Old Patagonian Express by Theroux, Paul - 1980

New York U. S. A.: Washington Square Press. As New 1980. Paperback. Marfree later prtg, not marked-in, underscored, clearance or discard. Mails from NYC usually within 12 hrs. ; 478 pages; \n"The journey, not the arrival, matters; the voyage, not the landing. " Jun 22, 2006 \nBy Mary Whipple (New England) - \nIn 1979 Paul Theroux departed from his childhood home in Medford, Mass, & began his train journey from the East Coast of the United States to Patagonia, on the southern tip of Argentina. A seasoned traveler, fluent in Spanish, Theroux brings to life his trip through the northern & southern hemispheres, traveling without a schedule & observing his fellow passengers on the train & people at stops along the way. \nIn Texas he is astonished at the contrasts between Laredo on the Texas side of the Rio Grande & Nuevo Laredo across the border in Mexico, commenting on society & governments. Traveling through Mexico & Guatemala, he observes the poverty of the Indians & their lack of opportunities. In El Salvador he attends a soccer game & gets caught up in the melee & riots which follow it. In Costa Rica, the cleanest country he has visited, he finds himself stuck on the train with Mr. Thornberry, a New Hampshire tourist so boring that Theroux cannot wait to escape him--only to have Mr. Thornberry "save his life" by offering him a place to stay upon his arrival in Limon. In Panama he meets the "Zonians, " from the Canal Zone, & in Cali, Colombia, he meets a married "priest" who cannot tell his devout mother in Belfast that he has "left" the church to marry & have children. \nThroughout his trip, Theroux reads classics, particularly enjoying Boswell's Life of Dr. Johnson & Edgar Allen Poe's The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym, both of which provide ironic reference points for his own journey. For literature lovers, the most fascinating section occurs in Buenos Aires, where Theroux spends many days visiting blind writer Jorge Luis Borges, who persuades Theroux to read to him. Ironically, one of Borges's favorite novels is The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym. As Theroux takes notes on his meetings with Borges, he becomes Borges's Boswell. \nMore an observer than a participant, Theroux has an unfortunate air of superiority about what he sees & hears. Sparing little sympathy for American & German tourists, he rarely gets excited about his surroundings, expressing genuine emotion only when he talks with three boys, ages ten to twelve, who live in a doorway & scavenge for food because their rural families have abandoned them. Theroux's self-congratulatory attitude gets a bit wearisome, but the picture of Central & South America, thirty years ago, & the section with Borges are unparalleled. With beautiful, carefully observed prose & a great ear for dialogue, Theroux's Patagonia Express is a landmark travel memoir. .