Wonder Book Of Travellers Tales

Exploring travellers' tales of wonder in contemporary literature, this study challenges a sensibility of disenchantment with travel. It reassesses travel writing as an aesthetically and ethically innovative form in contemporary international literature, and demonstrates the crucial role of wonder in the travel narratives of writers such as Bruce Chatwin, V.S. Naipaul, and W.G. Sebald. Their 'travellers' tales of wonder' are read as a challenge to the hubris of thinking the world too well known, and an invitation to encounter the world - including its most troubling histories - with a sense of wonder.

What is it about Japan that so beguiles foreigners? It is a small country and yet an economic powerhouse, a land of great natural beauty -- from green-cloaked mountains to glistening rice paddies -- a place of intricate arts and crafts and amazing cuisine, and home to a people whose kindness and sensitivity surprise westerners at each turn. It is no wonder that Japan simultaneously astonishes, delights, and frustrates travelers, and the diverse tales in this book reveal the nation in all its contradictions: a place of tranquil temples and high-tech toilets, exquisite ancient inns and lurid love hotels, where electric baths sit beside indoor ski slopes, and cherry blossoms fall on kindly grandmothers, cynical salarymen, wise monks, and wild lovers alike. Gathered in this collection are pieces by several notable authors, each offering anecdotes that tell of encounters to be had or avoided, each with uncommon insight to enrich the traveler's experience.

"We've collected useful and memorable stories to produce the kind of sampler we've always wanted to read before setting out. These stories will show you a spectrum of experiences to be had or avoided in Hong Kong"--Back cover

An expert in traveling solo details the joys and challenges of traveling alone, covering such topics as group and special-interest travel, dining alone, solo-friendly lodgings, socializing with others, traveling with pets, money-saving tips, safety, and more. Original. 15,000 first printing.