Wanderlust and Cynicism

I'm reading Arthur Phillips' "Prague" right now. So far so good. It is about a group of American ex-pats in post-Cold War Budapest. The title alludes to the fact that while in Budapest they long for Prague because it is less modern and they fear that being an ex-pat in Budapest is becoming trite and old hat. The author lived in Budapest and is a keen observer of the self-referential nature of the ex-pat community.

It reminds me of many ways of Alex Garland's The Beach (a tremendous book made into a terrible movie). The characters are so desperate to find an unmapped territory to call their own that they really do that. But his discussions of tourists insisting on callling Cambodia "Kampuchia" is priceless (I especially enjoyed the book since I was in Bangkok when I read it which added an extra degree of self-referentialism).

I am very much looking forward to a book called Samurai William about one of the first Anglos in Japan. Because that is the antithises to Prague and The Beach. There will not be anymore Samurai Williams so cyncial travelers will always try to one up one another to make their own little world away from home.

I am especially interested in this because I have traveled quite a bit in some "unmapped" areas (Vietnam, etc.) and I soon will become an ex-pat (in Japan). I am not saying that everyone who goes abroad does so for these reasons or develops the sense of self import or cynicism that these books imply, but it is a common theme.

Another great book is Shopping by Gavin Kramer. It is about some ex-pats in Japan and very accurately describes the polar extremes--the annoying white guys who think they are Japanese and the slimy white guys who go there to get laid. Good stuff.

Anyone else have any suggestions for books, movies, etc. that touch on this theme?

 

The holier or purer than thou travelling and ex-pat communities crack me up.

A thousand variations on you should have been here yesterday. I constantly meet ex-pats here who seem to hate everything about the country(S.Korea).

I've come to think that some people travel because they didn't get on well with the majority of people in their home country. When you talk to them it seems more like they just don't get along with the majority of people.

The Beach was hilarious and I'll look into some of the others you've mentioned. Sadly I don't have any for you, hard to get books here unless you're in Seoul or want to read mainstream fiction.

I'm trying to find enough good books to make it economic to make a solid order on Amazon.

 

Scruffy, are you Korean or working over there? I love South Korea. Been there 3 times and would work there if their legal markets were a little more open (unfortunately right now non-Korean law firms can't practive there) and if my hanguk-uh was a bit (well, a lot) better (that one year of college Korean gets me cab rides and food, but not much else).

There are few things that drive me crazy as a foreigner voluntarily living somewhere else and grousing about it everyday. Usually to other foreigners who have never ventured outside of their small circle. Of course, like I said in my last email, I also despise those who just want to show off all the time (whether it be language, knowledge of culture, etc.). I hope when I move to Japan in a few months I can strike a proper balance and keep perspective.

 

Hairdresser, you may be interested in Audrey Hepburn's Neck, as written by Alan Brown. It broaches differences in the Japanese and American cultures, albeit more superficially than I expected and via the mechanism of sex. Not terribly graphic or distasteful, yet there are those who may be slightly disturbed.

Furthermore, Twain's Innocents Abroad and Redmond O'Hanlon's Into the Heart of Borneo (I don't like the latter piece much, though I'll recommend it because a) I seem to be the minority and b) it serves its purpose) come to mind.

I honestly cannot think of another tourist/expat commentary-laced travel book/novel to recommend, though I know I've read many worth exalting. Perhaps I'll recall them at a later time.

 

You gotta be kidding.

You looking for the Algonquin Round Table oveseas?



Just go live in Japan and enjoy it.

Why overthink everything and give it
literary attributes?