Ox Travels: Meetings with Remarkable Travel Writers (Ox Tales) by Mark Ellingham

Ox Travels: Meetings with Remarkable Travel Writers (Ox Tales) Reviews

• 
  Daren

  A collection of non-fiction short stories from travel writers, revolving around the theme of a meeting. They are generally around 10 pages long, some shorter, some longer.
  
  The authors making up the collection are pretty big hitters - five or six of them are amongst my favourite authors, and another dozen I have read before and enjoyed.
  
  A quick summary review would be - far more hits than misses, a wide variety of locations and situations, some very good stories, and only two that I DNF'd. This is pretty good for thirty six different authors.
  
  I read this slowly, with a story here, and a couple of stories there, so it isn't easy to pick out favourites, but there are authors I find reliable who were strongest, and there are few surprises that Theroux, Dalrymple, Thubron, Dervla Murphy, Patrick Leigh Fermor, Peter Godwin and Tim Butcher were amongst the best. Better still, there were a few authors I didn't know which were also good stories, and will be worth seeking out again.
  
  While these short encounter stories don't really let the reader make a connection with the story as much as a longer, more in-depth book does, I think you need to go into a book set up this way knowing that. perfectly suited to dipping into for 10-20 minutes at a time.
  
  For me somewhere between 3 and 4 stars, but closer to 4.
• 
  H. Daley

  Loved this collection of traveller's tales, only one weak one.
• 
  Gundrada

  This is such a mixed bag. Some essays, like those of William Dalrymple, Anthony Sattin and Sarah Maguire are fascinating, respectful insights into people’s lives and cultures. They’re a transportive and educational pleasure to read.
  
  Unfortunately, many of the essays are patronising and self-absorbed. A couple are downright rude.
  
  The contributors were given a simple brief by Oxfam: A true story loosely based around a meeting (that should be real, rather than metaphorical). Somehow, many contributors interpreted this to mean “just write about yourself”. One of them took this further, choosing to write about his STI and the implications for his “dick”.
  
  It’s disheartening to read these people, who have had the privilege of others sharing their often extremely traumatic lives and stories with them, be so patronising about their interviewees’ lack of knowledge, provision of food, or wish to share stories that the author deems tangential. It’s awful that people can write like this and not see the problem with it. I know this book was published a decade or so ago, but I can’t quite believe Oxfam published all the contributions.
  
  One of the essays is particularly awful, littered with the author’s moans as Mukharbek Zabakov, an 86-year-old man tells of the slaughter of his friends and comrades by their own people: “I have to admit I was bored”; “I even started transcribing his comments properly for a while”; and “There is even a doodle of a frowning face in a dunce’s cap in the top corner of one page”. There’s no shame-filled reflection on this behaviour – the author seems quite at ease with it.
  
  It’s a shame, because there are some interesting vignettes, but I’d suggest finding a curated collection of people telling their own stories, rather than privileged Westerners doing it for them.
• 
  Jennifer

  This was a surprise and very welcome gift as I had had it on my list of books to read. I'd previously enjoyed one of an earlier Oxfam literary project on the four elements. Ox Travels was better - despite being a much fatter volume, the collection was less patchy, varied but coherent. It's also a very nicely produced book.
  
  I thought I was a reader of travel books, or had been. I have to revise that description after being introduced to so many writers who were new to me (most of them about my own age). Just occasionally I found myself resenting the predominance of English writers of well-heeled provenance 'slumming it' even when doing important work and wondered where the working class travel writers might be. Perhaps because of the theme of meetings, the pieces were less lyrical in style than I might have expected at least some to be and Patrick Leigh Fermor's near the end piece came as an awakening jolt in that respect.
• 
  Will Ansbacher

  Most of the excerpts were really too short for me to get very involved in the narratives. On the other hand, there were a number of authors I hadn't read before whose books I think I'll read now.
• 
  Tim Allen

  I wouldn't bother reading this book, just give a tenner to Oxfam instead. It made me realise how the majority of 'travel writing' is trite, egotistical, derivative and tiresome. The authors often seem to patronise the reader and the people who feature in their anecdotes.
  
  Many of the stories are full of vague platitudes based around the cliched metaphor that: 'it doesn't matter where you're going, but it's the journey that's important'. I don't really care if you understood what it means to be humble when you met a Buddhist monk on a train to...anywhere! The result is that all a lot of the authors seem to want to do is brag about where they've been, instead of offering up insights into culture or humanity.
  
  The stories that do stand out are not about the authors travels as such, but rather they are the ones more keenly focused on history and politics. Some work nicely because they reveal little cultural nuggets, but others just don't get going due to their short length (a criticism often cited here).
  
  Unfortunately, reading this made me question if the genre of travel writing is even relevant today.
• 
  Linda

  
  I confess I was not aware of the charitable organization Oxfam when I purchased this incredible collection of top notch travel writers. The credentials of the generous authors who gave their stories without compensation to this anthology are most impressive. Oxfam attempts to alleviate world poverty and uplift the condition of less fortunate around the globe. These stories are not for those looking for escapist armchair travel; rather it is for those who dare to care about the harsh realities people endure.Blood diamonds is about the massacre of diamond diggers in Zimbabwe by the Mugabe regime. Love in a Hot Climate takes you through the life incidents that led Ni Ni into a hideous life of prostitution in Rangoon. Not all of the stories are unspeakably sad. On the Way to Timbuktu is a more gentle travel memoir that is a tribute to an old friend. All of the stories are written brilliantly. But, none are for people wanting to ignore reality rather they are for those who want to better understand the world we live in.
  
  
  www.lindaballouauthor.com
  
  
• 
  Christy

  When I was in Portland, Oregon last year, I raided the travel section of Powell’s Books, and this was one of the books highlighted by the store. Ox Travels is a collection of 36 travel essays, and proceeds of the book go toward supporting the work of Oxfam. Some of the essays are adapted excerpts from books, especially in the case of well-known travel writers such as Paul Theroux and William Dalrymple. I hadn’t read any of the source books, so the re-use of this material didn’t bother me. As with most books of essays, there were a few weak links, but overall this was a fine collection. There is “The End of the Bolster”, a little romantic tale from Sara Wheeler and “A Cave on the Black Sea” which is a story from an unfinished book by the recently deceased Patrick Leigh Fermor. There is a story which tells of a Brazilian Rastafarian who travels to Benin, the land of his ancestors; another story describes a tense encounter in the diamond fields of Zimbabwe; a street performer works a bit of magic on a desperate crowd waiting for a plane in Freetown, Sierra Leone in “The Beggar King”.
• 
  Dorothy

  This book came to me through BookCrossing. At first I thought it was something I would dip into from time to time being a collection of travel pieces edited by Michael Palin. However, once I had read the first piece, I was hooked and read straight through it in a short number of days.
  
  Michale Palin had invited a number of well respected travel writers to submit a short piece describing a particular journey during which they had met an usual or interesting person. The writing is excellent, the stories fascinating and I felt I learned a great deal about a number of different countries and cultures. Only one or two of the pieces failed to resonate with me...and I now have been introduced to some writers I had not heard of before and whose books appeal to me.
  
  This should be going out on BookCrossing release but before it does, I have a list of friends who want to borrow it.
• 
  Chris Steeden

  Great concept and some really good stories let down with some really poor ones which is not surprising as the book contains about 35 authors. The stories are about 10 pages long so very easy to dip in-and-out. I also found this a very good way to read about travel writers that I had not heard of before so will certainly be following-up by getting some of their books on my wish list.
• 
  Topping & Company Booksellers of Ely

  Ox Travels is the perfect way to gain an insight into the personal experiences of some of todays most prominent travel writers.
  Each story is a memorable page-turner, which will leave you both moved amused at different points. A must-have on your summer reading list.
  This book was also published in aid of Oxfam, so is supporting an excellent cause!
  
  Rebecca P
• 
  Juanita

  The 36 articles in this book have made me realize that I'm more a tourist than a traveler. They have reawakened my desire to see new parts of the world. It is an excellent collection of travel writers and all the stories are fascinating.
• 
  Tom

  Thoroughly enjoyable and extensively diverse collection of travelling tales and voyaging vignettes. Though each is quite short, the potency and emotive hooks of the many writers really draw you into each encounter and narrative. For that reason, worth reading slowly, one story at a time.
• 
  Carolyn

  Definitely the best compilation of travel stories I have ever read. My copy is dogeared and marked of pages I want to reread or takes notes from. I was familiar with many of the contributors but there were a few new authors I will now be following. Just leaves me wanting to jump on a plane.....
• 
  Slaa!!!

  That sure took long enough.
• 
  Brad

  Terrific. Made the acquaintance of several new writers.
• 
  Monica

  Some good stories, some so-so. The physical format of the book, unfortunately, didn't lend itself to comfortable reading.
• 
  Russell

  A great read, more than a travelogue, a collection of 36 short stories. Excellent.
• 
  Abbie Graham

  Interesting collection of short travel stories, was perfect to read in small chunks before bed
• 
  Ulrike

  Excellent writing by a bunch of supremely talented and interesting people. A must-read for anybody interested in the world and in travel writing.
• 
  Damien Evans

  Like all short story collections, it's a mixed bag. However there were some really good stories in here so it's worth a read.
• 
  Sue

  This is a book I keep next to my bed. I pick it up once or twice a year and it always keeps me smiling, guessing, and traveling through others.