A.A. Gill is Further Away: Helping with Inquiries

A.A. Gill (2011)

THE A5 BOOK REVIEW

​A.A. Gill is Further Away is the second collection of travel writing from the irreverent A.A Gill, one of England’s most popular critics.  His first travel book, A.A Gill is Away, comes from the signature line when his weekly column in the Sunday Times did not appear, usually because he was off travelling.  In each essay he exposes the personality of a place, often with ruthless honesty and always with a great sense of humor.  The book is simply organized by “Near”, where Gill covers observations on day-to-day life close to home, and “Far”, where he shares his experiences in Algeria, Madagascar, Dubai, Stockholm, Iceland, and the Arctic, to name a few.  We particularly like his commentary on the 2008 US elections.  His arrogance can be polarizing, but brilliantly balanced with self-deprecation and authentic insights into the places he visits.
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OTHER A5 RECOMMENDED TRAVEL BOOKS - A.A. GILL

A.A. Gill was a noted British writer and critic, known for his brash style and observations on countries and cultures.  Those who like this book need to try the predecessor: AA Gill is away.  He has several collections of travel writing and is a regular reviewer for The Sunday Times.  Learn more about A.A. Gill here.

GREAT QUOTES:

"This practiced pessimism, this green, whole-earth snobbery that arrives as 'I am a traveller, you are a tourist, they are trippers.' implies that the world is traversed by the wrong sort of people having the wrong sort of good time.  But my experience, everything I've learnt being a journalistic tripper tells me that travel is a good thing.  A brilliant, heart-filling, head-expanding, great thing.  That almost everyone is better off for it, both the visitor and the visited.  More of the fear and unhappiness in the world is caused by insularity and closed doors than by openness and crowds.  The greatest inventions of the age are the jet engine and the airport, those magical portals of escape and romance.  Tourism is a greater force for peace, harmony, economies, education and stability than the United Nations, all its agencies, and every NGO bundled together in Bermuda shorts."
- A.A. Gill, foreword to A.A. Gill is Further Away

INTERESTING LINKS:

  • AA Gill has certainly had his share of criticism for his brash and controversial style, much of it deserved.​  We liked the book just as much as its predecessor, but not everyone else did.  Read this review on AA Gill is Further Away in the Independent, written in 2012 by David Evans.