Synopsis
Faith, politics, vodka, and an indescribably expansive mass of land are some of the topics that drive Thubron's history-laden travelogue of Siberia, in the same way that his will, curiosity, and the generosity of strangers drive him across the barren land. A New York Times Notable Book for 2000.
| Details | | Publication Date: | 2001-01-01 |
| Size | | Length: | 285 pages | | Height: | 8.0 in | | Width: | 5.0 in | | Thickness: | 1.0 in | | Weight: | 8.0 oz |
Publisher's Note
As mysterious as its beautiful, as forbidding as it is populated with warm-hearted people, Syberia is a land few Westerners know, and even fewer will ever visit. Traveling alone, by train , boat, car, and on foot, colin Thubron traversed this vast territory, talking to everyone he encountered about the state of the beauty, whose natural resources have been savagely exploited for decades; a terrain tainted by nuclear waste but filled with citizens who both welcomed him and fed him--despite their own tragic poverty. From Mongoloia to the Artic Circle, from Rasputin's village in the west through tundra, taiga, mountains, lakes, rivers, and finally to a derelict Jewish community in the country's far eastern reaches, Colin Thubron penetrates a little-understood part of the world in a way that no writer ever has.
Industry Reviews
"Thubron is a sensitive and observant traveler who clearly respects the Siberians for the hardships they have endured. Charming and amusing scenes, with shamans, madmen and Old Believers, dependably relieve his book's underlying grimness....IN SIBERIA places the region in its historical context, but Thubron's history is never didactic or potted. Above all, Thubron is never a travel bore. With minimal complaint about traveling inconveniences, he keeps his focus on Siberia. Readers may derive a great deal of travel envy from this account of his adventures."
New York Times Book Review - Ken Kalfus (02/06/2000)
"IN SIBERIA does the opposite of what so many travelogues do: rather than taking an exotically colorful place and somehow making it boring, it paints a vivid picture of a colorless land."
Washington Post - Adam Goodheart (04/09/2000)
| See an error? Submit a change request |
All rights reserved.
