a whole new world.
How reading while travelling altered my perspective.
The magic of a great book is that it transports you to new a world with different landscapes and unfamiliar cultures.
A recent habit I picked up is reading literature from the city I am currently visiting. Of course some of the books are the translated copy but regardless they share the stories of new cities I otherwise would have missed.
Tokyo
While I was in Japan I read a lot of translated fiction including Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami, Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi, and Tokyo Ueno Station by Miri Yu. The latter I read on my final day in Tokyo.
Offering a new perspective, Miri Yu opened my eyes to a side of Tokyo I had been blind to. And quite literally as Yu writes about his time spent at the park across from Ueno Station.
“To be homeless is to be ignored when people walk past, while still being in full view of everyone.”
I had been to Ueno Station that morning after catching the train from Nagano. Finishing the last couple of pages was difficult. It was devastatingly heartbreaking, but really made me aware of my privilege. To travel the world with my friends, have a roof over my head, and a family to come back to - I was filled with gratitude.
Paris
Girls trip to Paris (especially in the month of August!) calls for reading in Jardin des Tuileries. Space in my carry on suitcase by this time of the trip was very limited. So, I opted for a cheap, quick read at the first English bookstore I saw. Despite being less than 100 pages long, Bonjour Tristesse by Françoise Sagan, offered a rich portrait of sexuality in France during the 1950s. And, with its scandalised reputation, Bonjour Tristesse felt like the perfect French read.
Athens
Just like the novel, I started reading Outline by Rachel Cusk on my flight to Athens. The story details a novelist’s time in Athens teaching a creative writing course. Her conversations with so many luminous characters fuelled my excitement for my study abroad program. It’s not just about visiting a new place but getting to know and connecting with the people who live there.
My time in Athens was full of different conversations. Some short like learning about my taxi drivers time sailing around the Mediterranean. Others longer like the advice shared by my tour leader. I also deeply related to Cusk’s description the oppressive summer heat in Athens(!).
Florence
Florence - the birthplace of the Renaissance and home to many famous poets and writers. I had read Dante’s Inferno the previous semester in my Jewish and Christian Works class, so it only felt necessary to read Paradiso in his hometown.
After getting lost in the streets and stumbling in and out of iconic sites, I found a quiet step to take a break and read.
The poetry, written in the 14th century, transported me back in time and connected me to the cultural tapestry of the city. Plus bonus points for the much more uplifting tone than Inferno.
New York City
McNally Jackson - potentially my favourite place of all time. I was lucky enough to listen to Judith Thurman talk about her new book Left Handed Woman (which I must add has greatly influenced my desire to write).
London
At the end of my exchange, my friend generously invited me to spend Christmas with her family in England. Obviously cozying up by the fire called for a good book.
She lent me one of her old school books, As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning by Laurie Lee. While admittedly not the most thrilling read, his journey from England to Spain felt so relevant given I had just studied in Madrid for six months. And, I had to relate to Lee’s initial lack of Spanish, which we both eventually picked up.
These stories, while so richly unique, gain a whole new perspective when placed in their respective cities. To read a book and later walk down the streets just described is a feeling I will never get over, nor be able to express.
Without these stories I would only be able to see the world through my eyes - the eyes of a tourist. But each page illustrated a new life, the routines and history of a place.
To read while traveling is to truly connect.