Tagged With "Fiction"

Detectives and espionage thrillers. George Simenon in France, Eric Ambler all over and especially in Istanbul, an expanding list of Scandinavians going back to Maj Sjovall/Per Wahloo and including Mankell, Nesbo and Larsson; Arnaldur Indridadsen and others in Iceland, Brunetti and Montalbano in Italy...the list is endless and appears to be a real driver of our travel. I've tried to think why, and I think it is in part because detective and spy novels, when well done, are of their time and...

People always laugh when I tell them this but the book that most inspired me to travel was Arthur C Clarke's "2001 a Space Odyssey". It made me want to see the universe -- or at least Clavius Base on the moon. It wasn't until later that I learned I'd have to settle for staying on the planet. Little did I know those journeys would one day lead me to the home and friendship of the man who wrote the book that so inspired me.

I get booksellers' e-newsletters and paper catalogs and run across interesting travel-related items from time to time. Many are on remainder sites so "quantities are limited" but when a post is fresh here, you'll likely get it if you want it. Spotted today in the Daedalus Books catalog is one by Ian Buruma, Bad Elements: Chinese Rebels from Los Angeles to Beijing , " a dissident's eye-view of the world's most secretive superpower, observing, "Strange things happen when Chinese dynasties near...

Dr. F - A wonderful tribute to a man, a place, and a friendship. The sense of fun and of respect clearly rings from your writing. Thank you for sharing this.

Thanks, TravelandNature! Arthur was a wonderfully kind and sweet man. He was probably the most intelligent person I've ever interacted with one-on-one, but always made me feel very welcome and comfortable with him. We had a nice chemistry between us that I believe we both enjoyed. He was the one who nicknamed me, "DrFumblefinger" and encouraged me to write about my adventures. So here I am now --DrFumblefinger writing about my passion for travel!

Hi Dr. Fumblefinter, I was wondering if you knew the location of Arthur Clarke's former residence, or perhaps his grave? I'll be visiting Colombo for work next month and I'd like to make a visit, even if just outside of the walls of the house.

Hi Nevin, Nice to hear from you and thanks for your interest in Sir Arthur. Arthur's home is at 25 Barnes Place in Colombo, which is near the popular shopping store Odels. A taxi or even tuk-tuk should be able to get you there. His former business partner and best friend, a SriLankan, still lives at this home. You won't see too much from the outside as it is a walled compound. If you contact the home and come during business hours, it is likely that someone will take you to see Arthur's...

Well, you can't actually visit the planet Kepler 16b; it's not even in our solar system. But graphic artists at the National Aeronautical and Space Agency (NASA) have made up dream travel posters for several "exoplanets" (planets that orbit other...

The book I always think of in this regard is ‘The Sheltering Sky’, by Paul Bowles. And the subsequent movie, with the devilish John Malkovich as, guess who, Port Moresby. It inspired me to take the plunge and travel outside Europe, to Morocco, a place I’ve returned again and again, sure that would be so as soon as I read the book. But there have been others - ‘The River’s Tale: A Year on the Mekong’, by Edward Gargan, added Yunnan Province in China to my first round-the-world destination...

Sometimes, the art Jonathan L encounters in his travels inspires him to create flash fiction. Here are three stories inspired by paintings by Edward Hopper

Part 1a of this blog series discussed the city of Colombo.  This post focuses on my visits with its most famous resident, Sir Arthur C. Clark.