TRAVEL
AMONG MEN
Kathleen Lee
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About the Book:
In this remarkable collection, Kathleen Lee not only charts the geography of
remote areas of Asia, but in the process examines the metaphorical meaning
of travel itself. Whether following characters in China, Pakistan, or Egypt,
Lee suggests that the quest for identity and meaning in life remains the
same, and gender is an open issue in these stories as well. Brilliantly written
and beautifully observed, Lee brings to mind such writers as Graham Greene
and Bruce Chatwin in her refusal to let travel be either transient or superficial;
rather it is an opportunity to lose oneself in one's subject and in the process
inject substance into the quotidian. Travel among Men is an important book
and an auspicious debut.
 "Kathleen
Lee is one of those rare writers who make
travel a tangible metaphor, an exploration
both of the body and mind, visceral and spiritual,
personal and universal. Her compelling tales
of characters who discover who they truly
are only when removed from the familiarity
of a homeland remind the reader that people
are by nature most alien to themselves. I
treasure these stories."
—Antonya Nelson, author
of Living to Tell and Nobody's Girl
"Kathleen Lee's Travel
among Men is a powerful, troubling, wonderful
book. Lee understands both the allure and
danger of stories set abroad and manages
to evoke the thrill of the foreign while
simultaneously working against the familiar
travel pap, insisting that the reader experience
the real nature of travel in unfamiliar places.
The authority of Lee's voice is astonishingly
complete, and she makes palpable the resignation
and humor of her characters. Travel among
Men marks the debut of a gifted writer."
—Robert Boswell, author
of American Owned Love and Mystery Ride
"Audacity, honesty, wit,
brilliance: Travel among Men examines 'the
plague of restlessness' encountered by those
of us who have never felt at home in our
own skin. With an astonishing vertigo of
clarity and regret, Lee's travelers attempt
to locate themselves within foreign countries
and cultures where misunderstanding is guaranteed,
alienation is assured, communication is stunted
if not impossible, and the past has no more
relevance than the future. These are women
on the cutting edge of self-definition, women
often in despair who speak most directly
to our need in America, now more than ever,
for rediscovering courage, generosity, and
love. Truly one of the most relevant, imaginative,
and powerful collections I've read."
—Laura Hendrie, author
of Remember Me and Stygo
About the Author:
Kathleen Lee was an unpaid
world traveler for two decades. She has
written for Condé Nast Traveler
magazine and her work appears in Best American
Travel Writing 2000. This is her first
collection of stories. She is presently
living in Pittsburgh, at work on a novel. |
