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Travel Essays & Travelogues

Walking Backwards

Grand Tours, Minor Visitations, Miraculous Journeys, and a Few Good Meals

by (author) Mark Frutkin

Publisher
Dundurn
Initial publish date
Aug 2011
Category
Essays & Travelogues, General, General
  • eBook

    ISBN
    9781554889334
    Publish Date
    Aug 2011
    List Price
    $19.99
  • eBook

    ISBN
    9781554889853
    Publish Date
    Aug 2011
    List Price
    $7.99
  • Paperback / softback

    ISBN
    9781554889327
    Publish Date
    Aug 2011
    List Price
    $19.99

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Description

From Istanbul to New Delhi to Boulder, Colorado, through Venice, Paris, Rome, and points between …

As travellers, we are always “walking backwards,” forever on the verge of stepping into the unknown, never knowing what waits around the next corner.

You could be lost, forget your passport, fall ill. You could be served a bowl of food and not know whether it’s animal, vegetable, or mineral. Even flushing the toilet can be an adventure.

You are a child again, innocent and hoping for the best, forced to trust strangers. Quite often this works out. Not always.

Walking Backwards is a return to 10 cities and what happened there. Whether inadvertently smuggling “cloth” into Istanbul, reading poetry in New Delhi to a crowd expecting a world-famous pianist, or wandering endlessly through Mantua searching for a non-existent hotel on a street that’s fallen off the map, Mark Frutkin is a master at rediscovering the magic at the heart of all travel.

About the author

Mark Frutkin has published two previous volumes of poetry, Acts of Light and The Alchemy of Clouds. The Governor General's Award nominee has also published six novels, including Slow Lightning, The Lion of Venice, Atmospheres Apollinaire, and Invading Tibet. His newest work is Iron Mountain (Fall 21). His work has appeared in the United States, England, Holland, and India, as well as Canada. He lives in Ottawa, Ontario.

Mark Frutkin's profile page

Awards

  • Winner, Dewey Diva Pick

Editorial Reviews

"The form of travel Frutkin describes is no longer the norm in our wired world, so many of his anecdotes are tinged with nostalgia. Walking Backwards is a reminder of the travellers we once were, and, as such, is both sentimental and entertaining."

Quill and Quire

"…we are happy to join Frutkin with whomever he meets and wherever he goes. His innocence is charming, his wit razor sharp. This is a lovely read."

The Globe and Mail

"Walking Backwards is often tongue in cheek. But the book also has dreamy poetic moments and always loads of insight."

The Ottawa Citizen