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A Journey to Nowhere: Among the Lands and History of Courland by Jean-Paul Kauffmann (view source)
Revision as of 12:57, 12 April 2018
, 12:57, 12 April 2018no edit summary
{{infoboxinfobox1
|title=A Journey to Nowhere: Among the Lands and History of Courland
|sort=Journey to Nowhere: Among the Lands and History of Courland
|borrow=Yes
|isbn=9780857050366
|pages=288
|publisher=MacLehose Press
|date=April 2012
|summary=A definitive book about a lost corner of Europe, and a fine travelogue.
|cover=1782062424
|aznuk=1782062424
|aznus=0857050362
}}
When I turn to travel writing, it is a healthy balance of that about places I have been to, and places I've not. But without sounding too big-headed it is seldom places I have never heard of in any context - especially those I have passed through, what's more. The 'nowhere' in focus here is Courland, which was more-or-less the coastal slither of the top of Latvia, and was once an independent Duchy. In one fell swoop Kauffmann seems to become the only travel writer to have written a book about the place, at least for many a generation, and, it's pleasant to say, probably the best one could have hoped for.
And of course there is a lot to see in this nowhere. The towns and cities have the token buildings of note - castles, churches. The spirit of domestic pride goes as far as every village having some kind of museum - generally empty of custom, and a bit worthless. But there are great, entertaining contrasts - historic dockyards from where Courlanders left to change the world, and from where Soviet sailors tried the same centuries later; and palatial country estates where rich Germanic dynasties had houses for generations before the 1917 revolution.
But like the best novels, there is too much I cannot reveal. That's partly down to the people he meets - from Latvia and elsewhere, and the surprising famous ex-pats. But mostly it's down to the place itself. It's a region obviously recognisable, yet with its own qualities. ""''We are well and truly in a Europe..."" '' he confirms to himself, only to repeat later ""''It could have been anywhere in Europe""''. Yes, it's clearly Europe, but a very sparsely-populated and seldom-visited region. I deducted tiny marks here and there due to unrealistic (and unrealistic recall of) dialogue, and some Scrabble master-level words, but Courland has gained the richest, championing accompaniment on these pages.
I must thank the kind publishers for my review copy.
Little covers Latvia in fiction - [[The Dogs of Riga by Henning Mankell]] is about it. [[:Category:Travel|Our list of travel books]] had not yet reached this corner of the world either.
{{amazontext|amazon=08570503621782062424}} {{waterstonestextamazonUStext|waterstonesamazon=88253820857050362}}
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[[Category:History]]