The book I always think of in this regard is ‘The Sheltering Sky’, by Paul Bowles. And the subsequent movie, with the devilish John Malkovich as, guess who, Port Moresby. It inspired me to take the plunge and travel outside Europe, to Morocco, a place I’ve returned again and again, sure that would be so as soon as I read the book.
But there have been others - ‘The River’s Tale: A Year on the Mekong’, by Edward Gargan, added Yunnan Province in China to my first round-the-world destination list. ‘Stranger in the Forest’, by Eric Hansen made up my mind where Borneo was concerned, later on. Sitting at my desk at work one day in my small town library with the latest ‘Architectural Digest’ open in front of me resulted in my arrival not long afterward at what is still my all-time favorite hotel experience, 2 weeks spent in Georgetown, Penang (Malaysia) at the exquisite Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion, a wealthy Chinese merchant’s home, then newly restored and just opened for guests.
I’d love to hear what others have read that sent them running for their suitcases, or to their computers or the library, the author’s enthusiasm contagious. Fiction? Memoir? Travel essay? Academic study? Anything, tell us, please.
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