In Patagonia

FROM OUR EDITORS

Bruce Chatwin (1940–89) lived less than 50 years, yet he ranks among the great travel writers of our time. His acknowledged masterpiece is In Patagonia, an extended 1977 travel essay about Patagonia, the seldom-visited southern tip of South America. So seductive was this little classic that it fathered a still-flourishing Patagonian travel industry. Chatwin's beguiling account mixes anecdotes, local histories, oral traditions, and tales about fabled outlaws. A must-read.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

An exhilarating look at a place that still retains the exotic mystery of a far-off, unseen land, Bruce Chatwin's exquisite account of his journey through Patagonia teems with evocative descriptions, remarkable bits of history, and unforgettable anecdotes. Fueled by an unmistakable lust for life and adventure and a singular gift for storytelling, Chatwin treks through "the uttermost part of the earth" - that stretch of land at the southern tip of South America, where bandits were once made welcome - in search of almost-forgotten legends, the descendants of Welsh immigrants, and the log cabin built by Butch Cassidy.

FROM THE CRITICS

New York Times Book Review

...[T]he ur-text of contemporary travel writing...[an] intoxicating mix of adventure and erudition...

AudioFile - Jenny H. Lawrence

Remote Patagonia, at the far end of the world, which journalist Bruce Chatwin encounters in 1976 on a six-month visit, is peopled by quixotic exiles. Christian Rodska is a virtuoso in his mastery of these disparate voices, from dour Welshmen to gaucho ranchers to American outlaws (like Butch Cassidy) to Tierra del Fuegan Indians. Rodska￯﾿ﾽs narration enhances the poetic detail and sweeping grandeur of Chatwin￯﾿ﾽs portrait of people and place. We feel bereft as the odyssey ends. J.H.L. ￯﾿ﾽAudioFile, Portland, Maine

NY Times Book Review