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A delightful and hilarious companion for anyone taking a trip and an indispensable work for any fan of Jan Morris. With her travel chronicles unparalleled in twentieth-century literature, Jan Morris’s legendary books on Venice, Manhattan, and Trieste have made her one of our most beloved writers. Now reflecting back on over half a century, Morris has decided to write not about the destinations but about the people she has encountered. Whether writing as James or later as Jan, Morris introduces us to a panoply of memorable characters―the Sherpa guide who first scaled Mt. Everest, the lascivious Manhattan cabbie, and the proverbial spy in the raincoat. She provides insightful portraits of the famous, such as Harry Truman and Jordan’s King Hussein, and glimpses of the infamous, including Adolf Eichmann. Recalling human encounters on six continents, she paints a vibrant, funny, and moving picture of humanity. Ultimately, no figure comes into clearer focus than Morris herself, an astonishing chronicler of the human spectacle. Contact! is one book you’ll want to carry with you wherever you go. 10-12 illustrations
I was first introduced to Jan Morris' writing when in Italy and some Brits learned I didn't know her and I was heading to Venice. They couldn't recommend her book Venice highly enough and right there on Campo San Margherita, I found and bought an English edition. I read Trieste and the Meaning of Nowhere next and then Conundrum, her frank and wonderful account of her sex-change operation and the thought and difficult decisions that preceded it (she and her ex-wife recently remarried now that same sex marriage is legal there).But this book has quickly sped to the top of the charts for me. She captures vignettes from 60 years of travel of her interactions with people--sometimes in one long and perfect sentence, sometimes in a page and a half, never longer. Her encounters--her contact with people--are so rich and rewarding to read because they capture a time, place and moment in her life and in the life of the person she is with or viewing with such perfect clarity and such beautiful writing.We read a few of these each night before bed out loud to one another. Sometimes we have to read an extra because the mood is so sad or chilling or because it's so simple and lovely (look out for the one with the old woman selling flowers by the side of the rode) that I'm in tears.So if you cherish superb writing, views of faraway places & people and insight into an extraordinary writer--please buy this book!
