介绍:
Hailed as one of the most influential philosophers to early Christianity, Augustine of Hippo was a man who left many dictums. Despite his general irksomeness towards travel, this famous bishop once described the great advantages of wanderlust like this: "The world is a great book...of which they that never stir from home read only a page."
Yes, just like an old Chinese saying, "it&`&s better to travel ten thousand miles than to read ten thousand books", even the most erudite and well-read person among us should go on a journey.
That&`&s probably the reason why Jan Hung-Tze, one of Taiwan&`&s most notable writers, has become a globetrotter.
"If you could roam around a strange society in a frugal manner, you will have a chance to become a part of others&`& lives and gain a whole new experience. The purpose of travelling for me is to separate myself from my hometown, my own society, and the system I am familiar with. Travel provides me a temporary breakaway to become someone else. In a way, travel resembles reading. Both of them are the best ways to expand my horizon. Reading a book feels like immersing yourself into virtual reality while travelling is a kind of role play. "
In Jan&`&s book, "Have Book. Will Travel", or "Lv Xing Yu Du Shu" in Chinese, this seasoned traveler effortlessly lures us into his journeys, that are sometimes quaint, sometimes idle and occasionally, a little bit haywire. First, we hike to Switzerland where the author blindly followed a travel guide and nearly got himself trapped on the snow-crowned Alps; next, we head to a high-end Indian restaurant, where an ill-prepared package tour transforms into an unexpected epicure adventure; and we fly to Africa to witness how the curiosity-driven writer was awed by the ultimate beauty and brutality of nature on a Botswana safari.
Yet according to book critic Liang Wendao,Jan&`&s writing is not entirely a beautifully depicted chronicle on his transcontinental trips.
"At first glance, the book is composed of different travelogues. But you will notice that all these stories are written by a bibliophile, or in Jan&`&s own words, &`&produced by a bookworm&`&. When bookworms set foot on the road, they trek the world differently. "
As the founder of Cite Publishing Group, the largest of its kind in Taiwan, being nerdy is undoubtedly Jan Hung-Tze&`&s strong suit. In India, enthralled by a carpet dealer who could chant the prose by Persian poet Omar Khayyam, he bought carpets despite their price is way above average. At one point, a novel written by Japanese writer Yamazaki Toyoko landed him in a decades-old hotel. While somehow, an adventure book pushed him to enter Alaska.
From Michael Chabon&`&s award-winning sci-fi The Yiddish Policemen&`&s Union to Jack London&`&s short stories, "Have Book. Will Travel" is thick with literary references. Flipping through the pages, readers could be easily carried away by the author&`&s whimsies and bookish geekiness that constantly pop up in his writing.
Just as Jan once mentioned in one of the chapters, he always arms himself with a couple of books on a trip, literature and travel have become two inseparable subjects.
"My book is awkwardly positioned. As a travelogue, the trips mentioned in the book are not that impressive or awe-inspiring. Lots of people travel to places that are more far-flung than I do. It&`&s not encyclopaedic either, since my writing style is not rigorous. For me, it feels like I am talking about my travel experience with friends over the dinner table. I spout a lot of nonsense and personal remarks. So this book doesn&`&t work as a travel guide. It&`&s far from a successful literary output. Maybe the book could serve as a funny, talking friend."
Jan Hung-Tze is way too modest. Without any photos or illustrations, "Have Book. Will Travel" extensively and vividly brings out the frictions, vanity, charm and self-satisfaction of travelling with flair and wits; while rejecting any form of pedantic theories, this travel note collection is imbued with passion towards reading, a life-long crush Jan nurtured since an early age.
So if you happen to be a bookworm who loves globe-trotting, "Have Book. Will Travel" is a book worth of your time.
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