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Dalrymple is a gifted writer, but I soon tired of his acerbic takedowns of the locals.
May be book had some relevance in 1986 . Today it's neither a historical narrative nor a travelogue . It's just a meandering classless essay. Having seen Marco Polo on Netflix , Genghis Khan and Mongol movies on YouTube I had high expectations from the book. I started reading hence wanted to finish . Otherwise it's not worth the time. Only saving grace is some humour here & there.
I didn't complete this book. Partly because I didn't like the way Israeli Jews or the Israel Government in general was being described. I know that Israel is not an Innocent country per se, but the author just seems too prejudiced about it. I was not willing to take anymore of the author's jaundiced views.
Not as good as his other two travel books (From The Holy Mountain, and City of Djinns), which were both amazing. This one comes across as childish and more than a bit bigoted at times
I liked it! I could relate to much of the writing angst and decisions about stepping away from the novel writing. Not sure I’d recommend it for non-writers though.
Amazing to follow in the footsteps of the legendary Marco Polo. For a twenty one year old to have accomplished it is stunning. The unbelievable part were the two girls who accompanied him. Would I have been so brave at 21; Doubt it!!
Some good bits but overall not "as advertised," at least to me. I suspect the review that put me onto this hyped the book more than was justified. An undergraduate's effort to be Paul Theroux best describes it.
A Thousand and One Tales from the Silk RoadThis is quite simply an enchanting book and for two interconnected reasons. The first and most striking reason is that Dalrymple manages to capture and convey the shear sense of wonder and excitement that comes from traveling across the world when young. So young, in fact, that I kept having to remind myself that he was only 22 when he wrote it.If that were its only noteworthy aspect the book would be just one of many other worthy works of travel and ex...
Oy. I've loved everything else by William Dalrymple so far, but I was really unhappy with this. It lacks a lot of the reflection that I've come to associate with him, and a lot of the humor was really unpleasant. It also skimmed over a lot of detail, and the bits of background history incorporated into the narrative often don't flow very well.Skip this one and go straight to City of Djinns: A Year in Delhi.
Why is this guy called a leading writer? How does this substandard writer get to control litfests?
In Xanadu- a Quest; by William Darlymple, 302pp, 1990Seven centuries ago, the famous trader, explorer Marco Polo set off from Jerusalem on a mission to reach the court of the Mongol King Kubla Khan, who’s palace was in a place called Xanadu. He then immortalized his journey in The Travels, which later became one of the most detailed pieces of travel writing ever completed. In his first book, the (then) 21-year old Mr. Darlymple takes readers back on the same route, attempting at every page to co...
