A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush
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By Eric Newby
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1 review
A classic of travel writing, A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush is Eric Newby’s iconic account of his journey through one of the most remote and beautiful wildernesses on earth.
It was 1956, and Eric Newby was earning an improbable living in the chaotic family business of London haute couture. Pining for adventure, Newby sent his friend Hugh Carless the now-famous cable – CAN YOU TRAVEL NURISTAN JUNE? – setting in motion a legendary journey from Mayfair to Afghanistan, and the mountains of the Hindu Kush, north-east of Kabul. Inexperienced and ill prepared (their preparations involved nothing more than some tips from a Welsh waitress), the amateurish rogues embark on a month of adventure and hardship in one of the most beautiful wildernesses on earth – a journey that adventurers with more experience and sense may never have undertaken. With good humour, sharp wit and keen observation, the charming narrative style of A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush would soon crystallise Newby’s reputation as one of the greatest travel writers of all time. One of the greatest travel classics from one of Britain’s best-loved travel writers, this edition includes new photographs, an epilogue from Newby’s travelling companion, Hugh Carless, and a prologue from one of Newby’s greatest proponents, Evelyn Waugh. TweetReviews
You can’t fail to be enthralled by this eccentric tale of Eric Newby’s attempt to be the first person to climb Mir Shamir in the Hindu Kush in Afghanistan.
It’s 1956, and Newby is working (unhappily) as an executive in a London fashion house, and moonlighting as a magazine travel editor, when he suddenly decides he will be the first to climb the almost 20,00ft Mir Shamir in the HIndu Kush in Afghanistan.
He persuades a friend, Hugh Carless, to accompany him and they set out together after a 4-day crash course in mountain climbing in Wales. They drive from Istanbul to Kabul and then journey by foot from Kabul to Nuristan. Although Nuristan is located only about 100 miles northeast of Kabul, it is accessible only by passes that are closed for most of the year. The two men are so poorly equipped their boots soon wear away and the flapping soles must be tied up with rags. This, together with blistered feet, cause them to make frequent stops.
On one such stop they meet the famous explorer Wilfred Thesiger, who persuades them to turn around and stay the night to join him for a chicken dinner prepared by his so-called cook. At nightfall, when Thesiger sees them blowing up two airbeds, he calls them a pair of pansies. It’s snippets like this that run through the book and make this such an entertaining read.
Leaving Thesiger the next day, the pair continue on their way. Although they do not achieve their goal to climb Mir Samir this is a really witty account of a dangerous and difficult journey. It’s the story of what seems an idiotic escapade with many adventures and misadventures on the way. In places it is hugely funny but all the way through it is Newby’s eye for detail which captures your interest, whether it’s highlighting the kindness of local villagers, with their offers of meals and fresh apricots, or his descriptions of the scenery and the terrain.
It is all such a different account of the Afghanistan we hear about today and Newby’s writing style is witty and interesting. Not surprising that A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush is considered the book which launched his successful career as a travel writer. It’s a mixture of hilarious anecdote, sharp observation and wonderful storytelling; and it’s still as interesting and entertaining as it was when it was first published in 1958.
Review by: Oxo
