Out of Istanbul: A Journey of Discovery along the Silk Road

(Hardback)

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A journey with heart.New York Times. Acclaimed journalist Bernard Ollivier begins his epic journey on foot across the Silk Road.

Upon retirement at the age of sixty-two, and grieving his deceased wife, renowned journalist Bernard Ollivier felt a sense of profound emptiness: What do I do now While some see retirement as a chance to cash in their chips and settle into a comfy armchair, Ollivier still longed for more. Searching for inspiration, he strapped on his gear, donned his hat, and headed out the front door to hike the Way of St. James, a 1400-mile journey from Paris to Compostela, Spain. At the end of that road, with more questions than answers, he decided to spend the next few years hiking another of historys great routes: the Silk Road.

Out of Istanbul is Olliviers stunning account of the first part of that 7,200-mile journey. The longest and perhaps most mythical trade route of all time, the Silk Road is in fact a network of routes across Europe and Asia, some going back to prehistoric times. During the Middle Ages, the transcribed travelogue of one Silk Road explorer, Marco Polo, helped spread the fame of the Orient throughout Europe.

Heading east out of Istanbul, Ollivier takes readers step by step across Anatolia and Kurdistan, bound for Tehran. Along the way, we meet a colorful array of real-life characters: Selim, the philosophical woodsman; old Behet, elated to practice English after years of self-study; Krishna, manager of the Lora Pansiyon in Polonez, a village of Polish immigrants; the hospitable Kurdish women of Dogutepe, and many more. We accompany Ollivier as he explores bazaars, mosques, and caravansariestrue vestiges of the Silk Road itselfand through these encounters and experiences, gains insight into the complex political and social issues facing modern-day Turkey.

Olliviers journey, far from bragging about some tremendous achievement, humbly takes the reader on a colossal adventure of human proportions, one in which walking itself, through a kind of alchemy, fosters friendships and fellowship.

Reviews

A journey with heart. The New York Times

Ollivier takes us on an absorbing walking tour of the Silk Road, experiencing many of the same marvels and dangers as the ancient caravans. . . . Though having an episodic feel, Ollivier's account brims with a sojourner's passion and an insatiable hunger for new vistas and peoples.Kirkus

Bernard Ollivier is a maneager to learn about the world around him, a writer who openshis readers eyes. As a journalist, he knows how to extract lifes real secrets from peoples memories.Truth is,inheading out onto the Silk Road, he wasnt seeking history, but wisdom. And he finds it in the exceptional openness of nomads.This is the gift he offers tous.Dominique Gerbaud, president, Reporters Without Borders

Ollivier is a traveler. He doesntconsider himself a writer. As a result, his prose is at times better than that of professional travel writers: he writes simply, focused not on fancy phrasings, but on providing a true-to-life account of his experiences. He doesnt travel in order to write or publish a book. He travels as do so manyofConrads protagonists: for self-discovery.Le Monde

"Though Ollivier's walk in this book comes to an end, it continues to evoke images and prod the readers wonderings long after it has been set aside, such is the authors unrelenting candor and bent for description.In the end, it is not a solitary journey you read about, but one in which the reader is with him every step of the way."Rick Antonson, author ofFull Moon Over Noahs Ark: An Odyssey to Mount Ararat and Beyond

Author Bio

Career journalist turned traveler, Bernard Ollivier believes that walking has the power to transform. His publications include Out of Istanbul, numerous travel guides, both adult and young adult novels, and Life Begins at Sixty. In 2000, he founded the Seuil (Threshold) Association, helping troubled teens get back on track through walking. He lives in Normandy, France.

Dan Golembeski has worked as a French and Linguistics educator, a summer study abroad director in France, and has conducted fieldwork on language contact in Canada. An occasional, albeit fervent traveler, he increasingly crosses borders with words. In addition to Out of Istanbul, he is currently translating a science-fiction novel. He lives in Petoskey, Michigan.