Books still a travel bargain

Travel is expensive, and it isn't going to get any cheaper.

That's why the bookshelves of your nearest library or your favorite bookstore will always be the most affordable way to see the world.

While non-fiction and history are fine, I've always found that the best way to begin to understand a foreign culture, to begin to feel what's it's like to live in someone else's skin, is through fiction.

For instance, if we were to take a trip around the world through books, you couldn't really begin to understand South America without sampling the works of Gabriel Garcia Marquez.

His masterpiece, "One Hundred Years of Solitude," should be required reading, but virtually all of his novels and short stories have something to offer.

By the same token, heading east from South America, any attempt to wrap one's arms around the African continent should begin with Chinua Achebe's "Things Fall Apart."

The novel has been in print for something like 40 years. I came to it relatively late in the game and felt foolish not to have read it sooner.

Moving north into the more familiar territory of Western Europe, I always find myself recommending the work of William Trevor, my favorite Anglo-Irish writer.

Trevor's short stories show an amazing ability to assess and appreciate the depths of his characters; many of his most authentic are the women in his stories, which is pretty remarkable since he's a man well into his 80s.

Forced to recommend a single Trevor book, I'd have to pick "Two Lives," which offers two short novels in one volume. One of the novels is "Reading Turgenev," and the other is "My House in Umbria." They're strikingly different except for one thing: Both are excellent.

Not surprisingly, I've turned to fiction when trying to understand the former Soviet Union. Last year, that meant Platonov's "Soul" and Bulgakov's "The Master and Margarita."

But this year I can recommend something that's much more accessible and a great read. It's called "City of Thieves" and is by David Benioff. The book reads like a thriller. Though I tend to linger over books, I gobbled this one up in a day. (I just picked up "Child 44," which covers similar territory and is also supposed to be excellent.)

Moving south and east, you'll find the backdrop for Salman Rushdie's latest novel to make its way into paperback. It's "The Enchantress of Florence," and it is a whirlwind of storytelling, mixing myth and history into a world all its own. I can't recommend it highly enough.

After Rushdie, take time to read "A Thousand Splendid Suns" by Khaled Hosseini if you ever hope to begin to understand Afghanistan.

For an unforgettable taste of the Indian sub-continent, try Aravind Adiga's "The White Tiger." That may be too intense for some tastes, but his book of short stories, "Between the Assassinations," should satisfy any palate.

And if you're interested in the interplay of cultures in the 21st century, I'd recommend Jhumpa Lahiri's latest book of short stories, "Unaccustomed Earth."

That brings us to China, where I'd recommend the short stories of Ha Jin, those set in China. Though I enjoyed his most recent novel, "A Free Life," it's set in the U.S. and disappointed some readers.

So, there you have it.

A trip around the world, and it didn't break your bank account.

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