Writing Railways

A study of Paul Theroux's travelogues

In the second half of the twentieth century, when flying across places became more common and popular, a few travel writers chose to seek places and cultures travelling in trains. Paul Theroux pioneers them with his first book, The Great Railway Bazaar (1975). He has since written a number of other travel books, The Old Patagonian Express (1979), The Kingdom By The Sea (1983), The Happy Isles Of Oceania (1992), Riding the Iron Rooster (1988) and Sailing Through China (1984), Dark Star Safari (2013) and Last Train to Zona Verdana (2013), Ghost Train to the Eastern Star (2009) etc