Perusing Patagonia
Two books — one classic, one contemporary — capture the quintessential character of this wild and wonder-filled place.
Patagonia is one of the planet's most wild, remote, inspiring places. Two books -- one published last year, the other published 32 years ago -- are excellent introductions to the nature and appeal of Patagonia.
The first, Patagonia: Nature's Last Frontier, combines a sumptuous collection of photographs by Marcos Zimmerman with eloquent prose by Tomas Eloy Martinez. The second, In Patagonia, by Bruce Chatwin, is a controversial but compelling account of a journey into that isolated place, and of the characters and character encountered there. I like this book for its dialogue, its characterizations and its daring, mesmerizing, disjointed style. Chatwin doesn't write a smooth chronological narrative, but rather creates a kind of cubist portrait of his travels, composed of extremely short chapters that mix snatches of history, encounters with locals and renditions of their tales with his own observations and reflections. The result is a remarkably fresh re-creation of his journey and his own encounter with Patagonia. Taken together, these two books illuminate the extraordinary attractions and transforming riches of this singular place.
[Patagonia: Nature's Last Frontier; photography by Marcos Zimmerman, text by Tomas Eloy Martinez; Blume Publishers; hardcover, 160 pages; $49.95. In Patagonia, by Bruce Chatwin; Penguin Classics; paperback; 240 pages, $15.]
If you want to undertake your own Patagonian adventure, use the Adventure Collection's TripFinder tool. to view the member companies' extensive range of Patagonia packages.
