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A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush
A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush
Author: Eric Newby
Ranked 16 out of 100 on National Geographic Adventure's list of top 100 adventure books of all time Feeling restless in the world of London's high-fashion industry, Eric Newby asked an old friend to accompany him on a mountain-climbing expedition in the wild and remote Hindu Kush, in north-eastern Afghanistan. And so they went - although ...  more »
ISBN-13: 9780864426048
ISBN-10: 0864426046
Publication Date: 2005
Pages: 260
Rating:
  • Currently 3.7/5 Stars.
 6

3.7 stars, based on 6 ratings
Publisher: Lonely Planet Publications
Book Type: Paperback
Other Versions: Hardcover, Audio Cassette
Members Wishing: 0
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review
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reviewed A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush on
Hilarious, but restrained writing. Eric Newby was earning his living in London in the haute couture trade, but he went on this crazy journey in the wild mountains north-east of Kabul. The Times Literary Supplement called it "tough, extrovert, humorous, and immensely literate." There are several good black and white photographs, but the few maps were a bit disappointing.

Here are a few of the sentences Newby found listed as opening gambits in the Bashgali language phrase book he took along with him:
I saw a corpse in a field this morning.
How long have you had a goitre?
A dwarf has come to ask for food.
I have nine fingers: you have ten.
I have an intention to kill you.
A gust of wind came and took away all my clothes.
Why do you kick my horse? I will kick you.
How many black spots are there on your white dog's back?--and the answer: He is a yellow dog all over, and not spotted.

These are on p.166. If they don't make a person want to read this book, I don't know what would.
reviewed A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush on + 13 more book reviews
Wandering through this book was, for me, liking taking a walk down memory lane. If you want to travel to a place without having to get on a plane this is the way to do it. Without lots of self aggrandizement and pondering on the meanings of life this book presents a slice of the area and encourages the read to reflect for themselves.


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