Figures In A Landscape: People and Places

This is a collection of essays from Paul Theroux - it is accurately subtitled ‘People and Places' and ‘Essays 2001-2016'. The vast majority have been published previously - many of those about authors are introductions to their Penguin edition books (Maugham, Greene, Conrad, Simenon), many as articles published in Granta, the New Yorker, Smithsonian and others.

They cover a wide range of topics, and were a pleasure to read, or the most part. There are thirty essays, so life is too short to discuss them all, or even half, so I have mentioned below some of the parts that stand out to me. As I usually take to rambling in these situations, I will try a bulletpoint list, and see how that goes.

- The Michael Jackson / Elizabeth Taylor story came across as creepy when I first read it - long before the death of Jackson, but re-reading it now made it even weirder.
- The Graham Greene essay is excellent (I think i have read this one before too), and having some knowledge of Greene gave me greater understanding than say Maugham, Thoreau and Simenon, who I have only passing acquaintance with.
- The essay on Robin Williams was sad to read, as it had some subtle foreshadowing of Williams' unhappiness.
- Hunter Thompson & Paul Bowles remain a mystery to me. Maybe I need to try and read them again.
- The Oliver Sacks essay was good - another person I only know through other peoples reviews. I liked the way a few of the later essays referred back to Sacks' words of wisdom. I enjoyed the way Theroux realised at the end that while he thought he was interviewing and observing Sacks, it was him being observed by Sacks. When Sacks introduced him to Shane, Theroux thought it was so he could observe Shane - when Sacks wanted to observe how Theroux interacted with Shane. All very ‘outside looking in'.
- The dominatrix essay was hilarious, although seeing other reviews some saw this as the repulsive or offensive.
-Theroux does offer up some of himself in a number of these essays, such as Mrs Robinson Revisited, but ultimately his writing comes back to literary references - the great majority of which are lost on me. Particularly My life as a Reader.
- His essay about his father, and the following one on The Trouble with an Autobiography share some of his family history, and form the lead up to writing Motherland - of which I have a copy I have not yet read!
- Theroux writes well about Africa. He clearly has a lot of passion for Africa. There are some good travel experience essays in this collection - they appeal most and rate best with me.

I think there was only one essay I skipped over towards the end, which wasn't keeping me awake, and in all this was a great read. I purchased it new (rare for me) while in Singapore, as I desperately needed something other than fiction to read! I was an inspired choice, although I read 90% on returning home.

5 stars, and a book I expect to return to when relevant topics come up.

yes, i relate.