Figures in a Landscape: People and Places
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.
 Cover, 1st edition, US | |
| Author | Paul Theroux |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Subject | Collection of essays |
| Publisher | Houghton Mifflin Harcourt |
Publication date | May 8, 2018 |
| Media type | Print, hardback |
| Pages | 386 |
| ISBN | 978-0-544-87030-7 |
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
| # | 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 magazine (February 20, 1999) |
| 9 | Nurse Wolf, the Hurter | a professional dominatrix in New York | The New Yorker magazine, (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 (September 30, 2007) book review |
| 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
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
- 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.
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