Paul Theroux on ‘Ghost Train to the Eastern Star’

08/19/08  Print This Post Print This Post    No Comments      Written by Eva Holland
  • Stumble It

Would it be too dramatic if I said that ‘Ghost Train to the Eastern Star‘ is the most anticipated travel book of the year?

Maybe. But for me at least, dramatic or not, it’s certainly true.

It’s been nearly 35 years since Theroux’s travel classic, ‘The Great Railway Bazaar‘, was first released - and in those years, I can’t be the only reader to have been electrified by those famous opening lines:

“…I have seldom heard a train go by and not wished I was on it…”

In the intervening years, Paul Theroux has covered plenty of other ground, in well-loved books like ‘The Old Patagonian Express‘ and ‘Dark Star Safari‘. But now, with ‘Ghost Train’, he re-traces his steps on that first, famous journey.

I haven’t gotten my hands on the book yet, but this Q&A, courtesy of World Hum, is a great appetite-whetter.


  • Stumble It

About the Author

Eva Holland

Eva Holland is a contributing editor to the Matador Network. She recently celebrated the one-year anniversary of quitting her day job to write and travel full time.

Leave a Comment

Get Matador by Email

12138 readers


Jump To Category:



Explore the Community


Latest Community Blogs

  • Today at work I decided not to make it my typical routine of a day, Instead I decided to read a book that was loan to me...
    » posted on 1 July 2009
  • In a landmark judgment issued on July 2, 2009, the Delhi High Court has decriminalized homosexuality in India.And while ...
    » posted on 2 July 2009
  • I'm at Barnes & Noble right now since I've been doing some research on traveling to Peru recently, and also because ...
    » posted on 1 July 2009

Popular Stories on Matador

12 Personal Travel Websites That Will Make You Quit Your Day Job

... 

Up, up, & away...

Spanish teens take photos of space by tying a cheap cam... 

"Daggering" in Jamaica: A Dance Craze Gone Too Far?

The spiraling popularity of "daggering" -- a "lewd" dan... 

What Can $150k Buy in Real Estate Around the World?

With the economic crisis bringing down housing prices w... 

Inside Japan's Freaky Themed Bath Houses and Bars (NSFW)

Prostitution is illegal in Japan, which may be one of t... 



Focus


Blogroll