The wanderings of Odysseus on his return from the Trojan Wars to Ithaca have served as an archetype for more than two millennia of narratives about travel in western culture. Traditionally ascribed to the blind poet Homer, the Iliad and the Odyssey are the culmination of an oral tradition dating back to the Mycenaean age,... Continue Reading →
Aiming at the highest peaks: Wilfred Thesiger rewrites his first book
The explorer Wilfred Thesiger never intended to write a book about his travels, but in 1956 he was persuaded, and he began work on Arabian Sands. Thesiger's old Eton friend Valentine ffrench Blake commented on the first draft, calling certain paragraphs 'clumsy' or simply 'no good'. Thesiger was grateful for his friend's advice and during the... Continue Reading →
