In A Sense of Place, journalist/travel writer Michael Shapiro goes on a pilgrimage to visit the world’s great travel writers on their home turf to get their views on their careers, the writer’s craft, and most importantly, why they chose to live where they do and what that place means to them. The book chronicles a young writer’s conversations with his heroes, writers he’s read for years who inspired him both to pack his bags to travel and to pick up a pen and write. Michael skillfully coaxes a collective portrait through his interviews, allowing the authors to speak intimately about the writer’s life, and how place influences their work and perceptions.
In each chapter Michael sets the scene by describing the writer’s surroundings, placing the reader squarely in the locale, whether it be Simon Winchester’s Massachusetts, Redmond O’Hanlon’s London, or Frances Mayes’s Tuscany. He then lets the writer speak about life and the world, and through quiet probing draws out fascinating commentary from these remarkable people. For Michael it’s a dream come true, to meet his mentors; for readers, it’s an engaging window onto the twin landscapes of great travel writers and the world in which they live.
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Wonderful! This is a fantastic book. I am a fan of the genre of travel writing, but what this book makes clear is that these authors are splendid writers, period. One longs to be in Jan Morris’s Welsh cottage as Shapiro conducts his interview, or sipping Chinese tea with Simon Winchester on his farm in Massachusetts. These writers are fascinating people and great conversationalists. I also appreciate the fact that Shapiro introduced me to authors I was not familiar with, such as Sara Wheeler and Brad…
I’ll Never View Travel in the Same Way I guess I had never thought of travel writing as a genre. Sure there are biographers, mystery writers, text book writers and all the others. And come to think of it, when I wanted to go somewhere on vacation I would sometimes go down to the book store and pick up something about the place I was visiting. I guess that I never though about how these books got written.Â
A fascinating, provocative look into great writers’ lives This book sparkles with wonderful stories and insights. By traveling to the homes of so many of the world’s leading travel writers, “A Sense of Place” author Michael Shapiro gives us glimpses into how these writers see the world, how they write so beautifully, and how they achieve their success.Â