The opposite of bad travel writing

This is the second book I’ve read by Rory MacLean after “Berlin: Imagine a City”. He also made a fascinating podcast series called “The Bright Magic Podcast” to accompany the album by Public Service Broadcasting. Published in 2019, this is a travel book that revisits the history of eastern Europe in the 30 years since the fall of the Berlin Wall. He travels through Russia, Ukraine, Estonia, Hungary, Poland, Germany, Switzerland, and Britain, tracing the effects of the fall of the Soviet Union, the shadow of power and violence cast by the new oligarchs, and the shift to the right in politics that vilifies the unsettled, stateless people caused by our ongoing wars and arms dealing. Each chapter features encounters with people and their personal histories alongside the grander narratives of political changes. MacLean humanizes the stories of a number of refugees, whose horrific experiences trying to find safety in Europe cause as much trauma as the conflicts they are escaping at home. An important and timely work.

MacLean’s own narration of the audiobook version is compelling and brings to life the voices of the characters he encounters on his travels.

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The Opposite of good travel-writing

I recall enjoying the same author's "Stalin's Nose", when I was a teenager. I have grown up since 1995; it is a shame that this petulant, self-satisfied writer has not. A good travel book shows an author learning from his experience: this book, however, starts with insufferable moral and political lecturing , and imposes this trite hectoring on the reader throughout the book. Neither the author nor the reader learns anything.

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