On the Road to Babadag

On the Road to Babadag: Travels in the Other Europe by Andrzej Stasiuk
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Poetic, meditative, and at times piercingly insightful, On the Road to Babadag takes the reader on a trip to the other side of Europe. As one reviewer commented, "On the Road to Babadag...is valuable reading...If we can't read our way around Europe, how will we ever find our place, our identity, within it?" (For the entire review: http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2011/...).

Stasiuk describes the hallucinatory aspects of his trips; his writing sometimes follows suit. After awhile, I found I had to take a break from the book because I needed to ground myself back in reality. However, he finely captures the surreal moments which happen in Eastern Europe, the magic, the lost quality of living outside of the mainstream. Stasiuk says that he seeks "disintegration" and loves the "periphery". If you loves these qualities, too, you should journey with Andrzej Stasiuk.

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