A Journey of Discovery along the Silk Road
July 8, 2019
In this thoughtful memoir, French journalist Ollivier, grieving after his wife dies, writes of walking from Istanbul to Tehran in 1999, the first of his planned three-stage solo trek along the Silk Road. Almost immediately, dangers and doubts plague the sexagenarian’s journey: his watch is nearly stolen by thieves; the Turkish army stops him multiple times along the way and, at one point, forcibly removes him from a shelter; sheep dogs block his path; and he fears encountering terrorists (“Of course, I’m fully aware that they could hold me hostage”). Ollivier animates the landscape with vivid accounts of people he meets along the way, including a Turkish philosopher named Behçet who is eager to debate after years of solitary study in the woods, as well as several drivers who offer him rides, both amazed and stupefied by his undertaking. Suffering from dysentery, Ollivier doesn’t quite make it to Iran and returns home. However, the scope of his project remains extensive, as he chronicles the history and culture of the Turkish people. Adventurers will relish his enthusiasm and bask in his rugged sense of outdoorsmanship.