The Lost Heart of Asia (P.S.)
by Colin Thubron
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Book Summary Information
Author: Colin ThubronEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2008-07-01
ISBN: 0061577677
Number of pages: 400
Publisher: Harper Perennial
Book Reviews of The Lost Heart of Asia (P.S.)
Book Review: Beyond the Western World
Summary: 4 Stars
I had been wanting for a while to learn something about Central Asia. It is possibly the only large region of the world that I know nothing about, have never read anything about, never met anyone from, never visited. This book was not a disappointment - a very educational read that has its moments of drama and humor as well. I wish I could say I became a huge fan of Thubron's writing as well as his travelling, but that would not really be the truth.
The area is, of course, very large, and consists of the nations of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kirghizstan, and Tajikistan. The differences between the countries was not at all clear to me, altho there were some. For the most part, people in the area are descended from nomadic Turkic (not Turkish) tribes. Coming from a history of wandering tribes and city-states, most of them are not particularly impressed by nationalism. Throughout the book it has clearly been dominated by two major forces: the Soviet Union and Islam. The Russians have dominated the area militarily and thru the introduction of Communism, but their empire has been crumbling for a while, and at least when this book was written, it was not clear what the future of Central Asia would be. There Islam is a lot mellower than places like Iran. Often it is mixed with old pagan practices, and most of the men Thubron encounters seem to have no problem drinking large quantities of alcohol, regardless of what the prophet had to say about it.
Thubron is a brave man. He apparently traveled alone, altho he did hook up with some people along the way, and was armed only with his knowledge of Russian. He visits the major cities, and was not too favorably impressed with them, finding them dominated by Soviet architecture and full of Russians (and some Ukrainians too). He encounters some interesting people along the way. He chats with holy men and regular guys, tries to avoid getting into trouble with authorities and stays away from the mafias (of which there are supposedly many). He meets a group of men who cannot fathom the Western idea of romantic love for just a woman, independent of a love for children and family, especially sons. At one point a couple of men offer to share a steamed sheep's head with him, and they dig the yummy gray brains out with their fingers and munch them up. Much of what he sees is not especially attractive - poverty, dry lands, and desperation. When he goes into the Pamir Mountains and the other mountainous regions that border western China, things get more stimulating. I found myself searching the internet for photos of the places he describes.
This author takes the reader on a very interesting journey, there is no doubt about that. But his writing occasionally grated on my nerves - he has a weakness for the purple phrase and the obscure word. I did hope for some more visual description at times - I could not always get a good mental picture going of the places he discusses. But Thubron knows enough to lighten up from time to time, to let his subjects speak for themselves, and to allow some dry humor into the narrative. Despite a loquaiciousness that sometimes distracts the reader from the journey, I would travel with him again.
Summary of The Lost Heart of Asia (P.S.)
A land of enormous proportions, countless secrets, and incredible history, Central Asia was the heart of the great Mongol empire of Tamerlane and scene of Stalin's cruelest deportations. A remote and fascinating region in a constant state of transition?never more so than since the collapse of the Soviet Union?it encompasses terrain as diverse as the Kazakh steppes, the Karakum desert, and the Pamir mountains. In The Lost Heart of Asia, acclaimed, bestselling travel writer Colin Thubron carries readers on an extraordinary journey through this little understood, rarely visited, yet increasingly important corner of the world.
West of China, south of Russia, hemmed in by mountains, steppe, and desert, lie the five Central Asian republics of the former Soviet Union. Cut loose from Moscow in the early '90s, the five "Stans" (Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan) discover that their newly found freedom plays tug-o-war with despair and a nostalgia for the certainties of the Soviet past. It's during this time that author Colin Thubron travels the width of central Asia, asking questions about the past, present, and future. Not content to simply bounce from place to place, Thubron travels from person to person, uncovering their many vibrant stories and developing a deep understanding of the area's lesser-known history. Kyrgyz and Uzbeks debate the place of Islam. Koreans and Germans, descendants from forced migrants, wonder if they know enough of their ethnic tongue to return to their homelands. Russians find themselves left behind, disbelieving, as the tide of Russian power recedes toward Moscow.
Central Asia was mostly off limits to foreigners during the Soviet years, and while officials are still uncertain about how to deal with a backpack-wearing solo traveler, the locals Thubron meets are not. Thubron finds the heart of Asia in the hearts of its people, swimming in a sea of tea, vodka, and hospitality. From the oldest-known Quran to a deserted Soviet naval base on the shores of a high mountain lake 1,500 miles from the ocean (used to test torpedoes far from spying eyes), Thubron's writing echoes the melancholy emptiness of the wide spaces he passes through. The Lost Heart of Asia is a rare meeting of a marvelous writer and a mysterious land. --Ken Peavler
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