Read This: Travels in Siberia

I’m headed to the 92nd Street Y tonight to see a discussion between two of my favorite New Yorker writers, Ian Frazier and John McPhee, where one of the main topics of discussion is sure to be Frazier’s new book, Travels in Siberia. I am only one-fifth of the way through it as I write this, but I’m absolutely loving it—this is a perfect example of an author giving himself over to his passion for a subject and letting it take him where it will. In this case, there’s Frazier’s passion for the “real,” geographical and natural Siberia, but that’s just the beginning; just over 100 pages in, and there have also been historical, cultural, social, and literary dimensions to his enthusiasm as well. The descriptions are exquisite, but infused with a masterfully deadpan humor. One of my favorite lines so far: “To an unromantic eye, [Nome, Alaska] in certain seasons may look like an expanse of mud with pieces of rusted iron sticking out of it.”

And it is entirely to Frazier’s credit that he can still make you want to visit that place.

There’s a section of photographs in the middle of the book, but I’m more enchanted by the line drawings Frazier has dropped into the text at irregular intervals—you can get a feeling for his style with that cover illustration. But I’m even more enamored of his prose, which manages to be both intimate and comprehensive. As I say, he’s given himself over to his passion for the subject, and, for the reader, he serves as a personal guide, walking us through the vast terrain and making sure our attention never flags. I don’t want to spoil very many of the pleasures this book has in store for you by giving them away early, and I still have plenty of them to discover for myself, but I will tell you that Frazier can make you care as much about a 19th-century American travel writer, or the long span of the Mongol Empire, as you will about his own camping trip with crabby American tourists. Travels in Siberia is a warm, thoughtful book that has me very much looking forward to hearing more from the man who wrote it.

13 December 2010 | read this |