In Xanadu

by William Dalrymple, Michael Maloney (Narrated by)

Overview

William Dalrymple's first travel book about his expereince straight out of University attempting to cross Asia first with one girlfriend then with another! William Dalrymple's highly praised and greatly entertaining account of his 1986 trip made when a student at Cambridge, which re-traced Marco Polo's route across land from Jerusalem to Xanadu. With him he took a phial of Holy Oil, £600, Laura to Lahore and Louisa thence to Xanadu.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	2000003455126
Publisher:	CSA Word
Publication date:	03/04/2008
Edition description:	Abridged

About the Author

Dalrymple's interests include India, the Middle East, Mughal rule, the Muslim world and early Eastern Christianity. All of his six books have won major literary prizes. His first three were travel books based on his journeys in the Middle East, India and Central Asia. His early influences included the travel writers Robert Byron, Eric Newby and Bruce Chatwin. Other books he has written include: The City of Djinns, From teh Holy Mountain, The Age of Kali and White Mugals.

Michael Maloney has built an enviable rputation as a leading British actor in the theatre, on TV and most notably as Rosencrantz in Zeferelli's Hamlet, the Dauphin in Branagh's Henry V and as Mark in the Anthony Minghella's Truly Madly Deeply.

Editorial Reviews

Following in the footsteps of Marco Polo, then-Cambridge University student Dalrymplepk embarks on an overland journey from Jerusalem to Xanadu, through ``twelve thousand miles of extremely dangerous, inhospitable territory.'' Ultimately, there is scarcely any danger, but there is ample history and color. In the ancient city of Acre, Dalrymple refuses narcotics from an Arab boy who, when praised for his excellent English, reveals that he learned it in jail. When Dalrymple reaches Iran with a female companion in tow, he is surprised by how tolerant and Westernized Iranians are, despite the religious revolution. Upon seeing a sign that says, ``Allah Commands the Re-use of Renewable Resources,'' the author observes, ``We had expected anything of the Ayatollah. But hardly that he would turn out to be an enthusiastic ecologist.'' Dalrymple is a delightful guide, capable of waxing poetic upon first sight of the Euphrates River, while maintaining the bright-eyed perceptions of an explorer. When, like Polo, he arrives in Xanadu with a phial of holy oil, it is the culmination of a brave and fantastic journey. The author is bureau chief for the London Sunday Correspondent in New Delhi. First serial to Conde Nast Traveler. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

Superb. . . . Marvelous. . . . Rich with the sights, smells, history and feel of Asia. . . . A classic.” –The Sunday Express

“Splendid. . . . Dalrymple is plainly brilliant, bonkers, or both.” —The Times (London)

“The future of travel writing lies in the hands of gifted writers like Dalrymple.” —The Independent (London)
 
"This is travel writing in the grand tradition, with a true whiff of high adventure. Dalrymple recounts his saga with a fine mixture of humour and erudition, and with the exuberance of youth." —Evening Standard

"Bright, sharp, laconic and outrageous, his is an adventurous account of hippies and mad mullahs, mosques and sacred tombs, dangers and celebrations, Dionysian rituals and rich discoveries. It is full of life and very funny." —Sunday Times
 
“Dalrymple is probably the best travel writer of his generation.” —The Daily Mail
 
“Uncommonly satisfying because of the rare skill with which Dalrymple blends his ingredients: history, danger, humour, architecture, people, hardships, politics.” —London Literary Review
 
“Brilliant.” —The Spectator
 
“Dalrymple is a phenomenon and his journey a remarkable one. . . . A striking achievement.” —Punch
 
“A vivid, engaging, often hilarious account of an amazing 12,000-mile quest.” —The Sunday Express
 
"Outstanding. . . . William Dalrymple is a natural writer. His models are, perhaps, Peter Fleming and Evelyn Waugh rather than more serious travellers, but he's a better scholar than either. Best of all, he has the gift of comedy. . . . In Xanadu marks the arrival of a new star." —Sydney Morning Herald
 
"A fast, furious, funny read. . . . Clearly the stuff bestsellers are made of." —Times of India
 
“A delightful book—erudite, adventurous and amusing [with] an exotic itinerary, charming companions, impossible odds, appalling discomfort and bizarre encounters along the way.” —Piers Paul Reed

From the Publisher