First published more than thirty years ago, Paul Theroux's strange, unique, and hugely entertaining railway odyssey has become a modern classic of ...
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Apr 30, 2008
Katy
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From my February 5, 2007 blog
http://blogs.sun.com/katysblog/entry/the...
The Great Railway Bazaar (by Paul Theroux)
I finished one book on the drive home and had to go to Border's for a new book to get me through dinner. I thus interrupted my current naval reading theme with the quick read of a famous and excellent travel book: The Great Railway Bazaar: by train through Asia by Paul Theroux (ISBN-10: 0618658947, originally published in 1975).
My husband and More...
http://blogs.sun.com/katysblog/entry/the...
The Great Railway Bazaar (by Paul Theroux)
I finished one book on the drive home and had to go to Border's for a new book to get me through dinner. I thus interrupted my current naval reading theme with the quick read of a famous and excellent travel book: The Great Railway Bazaar: by train through Asia by Paul Theroux (ISBN-10: 0618658947, originally published in 1975).
My husband and More...
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Dec 29, 2008
Tom
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I love Paul Theroux and this, one his first is the one which set me off. I wanted to re-read it before reading his new book about taking the same trip across Europe and Asia some thirty years later.
In the early 70s which he writes about in this book there were no railways in Afghanistan and I'm pretty sure railways aren't a priority to this day but I'm looking forward to seeing how he crosses the country in the middle of the first decade of the 2000s.
Theroux is an author one either lov More...
In the early 70s which he writes about in this book there were no railways in Afghanistan and I'm pretty sure railways aren't a priority to this day but I'm looking forward to seeing how he crosses the country in the middle of the first decade of the 2000s.
Theroux is an author one either lov More...
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Jun 24, 2008
Molly
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I dont think this book is entirely memorable in anyway, although I think it was really good at capturing the feeling of traveling (for travel nerds,anyway). while reading it I got the sense of the sort of vacant yet full-of-possibilities feeling that comes from directionless travel. this is an experience I value almost as much as the destination itself, because when else can you feel so unattached and unburdened as when your sole responsibility is to make it to some arbitrary destination in some
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May 15, 2008
Kirsten
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oh dear, yes, he's observant and turns a pretty phrase on every page, makes you laugh, etc. but he's so contemptuous of everyone he comes across i lost interest. skipped all the trains between india and the soviet union. he really loses it at the end and addresses all the russians he meets on the trans siberian railway as monkeys. granted, i have now been in a similar situation, far from home in bleak surroundings at christmastime, like theroux on the trans siberian, homesick and irritated by ev
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Jan 16, 2012
manyhighways
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Writer Paul Theroux goes on a rail journey that must be at least five times longer than the one I just completed. He starts in London and travels through Europe, Turkey, the Middle East, India, China, Japan and Russia. I disagree with Theroux's travel style, which seems to consist of taking the train just for the sake of taking the train. He spends little time in cities and towns along the route and spends most of the book describing the trains themselves and the people that ride them.
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Dec 08, 2011
Susan
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First of all it's old and it takes some adjustment to get back into the mindset of 1975. When Theroux traveled to Vietnam the war wasn't over (he was horrified to discover entrepreneurs setting up battlefield tours) and when he went from the Soviet Far East to Moscow, it was still the USSR. In fact, that last part of the trip, when he traveled from northern Japan to the USSR in the winter, was the worst part of the book and not only because it was an old story politically. Theroux was also tired
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Oct 30, 2011
Dale
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I read the sequel to this book, Ghost Train to the Eastern Star, a couple years ago and wanted to see what the original was like. In The Great Railway Bazaar Theroux travels by train in 1975 across southern Asia, Japan, and back by way of the (then Soviet) trans-Siberian express. As in the sequel, many of the places he travels through seem perfectly awful and only reinforce my conviction that I will never go there myself (India, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Iran, Siberia, etc.). Much has changed sinc
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Aug 21, 2011
Zbhall
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This is one of the first "travel books" I can recall ever reading. I definitely plan to look for more as I very much enjoyed it. You definitely can tell that Theroux' misanthropic personality colors a lot of what he sees and does, but that is okay. It is part of the journey and I wouldn't want to change it if it meant more bland writing. It is crazy to think how much the world has changed in the few short decades since he took his trip. Though some of the parts still remind me a bit
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Dec 21, 2010
Reid
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Whereas this appears on the surface to be the story of one man taking trains around Asia, it is more an exploration of Theroux's own internal wanderlust. It is also fascinating to today's readers since it was written in 1975 and so much has changed since then, though perhaps most insistent is the fact that so much has not.
It is a source of some head-scratching that Theroux generally eschews the investigation of any of the places he travels through, no matter how fascinating they may be More...
It is a source of some head-scratching that Theroux generally eschews the investigation of any of the places he travels through, no matter how fascinating they may be More...
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Sep 02, 2010
The Great Railway Bazaar, by Paul Theroux, narrated by Frank Muller, produced by Recorded Books, downloaded from audible.com.
This book recounts a railway trip from London, and back to London, through Asia and Russia. The train trip takes four months and was accomplished in 1975. Theroux apparently kept a detailed journal of everything that happened on the trip. He is known as a travel writer. He describes the scenery, sometimes in fairly unappetizing detail, the food he ate and s More...
This book recounts a railway trip from London, and back to London, through Asia and Russia. The train trip takes four months and was accomplished in 1975. Theroux apparently kept a detailed journal of everything that happened on the trip. He is known as a travel writer. He describes the scenery, sometimes in fairly unappetizing detail, the food he ate and s More...
Mar 10, 2010
Allright, so I'm in the middle of the book so far, but so far my reactions, both positive and negative have been quite strong. Theroux's unabashed narrowness of mind (I guess 'misanthropic' would be a nicer way of saying that he's kind of an asshole) combined with sweeping statements like, "Afghans are lazy, idle, and violent" (87 in my 1979 Penguin edition) piss me off! I keep setting the book down in a huff, but his writing is so good that I find myself coming back to it a few days l
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Apr 06, 2011
Caleb
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Just so we're clear from the beginning, Paul Theroux is a dick. Or a misanthrope or whatever else you want to call him. Now that we've got that behind us, this is one of the best books (and especially best travelogues) I have read. Written in 1975, Theroux traveled for four months by train from London across Europe, the Middle East, India, Southeast Asia to Japan, and then back to London along the 6000 mile Trans Siberian Railway. Theroux managed by luck to be in Iran just before the Shah fa
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Jul 24, 2009
Melinda
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I definitely enjoyed this book, but I can't say that I loved it. Largely, I believe this is because of the different world views of the author and I, the eternal optimist. Theroux's writing is clever, concise and easy to devour, but in this travel book, he is bounded by his negativity. I've read a bit about the author's life and his departure for this trip eventually contributed to his divorce and the trip itself is clearly colored in anxiety, despite his efforts to mask it (particularly at the
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Jan 05, 2012
Mark
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“Ever since childhood, when I lived within earshot of the Boston and Maine, I have seldom heard a train go by and not wished I was on it.”
These are the first words of this marvelous travel book. In 1975, just after the fall of Saigon, Theroux decides to board a train in London and take it to Japan, by a southerly route and come back west, via the Trans-Siberian. He not only rides on some fascinating trains, like the Orient Express, the Khyber Pass Local and the Mandalay Express, he sto More...
These are the first words of this marvelous travel book. In 1975, just after the fall of Saigon, Theroux decides to board a train in London and take it to Japan, by a southerly route and come back west, via the Trans-Siberian. He not only rides on some fascinating trains, like the Orient Express, the Khyber Pass Local and the Mandalay Express, he sto More...
Jan 16, 2009
Magda
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Ever since childhood, when I lived within earshot of the Boston and Maine, I have seldom heard a train go by and not wished I was on it. Those whistles sing bewitchment: railways are irresistible bazaars, snaking along perfectly level no matter what the landscape, improving your mood with speed, and never upsetting your drink. The train can reassure you in awful places—a far cry from the anxious seats of doom airplanes inspire, or the nauseating gas-sickness of the long-distance bus, or the para
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Jun 03, 2009
Adam
rated it:
i learned that this author does not find europe very interesting. i learned that this author seemed to have enjoyed india and bits of se asia, but did not like japan. i learned that he thinks trains are rad. i will tend to agree, however, i have not had the opportunity of hardcore trainage such as this and would like, but perhaps the world is a bit unstable at the moment.
"The farther one traveled, the nakeder one got, until, towards the end, ceasing to be animated by any one sce More...
"The farther one traveled, the nakeder one got, until, towards the end, ceasing to be animated by any one sce More...
Feb 17, 2010
Nathaniel
rated it:
A sarcastic, cynical guy from Massachusetts who likes riding on trains? Wow, that sounds oddly familiar.
The author hopped on a train in London and took trains where possible through Europe, Turkey, Iran, Pakistan, India, Ceylon, Burma, Thailand, Laos, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, Japan, and Russia (I hope I didn't forget anywhere). He writes about what he sees and how each culture is reflected in its train network and stations. For example, Japan's trains were fast, clean, quiet, and s More...
The author hopped on a train in London and took trains where possible through Europe, Turkey, Iran, Pakistan, India, Ceylon, Burma, Thailand, Laos, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, Japan, and Russia (I hope I didn't forget anywhere). He writes about what he sees and how each culture is reflected in its train network and stations. For example, Japan's trains were fast, clean, quiet, and s More...
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Aug 07, 2009
Chris
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Drop whatever you are doing. Run to your local bookstore. Head to the travel section and pick up The Great Railway Bazaar. If they don't have it, scream at the person behind the counter for being insolent and then go to another store.
Paul Theroux autographed my copy at a recent conference I attended. I didn't know much of him before the conference, so I didn't really know enough to ask him anything. Now I wish I had bought him a beer (or 12) and asked him: How could you leave your wife More...
Paul Theroux autographed my copy at a recent conference I attended. I didn't know much of him before the conference, so I didn't really know enough to ask him anything. Now I wish I had bought him a beer (or 12) and asked him: How could you leave your wife More...
Jan 13, 2012
Rob
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The volume that blew the starting whistle on Theroux's peregrinations remains the best of his I have read (not 'his best book' as some curly haired types would claim) - what's to dislike about a 4 month train journey from London to Japan and back? Especially as it's a trip that would, if anything, be even harder to undertake today - the author traverses Burma and Iran among other exotic destinations.
The warts and all descriptions were new at the time given audiences were used to a di More...
The warts and all descriptions were new at the time given audiences were used to a di More...
Feb 01, 2012
Carin
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The Popular Penguin series means that I’m always finding a new genre or author to try. This book is no exception – a railway journey from London to Asia and back through the USSR in the 1970s appealed to my love of Michael Palin’s travel books. Unlike Palin though, Theroux has no camera crew, just him and leaves his family for a solo tour. He does fly some of the time when there’s no other option, but the majority of the travel is taken on a variety of railway cars – from the old and dilapidated
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Jan 22, 2011
Judy
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One of my best friends is in love with Mr. Theroux so I thought I should see what it is she loves about him. I didn't love the book, but liked it enough to try another one, maybe fiction next time. This book from the 70s is a chronicle of his train travel in a big circle from London to Iran, India, Thailand, Viet Nam, Japan, and Russia back to London, describing his fellow passengers, who quite often annoy him, and the flavor of each country and the state of the accommodations - sometimes quit
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Aug 21, 2010
Chris
rated it:
A number of memorable moments on Theroux's first big train adventure:
1. The conversation with the erstwhile paramour of India
2. The conversation with the U.S. serviceman in S.E. Asia surprised by his lover.
3. His observations on life in Singapore and why he will never come back
4. An ordinary winter day in northern Japan
5. Getting soused in the closed diner cab of the Trans-Siberian on Christmas Eve
Theroux is a incorrigible but tenacious voice on th More...
1. The conversation with the erstwhile paramour of India
2. The conversation with the U.S. serviceman in S.E. Asia surprised by his lover.
3. His observations on life in Singapore and why he will never come back
4. An ordinary winter day in northern Japan
5. Getting soused in the closed diner cab of the Trans-Siberian on Christmas Eve
Theroux is a incorrigible but tenacious voice on th More...
Dec 14, 2010
Tom
rated it:
Some friends of my parents, hearing I was going to take the Trans-Siberian, lent me my latest book: Paul Theroux's The Great Railway Bazaar. Having already read his Riding the Iron Rooster, I knew what to expect. That is, a very readable book but one with little substance. And Theroux did not let me down.
He is a good travel writer and knows his strengths. He does not try to offer a comprehensive guide but rather a personal memoir of his travels. His greatest strength is in the descript More...
He is a good travel writer and knows his strengths. He does not try to offer a comprehensive guide but rather a personal memoir of his travels. His greatest strength is in the descript More...
Jan 23, 2011
Louis
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This book is oddly saved by the fact that it's dated so poorly. When I picked it up I was worried it might be all 'oh, foreign people are so fascinating, aren't they?' but instead it's racist in a kind of seventies, other countries are so backward kind of way. He particularly dislikes Australians. I'm vaguely interested in reading Ghost Train to the Eastern Star: On the Tracks of the Great Railway Bazaar because, by the time that was written, racist generalisations may have slipped out of fashio
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Aug 05, 2011
It's hard to verbalize my thoughts on this book. Parts were fascinating (especially from a historical perspective). Theroux is traveling through areas that have gone through so much change (and change that has frequently been violent) and it is instructive to read about what those countries (Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka) were like 30 years ago. Some chapters were deeply descriptive and compelling, while at other times, Theroux glosses over significant events in a sentence or two. Th
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Jan 21, 2009
Bob
rated it:
I learned a new kind of jealousy. This guy is a real "writer's writer" and he has created a new kind of Odyssey.
The Great Railway Bazaar is a classic that will be read for generations. A hundred years from now they will read this book to learn about our era and the steel rails and remnant civilization of the previous century, upon which our era is built.
What a guy. He writes best-selling fiction, too.
Two of his novels have been made into pretty good movies:
" More...
The Great Railway Bazaar is a classic that will be read for generations. A hundred years from now they will read this book to learn about our era and the steel rails and remnant civilization of the previous century, upon which our era is built.
What a guy. He writes best-selling fiction, too.
Two of his novels have been made into pretty good movies:
" More...
Oct 15, 2011
Justin
rated it:
I looked at a lot of lists of the greatest travel books of all time, and this book is near the top on many of them. Theroux gets on a train in London and rides the train as far east as the trains go. The chapters are broken up by each train line. And on each train line, Theroux seems get into some interesting adventures. My favorite part of the book is the history perspective - so much has changed, yet so much hasn't since 1975 when he wrote the book. The Euro. Pre-Soviet-invasion Afghanis
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Jun 11, 2010
Ruchi
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'I have seldom heard a train go by and not wish I was on it'
The first few statements in the book made me completely love Theroux' style of writing.. One that makes you feel that you are a part of each of those train journeys..
The infactuation continued and only grew with phases such as "The train, the window frame holding the scene for moments, made it a special picture". Many other such sentences got a smile on my face.
However, the book did lose m More...
The first few statements in the book made me completely love Theroux' style of writing.. One that makes you feel that you are a part of each of those train journeys..
The infactuation continued and only grew with phases such as "The train, the window frame holding the scene for moments, made it a special picture". Many other such sentences got a smile on my face.
However, the book did lose m More...
Apr 10, 2010
The vast majority of travel writing is bullshit, unreadable trash written by pretentious windbags about their supposedly "unique" experiences...
But Paul Theroux pulls it off. Perhaps it's shitty of me to say this, but he does an awfully good job of vocalizing my own misanthropic perspective better than I ever could. I suppose that makes me no better than a Rush Limbaugh listener, but oh well, it's cathartic, especially when one is moping around through Thailand and Burma. More...
But Paul Theroux pulls it off. Perhaps it's shitty of me to say this, but he does an awfully good job of vocalizing my own misanthropic perspective better than I ever could. I suppose that makes me no better than a Rush Limbaugh listener, but oh well, it's cathartic, especially when one is moping around through Thailand and Burma. More...
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Jun 07, 2011
Emma
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This is supposed to be a classic of the travelogue genre, but I have to admit, I did not like it.
I thought the tone was disrespectful of the people and differences the author met on his way.
More than that, the book was not even very entertaining or educational. There are very few interesting details, except when Theroux speaks about Singapore where he had lived before. Having used the train extensively in Europe myself, I know how many interesting people you can meet.
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I thought the tone was disrespectful of the people and differences the author met on his way.
More than that, the book was not even very entertaining or educational. There are very few interesting details, except when Theroux speaks about Singapore where he had lived before. Having used the train extensively in Europe myself, I know how many interesting people you can meet.
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