The Great Railway Bazaar is Paul Theroux’s account of his epic journey by rail through Asia in 1975. One of the greatest journeys
- recounted by one of the greatest writers
- of the twentieth century. Filled with evocative names of legendary train routes
- the Direct-Orient Express, the Khyber Pass Local, the Delhi Mail from Jaipur, the Golden Arrow to Kuala Lumpur, the Hikari Super Express to Kyoto & the Trans-Siberian Express
- it describes the many places, cultures, sights & sounds he experienced & the fascinating people he met. Here he overhears snippets of chat & occasional monologues, & is drawn into conversation with fellow passengers, from Molesworth, a British theatrical agent, & Sadik, a shabby Turkish tycoon, while avoiding the forceful approaches of pimps & drug dealers. This wonderfully entertaining travelogue pays loving tribute to the romantic joys of railways & train travel.” More than a rich & original entertainment. His people, places & asides will stay a long time jostling in the mind of the reader”
- V. S. Prichett New Statesman & Society