Quintessentially English bit of travel, with the ambitious idea of climbing Mir Samir in Afghanistan, but ostensibly to visit Nuristan next door. The English bit comes into play when you discover that Newby isn’t a mountain climber, nor is his traveling friend. They “practice” for four days in Wales before embarking.

This is the type of travel literature I favor. A trip, yes, with its attendant hazards and foibles, but also a story about the travelers, why they travel and the people they meet. So far, I can sense a “difference” in travel writing, easily two categories now, but possibly many others. This book would join with Vikram Seth and Redmond O’Hanlon as a “Hardship Trip”–a journey filled in pain and danger. Mark Salzman and Peter Mayle are “Sedentary Travelers.” They both got to the place, then stuck around and observed the things that happened around them. This book also has one of the best last lines I’ve read in quite a while. I can’t quote it, because not only would it ruin the line for you in case you choose to read this book yourself, but also because it is necessary to sit through the 180 or so pages that go before to fully appreciate the irony of it.

[Finished 8 April 1993]