We posted about the passing of travel-writer Eric Newby who died Friday at the age of 86, but if you were at all a fan of his work, you should hear this great little NPR piece about him that features an interview with his wife. It’s on All Things Considered and is very touching.
Potts on Qutb in the Believer
For those out there who love music and good writing, I highly suggest the magazine The Believer. I believe (ha ha) it’s put out by the same folks who put out McSweeneys, the online version of which I pay attention to for our Friday Funny, and the dead tree version to which I subscribe. The Believer is what Rolling Stone should be, and maybe what it was for a brief period in the 60s/early 70s .But anyway, it’s a fine magazine, and Rolf Potts, as folks here know, since I blog about him every so often, is a fine writer.
In this abridged piece at the Believer Web site (you have to buy the mag to get the whole thing) Potts discusses one of Islam’s lesser-known (at least among non-Muslims) intellectuals, a man named Sayyid Qutb…and a man who did not have a lot of good things to say about America, and yet a man who actually did spend a fair deal of time here in the late 1940s. This is significant, because a lot of Americans who resist anti-Americanism say (rightly) that much of the rhetoric out there against America comes from people who have never spent time here.
Well, Qutb did live here, and he spent a majority of his 1948-50 U.S. sojourn as a scholarship student at Colorado State College of Education, living in the high-plains town of Greeley. When he returned to Egypt he wrote an essay entitled “The America I Have Seen,” a short travel memoir that appeared in the November 1951 issue of Egypt’s Al-Risala magazine. As Potts explains, Qutb’s disaffection with America stems from what he saw as a corrosive moral and spiritual primitiveness (and this BEFORE MTV?!).
I am always fascinated by others’ perceptions of us, and Potts essay here, even the abridged version, gives a taste of that fro the eyes of someone that most Americans have never heard of, but whose views, while perhaps colored by religious fanaticism, are still interesting to understand.
Eric Newby Dies
This is rather sad. Eric Newby, one of the best known travel writers in Great Britain, passed away this weekend. Newby was the author of A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush, Slowly Down the Ganges, Great Ascents: A Narrative History of Mountaineering and numerous other travel books. His best-known book was probably “A Short Walk In The Hindu Kush”…which I have to confess I’ve never read. He also worked as Travel Editor for The Observer. He died of natural causes Friday evening in Southern England. He was 86.
GADLING’S TAKE FIVE: Week of October 15
Last day of the work week has arrived and I’m ready to hit the town, but the week would not be complete without Gadling’s Take Five. So, I offer you these tasty little finds you may have missed and then I’m hitting the road. Have fun!
5. Antarctica: The Land Waaay Down Under:
I envy Erik, I envy Carolyn Swindel and anyone else who’s been to Antarctica and for good cause. (Always for good cause.) In this blurb, Erik touches on his travels to the land waaay down under and points us to Ms. Swindel’s details on the incredible icebergs and nature to be found in Antarctica. Read it and you’ll be just a tad envious too.
4. No Fly List Exposed:
Mmm… Having once worked in an environment that dealt both with a list similar to that of the No Fly list and the general public I understand the frustrations among innocent Americans. Not that it is too surprising, but in this piece I point out the 60 Minutes episode that calls out the many, many, glitches in the system. It is pretty upsetting even if your name isn’t Robert Johnson or John Thomas.
3. Milk Bombs on Planes:
If your a traveling breast-feeding mum you may have come across some recent challenges with airport security, but if there is a will there is a way. When Iva puts her feelers out there we soon discover ways to get that non-toxic breast-milk on board thanks to some clever readers. Check it out.
2. Parks in Winter:
Winter is more than a month away still, but the temperature is still dropping and making some national parks less desirable to visit. Erik turns the beat around so that all parks don’t get left out in the cold and names about seven worth parading through during the winter.
1. Removing the “Ugh” from Ugly Americans:
Why don’t we just remove the “Ugh” from all nasty travelers? Wouldn’t that be great?!? Until then we should ALL take a look at this piece helping to rid the world of the culturally Ugly American. And I really do insist on ALL nationalities reading this piece. I’ve met some so-so travelers from distant places before and thought they were pretty ugly if not nastier.
Vidlit: Bill Bryson
Fans of Bill Bryson have a treat in store for them. Sure, maybe you’ve already bought his newest book, a personal memoir entitled The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid. But over at one of my favorite Flash-based entertainment book sites, Vidlit, they’ve got a very satisfying little animated blurb online that will help ease you nicely into the weekend.
Narrated by the master travel-writer/humorist himself, the fun, four-plus minute cartoon here will tell you everything you need to know about the word chaise longue…or maybe it won’t. But it’s still entertaining anyway. I just know that Adrienne would love to do all her Words For the Travel Wise this way. And hey, is that lil Bill himself in the photo? How adorable.