In keeping with my recent resolve to read the first book of my favourite authors, I finished In Xanadu this weekend. Unlike my usual method of finishing books in long stretches, usually over a weekend, this one took much longer but the interruptions did not bother me. In a strange way, the breaks seem to have done me good. The description of the places, their people, religion and history sank in very nicely during the breaks and allowed my mind to form images. The easy flowing narration seemed to make me feel like I was a voyeur or a companion of the author through an adventurous journey that has history, religion and anthropology all working together in a beautiful background of Dalrymple's travel experiences. Calling the book a travelogue may be too simplistic. Anyone who likes to see the world in all its colour without limiting oneself to the prejudice of any particular specialisation will love this book. Dalrymple is one of the few authors who allows himself to experience everything around him in the background of the knowledge of his extensive research which makes even the mundane interesting. Perhaps the comparison is tenuous but Dalrympe uses the background of research to describe his travel experiences where Amitav Ghosh adds fiction to research and study of the present and past. It may be this, that makes me like both of them. Amitav tries to be too ambitious for his own good by trying to run parallel storylines and moving back and forth in time like a hindi tv soap whereas Dalrymple keeps it simple and interesting.The skill with which the author easily integrates the present with the past in The Age of Kali, an excellent book, finds its genesis in this book. He wrote this when he was a research fellow at Cambridge when he could afford to not be politically correct. "The reason for the Turks' easy drift out of heterosexuality is their handsome men and ugly women" is an interesting viewpoint that seems to be an instinctive inference from his brief experience, much like any one of us would think when we observe something. He quotes a Pakistani friend who refers to "paki" to mean Pakistani which would be unthinkable these days when "paki" is widely seen in the UK as a racial slur. It is this offbeat attitude of a carefree university lad with a touch of British idiosyncrasy, which makes the book endearing, and in many ways, real. Even though his immaturity shows when he falls for some unfortunate stereotypes like referring to India as Pakistan's Hindu neighbour, it does not seem to take away from the book being an unpretentious product of excellent research work. It takes considerable skill to be able to present some significant research in such a casual manner. His reference to the resting in the shade of a pomegranate tree which may be a touch too subtle (since it is nothing much more than a scrawny shrub) and can be easily missed by everyone save the cognoscenti who will relish in finding these hidden gems.
Because I am a fan of obscure literary travel memoirs, I picked up this book at a library book sale. It's an under-the-radar account of a Cambridge student's trip in the 1980's. William Dalrymple becomes obsessed with retracing the route of Marco Polo from Jerusalem to Xanadu, Kubla Khan's legendary palace. His mission is to take holy oil from the Church of the Holy Sepulcre, just as Marco Polo did, when he was deputized to deliver it to Kubla Khan. History claims that the Khan had contacts and was a believer in Nestorian Christianity. This now heretical offshoot had penetrated into Asia, probably through Armenia. Dalrymple travels with two women: one as far as Lahore, the other the second half of the journey to the actual site of the ruins of the palace. The modern day adventure seems more dangerous than it may have been for Marco Polo who as a merchant traveled the then well supplied Silk Road with its caravanserai and inns. The trip is completed after the Iranian revolution but before the Soviet conflict in Afghanistan and before the border to China were more open. Much of the trip involves the physical deprivation of derelict buses and trucks lumbering their way through potholes and sandstorms. Dalrymple bungles his way through border checkpoints and tries to work around the requirements of special permits. Xanadu itself lies within a weapons development zone. With just hours remaining before he and his companion must catch their connections for their flight out of Peking, they do visit the actual site of Xanadu. It is an anticlimax but their trip is all about the journey they have endured rather than any romance of reaching their destination. Though uneven in its writing, Dalrymple includes interesting detail of everyday observation and encounters. Best for armchair travelers even before the Rough and Lonely Planet Guides were published
What do You think about In Xanadu: A Quest (2000)?
William Dalrymple retraces and chronicles Marco Polo's 13th Century travels from Jerusalem to the fabled Xanadu in China (actually Shangdu, Kublai Khan's summer capital) along with two fellow students in In Xanadu.Dalrymple was only 21 when he carried out this epic journey, still studying history at Cambridge (his university ID card got him out of many a sticky situation while in Asia). In Xanadu poses as an irreverent travel book --complete with funny anecdotes about muscular hotel managers, mad mullahs and a Chinese lady who wakes up WD at god-forsaken hours to sell him yoghurt-- but at its heart it's also an ode to WD's deep love for many things Asian, from Seljuk Turk mosque architecture to Mughal gardens.Even when WD dismisses the poor roads, the abysmal toilets and the horrific hotel accommodations (and the frequent threat of deportation in many of the countries he passes through), his love for the other side of the countries and their culture shines through. He loves digging up little nuggets about marooned silk-weavers to even forgotten Christian sects, and meets a variety of people, students, "import-export" traders, truck drivers, hippies and a host of others. Quite a bit of the book deals with the history of the regions he passes through, they are well researched and for me, some of the most enjoyable parts of the book. Seljuk Turks, 13th Century Armenians, Crusader Kingdoms and not to forget the Mongols and their Indian descendants: the Mughals appear quite frequently. Late 1980's Syria, Iran, Pakistan and China are also chronicled and criticized.The blurb hails Dalyrmple as the new Theroux, now I've not read any books by Theroux but even if he is nearly as good as Williiam Dalyrymple, I reckon I'll give him a shot.
—Maitrey
Perhaps i should have consulted a doctor; instead i went to a travel agent and bought a ticket to Jerusalem.William Dalrymple's first book takes us across Asia, from Jerusalem to Xanadu, as he retraces the footsteps of Marco Polo. Along the way, he takes in the glorious sites along the Silk Road, searching for the remnants of towns described by Polo in his own writing. He does an excellent job of combining historical and travel writing, comparing the cities of the past with their present day incarnations.My favourite part of Dalrymple's writing is the comedy aspect. Some of the stories he tells had me in stitches (i read most of it on a plane - no doubt the people around me wondered what was so funny), and the conversations he has with the locals along the way are bordering on absurd, and yet just what you'd expect if you've done any travelling yourself.An excellent first book and the obvious place to start with Dalrymple's work.
—William
To embark on a journey from Jerusalem to Mongolia - tracing the path of Marco Polo in itself is a commendable feat - considering that the journey is fraught with dangerous places and not at a pleasure trip at al. If that by itself is commendable, what can be more commendable is the to write the travelogue so well at the 'tender' age of 21. The author knows to hold his audience firmly by sandwiching humor, nail biting incidents, Marco Polo's writings in between more serious stuff about the places that he traverses. If you like history even one bit, read this book for sure.
—Vivek
