Rosamund Burton's CASTLES, FOLLIES & FOUR-LEAF CLOVERS released in the UK

Just a brief note to tell you that my dear friend and wonderful publishing stablemate Rosamund Burton has had her book Castles, Follies & Four-Leaf Clovers released in the United Kingdom and Ireland this month.

It is available through Atlantic Books, and if you're in that part of the world, do go out and treat yourself with a copy.

Castles... is Rosamund's account of her journey along St. Declan's Way, a little-known pilgrim's path in Ireland.

Rosamund grew up in Ireland, and this book is an affectionate and fascinating look at the mystical and magical worlds that lie just underneath the surface normality of Ireland. You will read about fairy's shoes and leprechaun's hats, as well as the miraculous springs dedicated to St. Declan and to the Virgin Mary. It is a gentle, affectionate and illuminating book, and left me aching to visit Ireland.

So You Want to Visit Ireland?

Well, the perfect opportunity has arrived to learn about a special part of that fascinating place.
Rosamund Burton is the author of the recently released Castles, Follies and Four-Leaf Clovers, a beautiful journey along St. Declan's way in rural Ireland.




Rosamund will be giving an illustrated talk about her book at Leichhardt Library on Tuesday 8 November.




The talk will include a Powerpoint presentation, so there’ll be lots of photographs of Ireland looking beautiful.

Her perspective is truly unique, and I have learned so much about Ireland both from reading her book and hearing her speak. So do go along and hear her and see some of the wonderful photographs that show the journey behind the book.

Details:

Rosamund Burton @ Leichhardt Library

Piazza Level, Italian Forum

23 Norton Street, Leichhardt NSW

6.30-8pm, Tues 8 Nov

The Sydney Morning Herald calls "Destination Saigon" one of the most outstanding travelogues of the year

Thanks to the wonderful Belinda Jackson for singling out Destination Saigon as one of 2010's best travelogues in last weekend's SMH Traveller. She has certainly put me in some elevated company! Here's what she has to say:

"Destination Saigon, Walter Mason (Allen & Unwin, $24.99)

Love with a Vietnamese man eventually led to a love of Vietnam - but this is no rosy affair. Inspired by several prolonged stays, including stints in rural monasteries and language studies in Ho Chi Minh City, Cabramatta local Mason is a large Caucasian man and therefore a source of wonder and affectionate groping among the dense crowds of smaller-statured Vietnamese. Perched on the back of a motorbike behind a tiny monk friend, he's also a rich source for Vietnamese humour ("Check out skinny Minnie on the back of that bike!") or the ministrations of cafe owners, who bring out extra-strong chairs when he darkens their doorsteps."

FYI, the other titles she likes are:

Is That Thing Diesel?, Paul Carter (Allen & Unwin, $24.99)

A Food Lover's Pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela, Dee Nolan (Penguin Lantern, $100)

A Carpet Ride to Khiva: Seven Years on the Silk Road, Christopher Aslan Alexander (Icon Books, Allen & Unwin, $22.99)

Grounded: A Down to Earth Journey Around the World, Seth Stevenson (HarperCollins, $35)

Three in a Bed in the Med, Ann Rickard (Radge Publishing, $24.95)

A Moveable Feast, editor Don George (Lonely Planet, $29.99)

Nine Lives: In Search of the Sacred in Modern India, William Dalrymple (Allen & Unwin, $35)

Letters from the Caribbean, Andrea & Ian Treleaven (New Holland, $29.95)

From Here to There: A Father and Son Roadtrip Adventure from Melbourne to London, Jon Faine & Jack Faine (ABC Books, $39.99)

That should provide you with something of a reading list for the holidays, and good to see that the most-represented publisher is my very own, Allen & Unwin.

Liverpool Creative Writers

I had a lovely time today conducting a writing workshop for the Liverpool Creative Writers.
I have only just realised that this is the first writing workshop I have even conducted, and it was a great success.
We explored ideas of travel and journey, and how we might be able to apply some of the techniques of travel writing to other forms and genres.
As well as me talking we also did some practical exercises, at the end of which some of the group shared what they had written.
They were a really terrific bunch of people, and we all had lots of fun. So much so that I've already been invited back!

Self as Narrator, Self as Hero

One of the peculiarities of travel writing is that normally the central character of the narrator - the hero, if you like - is the writer himself.
I am talking here about the unnamed narrator of Destination Saigon, called variously, Big Brother, Fatty, Sir and – my favourite – Dumpling Face. He’s lazy, and disinclined to indulge in physical exercise – and there's something I recognise in that. He could be accused of being a religious maniac, except he’s never seen a religious person or religious act that he couldn’t poke fun at. There’s an inability to be serious, perhaps even a fear of the grave (and I leave the meaning of that statement intentionally unclear).
This character – this other Walter Mason – is also a big man, and I share this quality with him. The Vietnamese have the great charm of normally being completely honest and up-front. Being among them is like being in that awful film where no-one knows how to tell lies. Any faults, any physical differences, are immediately assessed and brought to the fore. My thesis is that this is a result of centuries lived in a communal culture in frequently crowded conditions. If everyone were to go about pretending not to notice things – the way we do – then society probably couldn’t function. People will introduce you to their family with such descriptions as “This is Sister Two – she’s retarded. Sister Three here is the great beauty of the family, but unfortunately that got used up by the time Sister Four came around – she’s extremely plain.” All this said not just in hearing distance of the said sisters, but in front of their faces. It might seem cruel, but after a while it is immensely liberating. You have no need to worry about what people are saying behind your back – because they are saying it in front of your back. If that makes sense.
And so my bigness is one of the badges I carry in Vietnam.