The Great Railway Bazaar by Paul Theroux

This summer John Mullan explores the art of travel writing with Paul Theroux.

In 1973 Theroux took an epic four month journey by rail through Europe, Asia and the Middle East. Forty years later, The Great Railway Bazaar is a modern classic of travel literature. Exploring legendary train routes – the Orient Express, the Khyber Pass Local, the Delhi Mail from Jaipur, the Golden Arrow of Kuala and the Trans-Siberian Express – the book is a romantic tribute to the joys of railways and train travel. But it is also full of wry and fascinating observations about landscape, culture and the people Theroux encounters on his way – such as Mr Radia, who intones Hindi Songs through his nose, Sadik, a shabby Turkish tycoon and the gun-toting opium smuggler Mr Pensacola.

Paul Theroux's novels include The Mosquito Coast, Blinding Light and Kowloon Tong. Among his many travel books are Dark Star Safari, The Old Patagonian Express and Ghost Train to the Eastern Star (2008), for which he retraced the route he took in the Great Railway Bazaar.

Date: Tuesday 4 June
Time: 7pm
Venue: Hall Two, Kings Place, 90 York Way, London N1 9AG
Price: £11.50/£9.50