In his book Colin Thubron describes the challenging and dramatic journey he made along the 3,000-mile river that divides China and Russia. The Amur River is almost unknown in the West. Yet it is the tenth longest river in the world, rising in the Mongolian mountains and flowing through Siberia to the Pacific. For 1,100 miles it forms the tense border between Russia and China, the most densely fortified frontier on earth. The book, which is beautifully written, provides a wealth of fresh insights into both countries and has received excellent reviews, for example this one (by Michael Palin): “Thubron on top form. Richly detailed[and] immaculately written...”.
Colin is a long-standing member of the Society and is known to many of us. He has travelled extensively in the Middle East as well as in Russia and the Far East. The books he was inspired to write by journeys he made through these regions have been highly praised. These range from Mirror to Damascus (1967) and The Hills of Adonis: A Quest in Lebanon (1968) to Among the Russians (1981), Behind the Wall: A Journey through China (1987), The Lost Heart of Asia (1994), In Siberia (1999) and Shadow of the Silk Road (2007). His books have been translated into more than 20 languages. Colin was appointed CBE in the 2007 New Year Honours List. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and was its President from 2009 to 2017.
This is a unique opportunity to hear an absolutely fascinating talk by a writer who has been described (by Craig Brown) as “A man who might justly claim to be the greatest travel writer in the world”.