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The experience of reading collections of non-fiction work can often help put the topical concerns of social media and newspaper reporting into a historical perspective.
Two standout collections from the last decade have been the late Christopher Hitchens’s
Arguably (2011) and Zadie Smith’s
Feel Free (2018), which approach everything from Jay Z to Iran with the literary confidence that standard reporting rarely manages to muster. Non-fiction collections also allow authors to show off their argumentative ability in ways that novels, mostly, do not.
Salman Rushdie, the bestselling author of
Midnight’s Children (1981) and
The Satanic Verses (1988), has just published his second non-fiction collection
The reader can alphabetically browse countries from Argentina to Vietnam, while finding quotes taken from Bourdain’s TV shows, interviews and other appearances in each section. Woolever adds her own touch, not only providing vital information such as hotel prices and train stations, but also discussing her personal travel
experiences
.
There are also short essays provided by other chefs, crew and family members on places they have been to with Bourdain. The text is accompanied by stylish but minimal illustrations by Wesley Allsbrook.
The drawings
are charming but leave you wanting more: many of the dishes and cities described are left to the reader’s imagination.