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Wanted: Travelogues off the modern travelogue writer’s trodden path

I would like to find modern (i.e. written in the last 40 years or so) travel books about the countries that don’t seem to be in vogue with travel writers/publishers. For example, I have read half a dozen travelogues (including ‘placelogues’) about Spain and France in the last five years, but the only travel account I have read about neighbouring Portugal was a chapter about slaughtering and eating a pig in Anthony Bourdain’s book A Cook’s Tour, and while it did give me some insight into the importance of pork in the Portugese diet, it told me very little else about the country and people.

It is relatively easy to find travelogues about Ireland, France, Spain, Italy, Greece, Egypt, India, Thailand, Australia, Kenya, Peru, the USA (especially Alaska), Cuba, Russia, China, Mongolia and Norway. But where are the travelogues about Germany (Mark Twain wrote one, but what about new ones?), Switzerland, Finland, Portugal, Honduras, Libya, the UAE, Benin, Liberia, Malaysia, Georgia and Azerbaijan?

I would like to find travelogues with a least a chapter dedicated to one or more of those less-written-about countries (and other such countries you can think of), so please post some recommendations in the comments.

P.S.
(Don’t bother mentioning Michael Palin's travelogues – I have read all of them; or Paul Theroux's – I am working my way through those).

Comments

Rachel said…
Author Pico Iyer has written some interesting travel essay collections about lesser written-up countries. I remember an interesting piece on North Korea in one of his books. And Bill Bryson had a funny (of course) take on Bulgaria in "Neither Here Nor There", as I recall.

-Rachel
Old Saratoga Books
April 25, 2008 12:05 pm
Bibliophile said…
I've only read Iyer's "Video Night in Kathmandu", but I guess I should look for more of his books. And thanks for the pointer about Bryson. I find him a very uneven writer - I hope the book you mention is one of the good ones.
April 28, 2008 12:16 pm
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