Inspired Journeys: Travel Writers in Search of the Muse Brian Bouldrey Editor

Full of humor, profundity, and obsession, these are tales of writers on peregrine paths. Some set out in search of legends or artistic inspiration; others seek spiritual epiphany or fulfillment of a promise. Their journeys lead them variously to Draculaâ s castle, Laura Ingalls Wilderâ s prairie, the Grimmsâ fairy-tale road, Mayan temples, Nathaniel Westâ s California, the Camino de Santiago trail, Scottâ s Antarctica, the Marquis de Sadeâ s haunted manor, or the sacred city of Varanasi. All of these pilgrimages are worthy journeysâ redemptive and serious. But a time-honored element of pilgrimage is a suspension of rules, and there is absurdity and exuberance here as well.