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OxTravels – Meetings With Remarkable Travel Writers (In aid of Oxfam)

OxTravels – Meetings With Remarkable Travel Writers by Collaborative Writers Ever wanted to buy a book that will give you a warm fuzzy feeling inside? Then this is the book for you! All royalties from this book published by Profile Books on 26th May 2011 will go to Oxfam to support their life changing work around the [...]

OxTravels – Meetings With Remarkable Travel Writers by Collaborative Writers

Ever wanted to buy a book that will give you a warm fuzzy feeling inside?

Then this is the book for you!

All royalties from this book published by Profile Books on 26th May 2011 will go to Oxfam to support their life changing work around the world. The books predecessor Ox-Tales released in 2009 raised over £137,000 for the charity whose work focuses on preventing poverty on a global scale.

The list of 36 authors who have contributed for free to this great project is epic and there are some truly great names alongside some impressive up and comers. The introduction is by Micheal Palin and the headline authors include Paul Theroux, John Gimlette, Colin Thrubon, Rory Stewart, William Dalrymple, Sara Wheeler, Tim Butcher and Patrick Leigh Fermor and lots more.

The theme of this fascinating read is one which I see as almost the very essence of travel……………. the people you meet on every train/ferry, plane and bus stop. Each story is a tale from one of the authors own experiences, some brand new and some classics. From Rory Stewart’s Afghan Wrestler to Paul Theroux’s Monk, every chapter is a glimpse not only into another culture but also another human being’s life and to the small details that make us all individuals but also bring us together.

Nearly every great story you hear around the chipped plastic midget sized table in a hostel begins with “I met this guy/women…….” This is where I think the heart of travel lies, we are all different but there is also so much that binds all the people of the world together. The Monk in Paul Theroux’s story was a particular highlight for me. One simple man travelling the world looking for enlightenment with all his possessions in a little bundle over his shoulder. This random meeting was truly inspiring and makes me feel like a spoilt westerner when I trip over my 65 Litre backpack in the hall way (if my wife is reading this, Yes I will move it, eventually).

The sheer quality of writing involved in this project makes it a real literary adventure. The authors paint a vivid world where you can almost taste the street food or feel the heat of the African sun burning your neck. Its not often in a book that you can experience so many different countries, cultures and encounters but this novel really ties it all together.

This book is ideal for anyone from the newbie travel reader to a travel obsessed fanatic looking for a new author. Each writers style, tempo and voice are different and I found myself thinking “I like this story, who’s it by” and then giving my already groaning Amazon Wishlist another pounding.

In short this is a great compilation full of interesting and enthralling stories that in their different ways give you a flavour of life on the road. It is also for a great cause that I think we can all support, so really you have no excuse not to buy it!

Available to purchase  on Amazon from 19th May 2011

 

 

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