The journey is the reward is what Bruce Chatwin’s book is all about. Wandering is part of this process. Both literally as described in the stories he writes as well as in his prose, and the craft he used to create his masterpiece. Reading this work and then Songlines, will given you a deeper understanding of how fiction and non-fiction can reveal deep human truths and lead us to ask better questions.

From the Nicholas Shakespeare introduction to 'In Patagonia' I thought I was about to read the greatest book ever written. It wasn't. Bruce Chatwin's book was just a collection of average vignettes, typically 2-4 pages each, some interconnected, some meandering aimlessly.