Kapka Kassabova’s Border wins best travel book of the year
An overview of the nominees for Stanford’s book of the year, plus a look at the winner – a masterful work which unravels the history of the region criss-crossing the triangle of borders between Bulgaria, Greece and Turkey
A timely account of a fraught part of Europe has won Stanford’s book of the year, but other nominees also had considerable merit.
The nominees …
Islander: A Journey Around Our Archipelago, by Patrick Barkham (Granta)
Using a DH Lawrence short story (The Man Who Loved Islands) for inspiration, the Guardian writer explores life on 11 of the British Isles, from the Isle of Man to minuscule Ray Island in Essex (via destinations such as Orkney, the Isles of Scilly, St Kilda and Bardsey). Barkham’s depictions of the landscapes and wildlife are beautifully evocative. His encounters with people are just as engaging, as he discovers what it is like to be an islander. Throughout, he weaves the story of Whiskey Galore! author Compton Mackenzie and his obsession with living on smaller and smaller islands.
The Rule of the Land: Walking Ireland’s Border, by Garrett Carr (Faber)
In a timely account, Northern Irish writer and map-maker Garrett Carr walks – and sometimes canoes – along what looks set to be the new frontier between the UK and the EU. With perceptive humour and warmth, Carr teases out stories from northerners and southerners, and adds a rich historical context. What he uncovers is not only the lives of people of the north and the south but also a separate tribe – the border people themselves – whose viewpoints set them apart from their neighbours.
The Epic City: The World on the Streets of Calcutta, by Kushanava Choudhury (Bloomsbury)
