The [Tuesday] Media Diet with Paul Theroux

On driving, Malawi, and The Tree of Man

Paul Theroux (PT) is an American novelist and travel writer. His new book, “Burma Sahib,” explores George Orwell’s formative experiences in colonial Myanmar in a fictional format. According to the Times review, “The implicit theory behind the novel is that Blair’s experiences in Burma made him the writer and thinker who became George Orwell. The point is underlined in the novel’s epigraph, a quote from “Burmese Days”: “There is a short period in everyone’s life when his character is fixed forever.” Have a great week. -Colin (CJN)

Describe your media diet.

I scan the news - NYT and other online sources. Because of the Internet, it has never been easier to know what's happening in the world, or more convenient to evaluate the contradictions.

What’s the last great book you read?

"The Tree of Man" by the Australian novelist Patrick White, a masterpiece that is somewhat disparaged in Australia but I immersed myself in it and was enthralled.

What are you reading now?

Two books, one harrowing, one funny. "Cursed Days" by Ivan Bunin, about his disillusionment with the Russian revolution (harrowing), and Evelyn Waugh's "Sword of Honor" trilogy (funny)

What’s your reading strategy when you pick up a print copy of your favorite publication?

I suppose that would be the Sunday NYT, and my first impulse is to solve the crossword in the magazine. After that, my interests are books, news, and updates on places I've traveled in and written about: the Deep South, Mexico, India, China, Africa, the Pacific, and elsewhere.

Who should everyone be reading that they’re not?

Without a doubt, Shakespeare - most people think they know the plays but invariably they're bluffing. I'd suggest starting with two of the shortest plays, The Tempest and Macbeth - different moods and both very satisfying

What is the best non-famous app you love on your phone?

The tide tables for coastal New England. As a kayaker, rower, and sailor, it's essential for me to know the tides. Press a button and I know when I can safely set out.

Plane or train?

Train every time. I have extolled them in my travel books. But these days I prefer road trips in my own car, for the freedom.

What is one place everyone should visit?

This is a maddening question, because who exactly is doing the traveling? If an American I'd say this person should visit America's nearest neighbors - Mexico and Canada and make friends in those places.

Tell us the story of a rabbit hole you fell deep into.

In the summer of 1963, I applied to the Peace Corps to be a teacher in Turkey. I got a message back: "Turkey impossible but Nyasaland is available" After I found that British territory on a map of Central Africa I signed up and spent two years there, witnessing it becoming Malawi. but I had not gotten to the bottom of the rabbit hole. I then got a job in Uganda and stayed for four more years, and I was transformed - I knew I wanted to write and I had something to write about. And I understood Joseph Conrad when he said, "I was a mere animal before I went to the Congo." I think the same is true of Eric Blair, that his five years as a colonial policeman in the rabbit hole of Burma, turned him into George Orwell, the anti-colonial polemicist. See my book, Burma Sahib for details.

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Thanks for reading,

Noah (NRB) & Colin (CJN) & Paul (PT)

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