Recommended: Cowardice (1967), Traveling Home (1979), John McEnroe, Jr. (1979), Subterranean Gothic (1981), Graham Greene's Traveling Companion (1981), Being a Man (1983) ( )

travel essays, some literary commentary, check out V. B. Naipaul, V. S. Paitchett

A collection of published articles, book introductions and personal reflections written between 1964 and 1984.. Each quite short, entertaining, and responsible for the addition of multiple titles to my book collection. ( )

From literary criticism to a perspective on John McEnroe, Sunrise with Seamonsters has an eclectic collection of Paul Theroux' writings spanning twenty years. Mr. Theroux writes about Richard Nixon's memoirs and of a meeting with the man. There is a fawning piece on V. S. Pritchett and an admiring essay on V. S. Naipaul. I have yet to read In Sir Vidya's Shadow, but considering the sour relationship the two men have had, I expect to like it.

The essays in this collection are chronologically arranged but there is no single theme. Mr. Theroux expounds on travel, politics, writers he likes, The Orient Express and the function of patronage in an artist's development. As a fan, I found some of the essays revealing about Mr. Theroux philosophy towards travel and writing. The Cerebral Snapshot is a persuasive argument against carrying a camera while traveling. The author's experiences as a teacher in Malawi, Uganda and finally in Singapore provide vivid context to his subsequent writings. An enjoyable work. Recommended ( )

Good intro. to Theroux's work as a travel writer.