Description
KEYNOTE ADDRESS:
“An Old Gabacho in Mexico”
With the idea of a travel book in mind, Paul Theroux has been traveling by road, in his own car, in Mexico for two years as a visiting gabacho, examining the situation on both sides of the border, teaching a class in writing in Mexico City, studying Spanish in Oaxaca, and conversing with the Zapatistas in Chiapas — as well as dining out in Cabo San Lucas, and swimming in Puerto Vallarta. He will share his thoughts on this — and on the writing profession in general, which he has been dealing with for the past 50 years.
BIOGRAPHY
Paul Theroux, a prolific novelist and travel writer, is the recipient of the Maria Thomas Fiction Award for lifetime achievement. His 1981 novel The Mosquito Coastwon the James Tait Black Memorial prize and was later adapted for the 1986 Hollywood film of the same name. Several other novels have been adapted for film, and his books have received numerous awards, including Whitbread Prize for Best Novel (Picture Palace), and the Thomas Cook Travel Book Award (Riding the Iron Rooster).
In 1975 Theroux published The Great Railway Bazaar: By Train Through Asia, based on his epic train journey from Britain to Japan and back. This classic, along with The Old Patagonian Express (nominated for the American Book Award), established the author as America’s foremost travel writer.
In addition to his numerous novels and travel books he has written extensively for Time, The New Yorker, Esquire, The Atlantic, and Smithsonian, among others. He is currently working on a book on the cultures on both sides of the US-Mexico border.
The author began his travels in 1963, joining the Peace Corps and spending several years in Africa. He has lived in various countries around the world, including teaching at the University of Singapore. He currently resides in Maine and Hawaii.
