Paul Theroux

Paul Edward Theroux (born the April 10th 1941) is a writer and American Romancier specialized in the voyage, known for its work Railway Bazar (The Great Railway Bazaar) (1975), an account of the voyage which it accomplished by train of Great Britain through the Europe and the South Asia, then the Southeast Asia, until the Japan, to return through the Russia up to its point of origin.

Theroux was born with Medford in the Massachusetts. After having finished its academic works, it joined the Peace Corps and is sent to the Malawi. While working over there, it helps an political opponent of Hastings Banda to escape in Uganda. It is then expelled of Malawi and is returned of Peace Corps. It leaves then to Uganda to teach with the Université Makerere. During its presence at the Makerere University, Theroux begins a three decades friendship with the novelist V.S. Naipaul, then professor visits some at the university. When the life in Uganda of Amin Dada becomes difficult, it leaves for Singapore.

Its Romance first , Waldo , published when it was in Uganda, meets a modest success. It publishes several novels during the later years among which Fong and the Indians and Jungle Lovers .

It settles with London in 1972 before setting up its voyage epic by train of Great Britain at the Japan return ticket. Its report of voyage is published under the title Railway Bazaar (The Great Railway Bazaar) , which constitutes its first major success as writer. It has since writing several other books related to the voyage, including descriptions of voyages by train of Boston in Argentine ( Patagonie Express - The Old Patagonian Express ), in China ( China with small vapor - Riding The Iron Rooster ), and of Cairo in the Cape ( Dark Star Safari ) or around the Mediterranean ( Pillars of Hercules - The Pillars off Hercules ). It is a traveller who sticks to the description of people and the places, with a tendency supported on the irony undoubtedly allotted wrongly to Misanthropie but which indicates a caustic humor. The other nonromantic work written by Theroux is Sir Vidia' S Shadow , a report of its personal and professional friendship with the Nobel Prize V.S. Naipaul which is completed brutally after thirty years.

Its novel Doctor Slaughter is used as a basis for film, Half Moon Street (1986), with Michael Caine and Sigourney Weaver, which receives bad cinematographic criticisms. The Mosquito Coast also was the subject of a film of the same name (1986), directed by Peter Weir, with Harrison Ford, Helen Mirren and River Phoenix. This last novel meets a certain success. Chinese Box (1997) is a film on the retrocession of Hong-Kong by the British Empire with the Popular republic of China whose scenario is based on topics that Théroux explores in novel of 1997 the last days of Hong-Kong - Kowloon Tong .

Theroux currently lives with Hawaii. He married with Anne Castle the December 4th 1967 (separate in 1991, divorced it in 1993). He is currently married with Sheila Donnelly (since the November 18th 1995). He has two wire with Anne Castle - the writer and presenter of television Marcel Theroux, and the presenter of television Louis Theroux.

List novels and news

Lists of works

The Great Railway Bazaar (1975)
The Old Patagonian Express (1979)
The Kingdom By The Sea (1983)
Sailing Through Clouded
Sunrise With Seamonsters (1985)
The Imperial Way
Riding The Iron Rooster (1988)
To The Ends Of The Earth
The Happy Isles Of Oceania (1992)
The Pillars Of Hercules
Sir Vidia' S Shadow (1998)
Fresh Air Fiend
Dark Star Safari

External bonds

Site of an admiror
Biography on Peace Body
audio Interviews with Paul Theroux (in Audio Real)

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