In Patagonia - (Penguin Classics) by Bruce Chatwin (Paperback)

About the Book

This "little masterpiece of travel, history, and adventure" (The New York Times) is Bruce Chatwick's exquisite account of his journey through the "uppermost part of the earth"--that stretch of land at the southern tip of South America, where bandits were once made welcome and Charles Darwin formed part of his "survival of the fittest" theory.

Book Synopsis

The masterpiece of travel writing that revolutionized the genre and made its author famous overnight

An exhilarating look at a place that still retains the exotic mystery of a far-off, unseen land, Bruce Chatwin's exquisite account of his journey through Patagonia teems with evocative descriptions, remarkable bits of history, and unforgettable anecdotes. Fueled by an unmistakable lust for life and adventure and a singular gift for storytelling, Chatwin treks through "the uttermost part of the earth"--that stretch of land at the southern tip of South America, where bandits were once made welcome--in search of almost-forgotten legends, the descendants of Welsh immigrants, and the log cabin built by Butch Cassidy. An instant classic upon publication in 1977, In Patagonia is a masterpiece that has cast a long shadow upon the literary world.

For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.

Review Quotes

"A book to stand on the shelf with Graham Greene, Somerset Maugham, and Paul Theroux." --The New York Times Book Review

"Bruce Chatwin joins the ranks of the great British travel writers with In Patagonia." --The Washington Post

"A classic of travel writing . . . By using the literary techniques of fiction--dramatic structure, flashes of inner thoughts and artful prose--the book elevated the form and put Chatwin on the literary map." --Los Angeles Times, "101 Best Book Club Picks for Every Type of Reader"

About the Author

Bruce Chatwin (1940-1989) was the author of In Patagonia, The Viceroy of Ouidah, On the Black Hill, The Songlines, and Utz. His other books are What Am I Doing Here and Anatomy of Restlessness, posthumous anthologies of shorter works, and Far Journeys, a collection of his photographs that also includes selections from his travel notebooks.