What draws me in is that a trip is a leap in the dark. It's like a metaphor for life. You set off from home, and in the classic travel book, you go to an unknown place. You discover a different world, and you discover yourself. Paul Theroux bookclassicdark share on social
A travel book is about someone who goes somewhere, travels on the ground, sees something and spends quite a lot of time doing it, and has a hard time, and then comes back and writes about it. It's not about inventing. Paul Theroux backbookgrind share on social
Friendship is also about liking a person for their failings, their weakness. It's also about mutual help, not about exploitation. Paul Theroux exploitationfailingfriendship Change image and share on social
Gain a modest reputation for being unreliable and you will never be asked to do a thing. Paul Theroux askgainmodest Change image and share on social
I have written stories, essays, even whole books on trains, scribble-scribble. Paul Theroux bookessayscribble Change image and share on social
Many aspects of the writing life have changed since I published my first book, in the 1960s. It is more corporate, more driven by profits and marketing, and generally less congenial - but my day is the same: get out of bed, procrastinate, sit down at my desk, try to write something. Paul Theroux 1960saspectbed share on social
Winter is a season of recovery and preparation. Paul Theroux preparationrecoveryseason Change image and share on social
I'm not pessimistic about Africa. The cities just seem big and hopeless. But there's still a great green heart where there's possibility. There's hope in the wilderness. Paul Theroux africabigcity Change image and share on social
When I began to make some money, I really wanted to have a home. Paul Theroux beginhomemake Change image and share on social
I was raised in a large family. The first reason for my travel was to get away from my family. I knew that I wanted to be a writer, but I didn't want people to ask me questions about it. Paul Theroux familyknowlarge Change image and share on social
