Figures in a Landscape: People and Places
 Cover, 1st edition, US | |
| Author | Paul Theroux |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Subject | Collection of essays |
| Publisher | Houghton Mifflin Harcourt |
Publication date | May 8, 2018 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Print, hardback |
| Pages | 386 |
| ISBN | 978-0-544-87030-7 |
Figures in a Landscape, subtitled: People and Places; Essays: 2001-2016, is a collection of thirty essays, profiles, articles and book introductions all by Paul Theroux.[1] The thirty pieces cover a wide variety of topics including authors, artists, celebrities, Africa, travel experiences, reading and the craft of writing.
This 2018 volume is a companion to earlier published collections of Theroux's essays and articles including Sunrise with Seamonsters (1985) and Fresh Air Fiend (2000).
Contents
[edit]| # | Title [1] | Topic(s) | Previously appeared [1] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | My Drug Tour: Searching for Ayahuasca | Trip to Ecuador in search of a psychoactive plant | as "Honey, the Shaman Shrunk My Head", Men's Journal |
| 2 | Thoreau in the Wilderness | Henry David Thoreau, author | Introduction to The Maine Woods (Princeton University Press) |
| 3 | Liz in Neverland | Elizabeth Taylor and Michael Jackson, celebrities and close friends | Talk magazine (defunct) |
| 4 | Greeneland | Graham Greene, author | New York Times and introductions to the Penguin editions of Greene's Journey Without Maps and The Comedians |
| 5 | Hunter in the Kingdom of Fear | Hunter S. Thompson, author and gonzo journalist | The Guardian, newspaper |
| 6 | Conrad at Sea | Joseph Conrad, author | Introduction to Typhoon and Other Tales (Folio Society) |
| 7 | Simenon's World | Georges Simenon, author | Introduction to The Widow (New York Review Books Classics) |
| 8 | Dr. Sacks, the Healer | Oliver Sacks, neurologist, naturalist and author | as "My Friend the Doctor", Prospect (February 20, 1999) |
| 9 | Nurse Wolf, the Hurter | A professional dominatrix in New York | The New Yorker (June 7, 1998) |
| 10 | Robin Williams: "Who’s He When He’s at Home?" | Robin Williams, comedian and actor | Talk magazine |
| 11 | Tea with Muriel Spark | Muriel Spark, Scottish author | Talk magazine |
| 12 | Mrs. Robinson Revisited | Older women, younger men | Harper's Bazaar (March, 2002) |
| 13 | Talismans for Our Dreams | Collecting objects in travels | Departures (March 30, 2010) |
| 14 | The Rock Star's Burden | Bono, Africa, charity & harm done | New York Times (December 15, 2005) |
| 15 | Living with Geese | Raising geese, anthropomorphism and E.B. White | Smithsonian (December 2006) |
| 16 | Trespassing in Africa | A harrowing experience of Theroux as a young man in Africa | Granta |
| 17 | The Seizures in Zimbabwe | Zimbabwe commercial farmers chased from their farms by local gangs and politicians | Epilogue to the paperback edition of Dark Star Safari |
| 18 | Stanley: The Ultimate African Explorer | Review of biography of Henry Morton Stanley by Tim Jeal | New York Times book review (September 30, 2007) |
| 19 | Paul Bowles: Not a Tourist | Paul Bowles | Introduction to The Sheltering Sky (Penguin) |
| 20 | Maugham: Up and Down in Asia | W. Somerset Maugham | Introduction to The Gentleman in the Parlour (Vintage Classics) |
| 21 | English Hours: Nothing Personal | Memories as an expatriate living in England in 1970s and ‘80s | Granta #114 (February 10, 2011) |
| 22 | Traveling Beyond Google | Traveling to places despite receiving warnings to stay away | as "Why We Travel", New York Times (April 1, 2011) |
| 23 | Hawaii: Islands upon Islands | Hawaii; reflections on the author's adopted home of 22 years | as "One Man's Islands", Smithsonian magazine (May 2012) |
| 24 | Mockingbird in Monroeville | A visit to the Monroeville Alabama home town of Harper Lee, the author of To Kill a Mockingbird | as "Return of the Mockingbird" in Smithsonian magazine (July 2015) |
| 25 | Benton's America | Thomas Hart Benton and his work America Today | Smithsonian magazine (December 2014) |
| 26 | My Life as a Reader | Author's reading passions | Introduction to On Reading, photographs by Steve McCurry (Phaidon) |
| 27 | The Real Me: A Memory | A harrowing experience of Theroux as a college student | n/a |
| 28 | Life and the Magazine | Life magazine and meeting Gardner McKay | New York Times Magazine |
| 29 | Dear Old Dad: Memories of My Father | The author's father | Granta #98 (July 2, 2007) |
| 30 | The Trouble with Autobiography | The genre of autobiography | Smithsonian magazine (January 2011) |
Reception
[edit]In the Irish Times Dervla Murphy found favor with "a superb set of musings on Graham Greene’s life and works."[2]
In the New York Times Tom Zoellner said "What emerges [instead] is a portrait of an optimist with curiosity and affection for humanity in all its forms, as well as a ravenous appetite for the literary efforts of others."[3]
Kirkus Review called it "A masterfully simple and satisfying collection."[4]
In the Guardian Robert McCrum said "There are several highly entertaining essays here, and some quotably arresting lines, but the voice is elusive, unfixed and dissonant – an echo of the divisions within."[5]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Theroux, Paul. Figures in a Landscape. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
- ^ Murphy, Dervla (19 May 2018). "Figures in a Landscape: People and Places by Paul Theroux". The Irish Times. Retrieved 21 Dec 2019.
- ^ Zoellner, Tom (1 Jun 2018). "Paul Theroux's New Book Ranges From Literature to Landscapes, With Surprising Cheer". New York Times. Retrieved 21 Dec 2019.
- ^ "FIGURES IN A LANDSCAPE". Kirkus Review. No. March 15th, 2018. Retrieved 21 Dec 2019.
- ^ McCrum, Robert (24 Jun 2018). "Figures in a Landscape by Paul Theroux review – a writer driven by divided loyalties". the Guardian. Retrieved 21 Dec 2019.