Britský autor se proslavil svými cestopisy, kritickými eseje a romány. Jeho díla často zkoumají hlubší témata prostřednictvím cestovatelských zážitků, odhalujíce lidskou povahu a společenské nuance. Rabanův styl je známý svou pronikavou observací a literární zdatností, což čtenářům nabízí poutavý pohled na svět.
'Raban's journey, made through empty landscaped that once brimmed with
optimism, reveals what happened when American innocence begins to curdle. The
tale, borne along by its superlative writing, is a riveting one' Observer
This memoir delves into themes of family, memory, and the inevitability of mortality, offering a poignant reflection on the author's life experiences. As Jonathan Raban's final work, it combines personal narrative with profound insights, inviting readers to explore the complexities of human connections and the passage of time. Through his unique perspective, Raban crafts a compelling story that resonates deeply with the universal journey of understanding one's roots and facing life's ultimate questions.
‘A wonderful, rushing, crowded, enlightening voyage . . . A book which, in its ingenious understanding, its acceptance of a very imperfect world, and its energetic and constant fascination with human variety, should do a great deal to dispel the easiest and therefore the most prolific paranoid deception which the Western imagination has now fabricated in its desperate attempt to avoid facing reality’ Angus Wilson, Observer ‘A gem of a book, full of events and people and philosophy’ Sunday Telegraph ‘With an eye for the striking scene and entertaining incident he combines a perceptiveness of deeper realities that makes Arabia more than an amusing travellers’ journal’ Daily Telegraph ‘A very enjoyable book . . . It is racy and entertaining travel writing’ Cosmopolitan ‘The advent of a new travel writer of the first rank is an occasion to celebrate. Such a discovery is Jonathan Raban, whose Arabia is a tour de force’ Yorkshire Post
"A tour de force" (Jan Morris) from the winner of the national book critics circle award. Jonathan Raban's vivid, often funny portrait of metropolitan life is part reportage, part incisive thesis, part intimate autobiography, and a much-quoted classic of the literature of the city. In an age when the big city has fewer friends than ever, this is a passionate and imaginative defense of city life, its "unique plasticity, its privacy and freedom." Soft City, first published in 1974, records one man's attempt to plot a course through the urban labyrinth. Holding up a revealing mirror to the modern city, Raban finds it a stage for a demanding and expressive kind of personal drama. Readers of Arabia (1979), Old Glory (1982), Hunting Mister Heartbreak (1990), and, more recently, Badlands (1997) will be delighted to discover this early work by one of the most inventive and enjoyable writers of our time.
For over 30 years, George Grey has been a ship bunker in the west African nation of Montedor, a land of malaria and political upheaval. But now he's returning to England, to a life and world essentially foreign, and to the terra incognita of retirement.
From the bestselling novelist, travel writer, and "master of the short story" (NPR) comes a brilliant new collection. The stories in The Vanishing Point are both exotic and domestic, their settings ranging from Hawaii to Africa and New England. Each focuses on life's vanishing points--a moment when seemingly all lines running through one's life converge, and one can see no farther, yet must deal with the implications. With the insight, subtlety, and empathy that has long characterized his work, Theroux has written deeply moving stories about memory, longing, and the passing of time, reclaiming his status, once again, as a master of the form. 'The most gifted, most prodigal writer of his generation' Jonathan Raban 'The most exciting contemporary practitioner of a literary tradition honed to elegantly crafted terseness by Somerset Maugham and Graham Greene. A terrific teller of tales and conjurer of exotic locales' Sunday Times