 'em. it seemed to be on on eveyone's list of must read travel writing so i added it prior to a trip to south america. it doesn't disappoint. if you want a historical perspective on things, it's got 'em. chatwin seems to weave together a compelling read without a well defined travelogue.
Chatwin captures the essence of Patagonia page after page, and I really enjoyed how he described the bleakness of the land but also how he found and described interesting people along the way. A classic to be read every couple of years, and also one to have in your packsack when you venturing into Chile and Argentina. His adjectives were wonderful. He's right up there with best travel writers of all time, including some of the early explorers into lands unknown to Europeans. Paul Theroux and Graham Greene liked his writing - that's a message in itself. Very enjoyable afternoon read.
And therein lies one of the curious issues surrounding good travel writing (though Chatwin reportedly did not like to be called a "travel writer.") Author Dan Buck was charitable when he wrote of Chatwin's book, "He narrated, but he was not necessarily telling the literal truth in every instance." Writers from the region superficially visited by Chatwin often describe his work as something on the order of "full of inventions, but good writing." For tourists visiting Patagonia it may be sufficient to be amused and entertained by Chatwin's famous book. Chatwin's "In Patagonia" continues to sell well and is widely appreciated as good writing, widely quoted, as if the book had some sort of value as a proper work on the history of the region. "In Patagonia" is great writing, some say, where style and entertainment are more important than the veracity of the content. The cafés of Puerto Natales seem to be full of tourists reading and quoting from Chatwin's book as if it were the emblematic work on Patagonia. Fact-checkers, on the other hand, will seek other sources.
My passion for travel and discovery made this man and his writings a great addition to my library. What makes his writings more than simply a travelogue is the ability to make culture and perspective not only accessible, but fun. In Patagonia is a great introduction to Chatwin's style and stories of exploration, and the delivery is pleasant. He goes beyond the tourist venues to become immersed in local culture, and then shares his experiences in such a way as to make me grateful he did. For those that want to go everywhere and do everything, Bruce Chatwin is a great example: he did. He did, and his writings are a beautiful tribute to that passion to go off the beaten track.
Of all the travel books I've read over the years, this is the one I always come back to. There's a kind of authenticity to the storytelling techniques that Chatwin employs: it makes everything personal, almost private. It's an extraordinary work: a brilliant mix of journey, revelation, history, people of another land, another time. I marvel at Chatwin's gift of language, his insights into the ways and means of how the people in this ancient land of South America live, and have lived for centuries. And as a reader, you're drawn into his world, his engagement with the locals, with their roots and the richness of their history. The book is, quite simply, a masterpiece.-Tom Maremaa, Author of the Forthcoming Metal Heads: A Novel from Kunati Books in Spring 2009
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