The Best American Travel Writing 2014

by Jason Wilson

Overview

“Travel connoisseurs divide the world into those places they’ve been dying to visit or revisit and places they’d never set foot in but are glad someone else did. This year’s volume of travel writing . . . focuses mostly on the latter with derring-do dispatches.” — USA Today

A far-ranging collection of the best travel writing pieces published in 2013, collected by guest editor Paul Theroux. The Best American Travel Writing consistently includes a wide variety of pieces, illuminating the wonder, humor, fear, and exhilaration that greets all of us when we embark on a journey to a new place. Readers know that there is simply no other option when they want great travel writing.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780544332584
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	10/07/2014
Series:	Best American Travel Writing Series
Sold by:	HARPERCOLLINS
Format:	eBook
Pages:	336
Sales rank:	849,840
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

JASON WILSON, series editor, is the author of Godforsaken Grapes, Boozehound, and The Cider Revival. He is the creator of the newsletter and podcast Everyday Drinking. Wilson has been the series editor of The Best American Travel Writing since its inception in 2000. His work can be found at jasonwilson.com.

Table of Contents

Foreword ix

Introduction xviii

Poisoned Land Elif Batuman 1

Amigos Julia Cooke 13

Life During Wartime Janine Di Giovanni 28

America the Marvelous A. A. Gill 37

Christmas in Thessaloniki Arnon Grunberg 42

Fifty Shades of Greyhound Harrison Scott Key 55

Au Train de Vie: That Voice You Hear When Traveling Peter Lasalle 63

460 Days Amanda Lindhout with Sara Corbett 84

Clear-Eyed in Calcutta Andrew McCarthy 106

This Must Be the Place Michael Paterniti 109

Love in the Time of Coca Stephanie Pearson 124

Birthplace of the American Vacation Tony Perrottet 134

Excuse Us While We Kiss the Sky Matthew Power 144

Dream Acres Steven Rinella 158

Now We Are Five David Sedaris 165

My New York: A Romance in Eight Parts Peter Selgin 176

Sun King Bob Shacochis 195

The Last of Eden Alex Shoumatoff 204

Maximum Bombay Gary Shteyngart 224

A Moving Experience Thomas Swick 233

Born on the 9th of July Patrick Symmes 241

In the Abode of the Gods Jeffrey Tayler 256

Loving Las Vegas Colson Whitehead 274

Open Water Sean Wilsey 280

Contributors' Notes 301

Notable Travel Writing of 2013 306

Editorial Reviews

Theroux has lamented travel literature that…glorifies spa treatments at posh resorts or the compiling of 10-best lists in lieu of some of travel's more hard-won rewards. In the end, what captures Theroux, and what fills this volume, are compelling yarns from the road—the more arduous the better…it's entries like Amanda Lindhout's harrowing, heroic account of being kidnapped in Somalia…and Michael Paterniti's transcendent recollection of finding his corner of the sky in northern Spain that give the 2014 edition of Best American Travel its meat…In essay after essay, a theme runs through this volume—people journey, sometimes great distances, often enduring great hardship, only to be redeemed by human connection.

The New York Times Book Review - Andrew McCarthy

"The Best American Travel Writing has been the gold standard for short-form travel writing from newspapers, magazines and the Internet since its inception 15 years ago.  This year’s guest editor – a different one is chosen for each volume – is none other than the godfather of contemporary American travel writing, Paul Theroux.  A generation of travel writers owes a debt to Theroux’s immersive, first-person narratives, captured with unflinching, sometimes merciless candor...In essay after essay, a theme runs through this volume – people journey, sometimes great distances, often enduring great hardship, only to be redeemed by human connection."  —The New York Times Book Review

"Will gratify both armchair travelers and the most seasoned and fearless thrill-seekers...refreshingly original stories, alternately humorous, nostalgic, exhilarating and horrifying...A thrilling, surprising collection—one of the best in the series." —Kirkus 

From the Publisher