Top 12 books of 2017
As you get older, you start to do the things you promised you’d never do: like sell out, or work for the man, or buy a garlic press. I always promised myself that I would never make a ‘best of…
Should Kazuo Ishiguro have won the 2017 Nobel Prize for Literature?
I’m cynical about a lot of things, but the Nobel Prize for Literature just isn’t one of them. An award for the best living human being who makes up stories… and people actually take it seriously? It shouldn’t exist; but…
Book #5: bad apples in Honduras
I’m in the fruit aisle, holding my breath. Next to me an armed policeman, dressed for warfare and carrying a machine gun, is stroking the apples one-by-one. Have they done something wrong? Have I done something wrong?? Eventually, he gives…
Book #4: the ashes of El Salvador
In 1926, the Izalco volcano in El Salvador violently erupted, blowing ash across the country. The lava that buried a whole town, killing 56 people. Six years later, Izalco was once again the site of a violent eruption: this time…
Book #3: Beauty and death in Guatemala
The day after I arrive in Guatemala, a girl is macheted in the face, just across the street. A tourist, wandering between villages on Lake Atitlan, she was jumped by a supposedly mentally-ill man waving a machete, and hit –…
Belize: A Reading Traveller’s Guide
Unlike its beaches, the shores of Belizean literature are somewhat deserted. Finding the gold requires a bit of exploration. As the official language of the country, most books in Belize are published in English; though works can be found in…
Book #2: ripping panties in Belize
In 1934, fresh from the success of Brave New World, Aldous Huxley wrote a travel book, now out-of-print. Belize – then called British Honduras – didn’t exactly get a glowing review: “If the world has any ends, British Honduras would…
Book #1: Drinking muddy water in Mexico
“¡Fidel Castro no era un hombre malo! ¡Fidel Castro no era un hombre malo!” Martín repeats this a few more times, pointing his fork at Carlos, who is staring at his food. The other construction workers chew quietly, either polite…
Mexico: A Reading Traveller’s Guide
You will not struggle to find Mexican literature in English translation. A rich literary heritage and an international outlook mean that the best Mexican authors are already well known in English (as are some of the worst). If you’re…
