The Pillars of Hercules: A Grand Tour of the Mediterranean
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Product Description
Product Description
At the gateway to the Mediterranean lie the two Pillars of Hercules: Gibraltar and Ceuta, in Morocco. Paul Theroux decided to travel from one to the other – but taking the long way round.
His grand tour of the Mediterranean begins in Gibraltar and takes him through Spain, the French Riviera, Italy, Greece, Istanbul and beyond. He travels by any means necessary - including dilapidated taxi, smoke-filled bus, bicycle and even a cruise-liner. And he encounters bullfights, bazaars and British tourists, discovers pockets of humanity in war-torn Slovenia and Croatia, is astounded by the urban developments on the Costa del Sol and marvels at the ancient wonders of Delphi.
Told with Theroux's inimitable wit and style, this lively and eventful tour evokes the essence of Mediterranean life.
About the Author
Paul Theroux was born in Medford Massachusetts, in 1941, and published his first novel, WALDO, in 1967. His subsequent novels include Picture Palace, winner of the Whitbread Prize for Fiction, The Mosquito Coast, and the hugely acclaimed, Kowloon Tong. His travel books include The Great Railway Bazaar and The Pillars of Hercules.
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First Sentence
People here in Western civilization say that tourists are no different from apes, but on the Rock of Gibraltar, one of the Pillars of Hercules, I saw both tourists and apes together, and I learned to tell them apart. Read the first page Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
People here in Western civilization say that tourists are no different from apes, but on the Rock of Gibraltar, one of the Pillars of Hercules, I saw both tourists and apes together, and I learned to tell them apart. Read the first page Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
23 of 23 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I started reading this book with trepidation. The last Theroux book I read was "Kingdom by the Sea", a book that primarily sought to inform the reader about how smart the author was and how he didn't much like anywhere in England at all. It was with great surprise that I actually thoroughly enjoyed the book from cover to cover.
Theroux is from an academic background and this often shows in his writing. His text is can be ponderous and abstract - examining what it is to be alive and to be in a foreign place. Unlike "Kingdom", however, which was 90% in this style, "Pillars" is a lot more fresh and accessible.
It should also be noted that Theroux's approach to travel is very individualistic - he takes the most pleasure from the most obscure places. He covers Barcelona in one page, Greece in 2, but spends a chapter on a remote village in Tunisia. This is perhaps the essence of his work. He concentrates squarely on the people in the places he visits, rather than the places himself. This stands sharply in contrast with the writings of the other popular travel writer, Bill Bryson, who seeks out the well known places on his travel and gives his forthright opinion of them. Theroux is more the dark shady traveller who mills around the edges of the sites and observes those who are there to see the sites.
Overall, I found the book to be highly enjoyable. It gives great insight into the people and culture of the Mediterranean, but don't expect to use it as a planning book for your next holiday - it is definitely the tale of one man's journey.
Theroux is from an academic background and this often shows in his writing. His text is can be ponderous and abstract - examining what it is to be alive and to be in a foreign place. Unlike "Kingdom", however, which was 90% in this style, "Pillars" is a lot more fresh and accessible.
It should also be noted that Theroux's approach to travel is very individualistic - he takes the most pleasure from the most obscure places. He covers Barcelona in one page, Greece in 2, but spends a chapter on a remote village in Tunisia. This is perhaps the essence of his work. He concentrates squarely on the people in the places he visits, rather than the places himself. This stands sharply in contrast with the writings of the other popular travel writer, Bill Bryson, who seeks out the well known places on his travel and gives his forthright opinion of them. Theroux is more the dark shady traveller who mills around the edges of the sites and observes those who are there to see the sites.
Overall, I found the book to be highly enjoyable. It gives great insight into the people and culture of the Mediterranean, but don't expect to use it as a planning book for your next holiday - it is definitely the tale of one man's journey.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I had previously read Theroux's 'Kingdom by the Sea' and have to say I intensely disliked it. So I was unsure about this book (which I'd bought before reading Kingdom) and it sat on my bookshelf for over 2 years.
But when I started to read this book I began to quite like it. I think that, as other reviewers have pointed out, the book is unconventional in a few ways.
First, Theroux, unlike other travel writers does not pretend to enjoy the company of all those who he meets and it is refreshing to have a travel writer who admits he really dislikes some people who he describes meeting.
Secondly, when visiting a country he doesn't head straight for the traditional sights but instead goes off the usual track and so gives the reader an insight into a country that he/she wouldn't get from reading other travellers' accounts.
Thirdly, he travels off-season and so the stories he tells and people he meets are mainly of those who live and work in the places visited which certainly makes the book more interesting. In contrast to this, there is one chapter in which he takes a journey on a luxury cruise ship. I see that one of the other reviews felt this to be out of place but I thought it was a very funny chapter. Also it demonstrated the shallowness of much of modern tourism as the tourists on this luxury ship saw virtually nothing of the countries they visited and simply wanted to return to the ship as soon as they could; it makes you wonder why they bothered going at all!
Anyway, this book has changed my view of Mr Theroux's merits as an author and has persuaded me to read more by him.
But when I started to read this book I began to quite like it. I think that, as other reviewers have pointed out, the book is unconventional in a few ways.
First, Theroux, unlike other travel writers does not pretend to enjoy the company of all those who he meets and it is refreshing to have a travel writer who admits he really dislikes some people who he describes meeting.
Secondly, when visiting a country he doesn't head straight for the traditional sights but instead goes off the usual track and so gives the reader an insight into a country that he/she wouldn't get from reading other travellers' accounts.
Thirdly, he travels off-season and so the stories he tells and people he meets are mainly of those who live and work in the places visited which certainly makes the book more interesting. In contrast to this, there is one chapter in which he takes a journey on a luxury cruise ship. I see that one of the other reviews felt this to be out of place but I thought it was a very funny chapter. Also it demonstrated the shallowness of much of modern tourism as the tourists on this luxury ship saw virtually nothing of the countries they visited and simply wanted to return to the ship as soon as they could; it makes you wonder why they bothered going at all!
Anyway, this book has changed my view of Mr Theroux's merits as an author and has persuaded me to read more by him.
14 of 17 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Definitely one of Theroux's better travelogues, perhaps because of the feeling that he actually quite enjoyed this tour. Sometimes in previous books I became tired with his underlying scorn for almost everything and everyone he sees, relating encounters mostly with the people he loathed. At first it is quite amusing, but eventually becomes wearing as you wonder if Theroux dislikes other people because he basically dislikes himself. In this book, however, he usually qualifies any caustic observations and attempts to see the positive side (although he cannot find one good thing to say about bullfighting. Thankfully.) The best chapter is on Albania, which is almost shocking. Can it really be that bad? And if it is, why didn't Theroux love it? The worst chapter is when he takes a freebie trip on a luxury cruise liner. What was the point of that? It just doesn't fit with the rest of the book. Nevertheless, I'd still recommend the Pillars of Hercules to anyone that has the taste for armchair travel.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
It's not good but I'm glad I finished it
I bought this book because (1) I now am an American ExPat living in Spain; (2) I love some parts of the Mediterranean that I repeatedly visit (Tarragona, Barcelona, Ibiza, South of... Read more
Published 14 months ago by Julian
Helpful
Luckily Amazon are more efficient than the Post Office. When this item didn't arrive after more than 2 weeks Amazon immediately dispatched another copy. Read more
Published 15 months ago by A. Bruce
Informative and honest in opinion
Being the first Paul Theroux book I have read I found Pillars of Hercules provided an insightful descriptive account of the authors' travels. Read more
Published 21 months ago by Andrew
Superficial & Sneering
This is a jaded view of the Mediterranean seen in a rush, with lots of prejudice, half-baked generalisations "The Turks are all polite... Read more
Published on 24 May 2010 by American Eyes Limited
Entertaining but sloppy
Being a big fan of travel writing in general and Paul Theroux in particular, I have read most of his books. Read more
Published on 22 Mar 2010 by M. A. Krul
Glorious Mediterranean
I only discovered Paul Theroux's writing recently (Dark Star Safari), but now that I have, I can't get enough. Read more
Published on 17 April 2009 by G. van Vuuren
Hard Work
Having enjoyed all sorts of travel writing for many years...Bill Bryson, Pete McCarthy, Peter Moore, Tim Parks and all the new life in Spain/Italy brigade, I turned to Paul Theroux... Read more
Published on 12 Nov 2008 by Mr. G. A. Knott
Herculean
Paul Theroux's 'Grand Tour of the Mediterranean' is typical Theroux in many ways, the vagaries of his mood often colouring his perception of the places he visits, but he plays on... Read more
Published on 14 Sep 2008 by Demob Happy
THIS IS A RIDICULOUS BOOK!
Jesus! THIS BOOK IS HILLARIOUS! When you read the absurd writtings of Theroux the only thing you can do is to laugh and laugh and laugh! Read more
Published on 22 July 2007 by Geo Valasakis
I flung this book across the room...
...enraged by the inaccuracies and prejudices that Theroux aired during his description of Gibraltar and Estepona. Read more
Published on 28 July 2005 by "paellataffy"
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