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A review by _zora_
Marco Polo Didn't Go There: Stories and Revelations from One Decade as a Postmodern Travel Writer: 0 (Travelers' Tales Guides) by Rolf Potts
4.0
To be honest, I was expecting not to like this book much. I have a low tolerance for bravado in travel writing, and young guys' writing often displays a lot of this.
The first essay, about trying to pull of some random anti-stunt involving crashing the set of "The Beach" in Thailand, veered dangerously toward that territory. But from there on out, things got a lot better. Potts is thoughtful, funny and creative--I liked the second-person essay set in India, for instance.
And the "postmodern commentary" is actually quite illuminating. In the notes following each story, Potts explains the various choices he made in telling each story--what details he left out, how he tinkered with chronology, etc. It makes me look at other travel writing differently as a result.
The first essay, about trying to pull of some random anti-stunt involving crashing the set of "The Beach" in Thailand, veered dangerously toward that territory. But from there on out, things got a lot better. Potts is thoughtful, funny and creative--I liked the second-person essay set in India, for instance.
And the "postmodern commentary" is actually quite illuminating. In the notes following each story, Potts explains the various choices he made in telling each story--what details he left out, how he tinkered with chronology, etc. It makes me look at other travel writing differently as a result.