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Jonathan Raban - any fans?

Cooroo

New Member
My friend recently chose this author's 'Coasting' for our book group, and I enjoyed it so much I went on to read Passage to Juneau: A Sea and its meanings.

Raban is English by birth, but seems to have settled in Seattle, which has a pleasing ring to it. Coasting is an account of his first sailing trip round the British Isles, in the years of Thatcher and the decline of British industry. Evocative, charming and thoughtful.

Passage to Juneau is set in, I think, the late 90s. Raban sails from Seattle to Juneau, Alaska, through the Inside Passage, past Vancouver Island and extraordinary seas. I'm ashamed that I knew nothing at all of this part of the world, but I'm inspired to visit now. The awesome contrasts between the fathomless sea and the twee tourist homes, the fascinating history of the early explorers and their encounters with the native Americans, a complete de-bunking of the modern myths of the Indian 'at one with nature'.

Fantastic stuff - anyone else?
 
Hi,

I've been a fan of Jonathan Raban since I discovered serendipitously his 'Arabia through the Looking Glass'.. and have read everything of his I could find since.. essays, books, articles.. I really think he has a unique use of language, or at least one that resonates deeply with me.. I am often re reading sentences for their perfection and never want to get to the end because it always seems to be a long time between JR books! Settling into a new one is like being in language heaven. You might like to read Old Glory
(1981) next.. winner of several major awards for writing, and about going down the Mississippi in a 'boat' (the description of which is priceless). It's beautfully written, interesting, erudite, informative (with JR you get interested in things you never thought you'd be interested in), delightful, funny and full of those inimical JR observations .. his (non fiction) books are the only I have ever wished to read twice.
 
I'll have to order more, thanks for the recommendation. Is the fiction any good? There somehow seems little point in his writing fiction when his non-fiction is so well done - and I'm usually a big fiction reader!
 
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