A writer of enormous erudition and wide-ranging travels, Claudio Magris selects for this volume 38 essays penned during trips and wanderings over the span of several decades. With graceful prose and a wealth of insights, Magris looks for the past and the living culture of the locales he haunts, resulting in unique evocations of Spain, Germany, Poland, Norway, Vietnam, Iran, and Australia.

"Quietly profound…. An eloquent blend of literary criticism, political history, and travel writing."—Publishers Weekly