Traveler’s Literary Companion Series Adds Titles on Mexico and Japan

Travel Blog  •  Frank Bures  •  06.06.06 | 12:32 PM ET

imageWhen asked how he prepares to travel to a country, Ryszard Kapuscinski said he reads the literature. Of course, not all of us have time to read an entire canon before every journey. Fortunately, Whereabouts Press has made sampling literature from some countries much easier with its Traveler’s Literary Companion series. Building on the strength of previous editions on Italy, Cuba, Vietnam and other places, the publisher has just added collections on Mexico and Japan. While the guides aren’t comprehensive (Haruki Murakami is notably absent from “Japan,” for example) they do offer a good way to get a feel for a place. They’re also a fine introduction to these countries’ writers, from greats like Carlos Fuentes and Kawabata Yasunari, to lesser known authors like Hino Keizo and Bruno Estanol.



3 Comments for Traveler’s Literary Companion Series Adds Titles on Mexico and Japan

C.M. Mayo 06.07.06 | 12:35 AM ET

Muchas gracias for the review!

Ron Mader 06.11.06 | 8:44 PM ET

The Mexico anthology is terrific and could well be one of the year’s best books.

Jeffrey Angles 09.21.06 | 11:43 AM ET

Thanks for the nice review!  You are right…  No Murakami in this one, but Hino Keizo and Nakagami Kenji strike me as equally surreal and engaging!  (I hope that readers think so too!)

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