Paul Theroux on reading, teaching, and slow travel in Mexico [encore]

“We don’t have a lot of time on this earth. When you get to my age you’ve got to use it wisely. The thing I object to most is people wasting my time.”  – Paul Theroux

In this episode of Deviate, Paul Theroux and Rolf discuss their travels through Mexico and magical realism (4:30); teaching as a way to get to know a country and the importance of reading (20:00); and Paul’s experience traveling along the US-Mexico border and geo-political complexities between the two countries (29:00).

Paul Theroux (@PaulTheroux_) is a pioneer of travel writing and author of many highly acclaimed books, including The Great Railway Bazaar,  The Tao of Travel, and  On the Plain of Snakes.

Notable Links:

• Sinclair Lewis (writer)
• William Faulkner (writer)
• Jorge Luis Borges (writer)
• Gabriel García Márquez (writer)
• Magical Realism (style of fiction)
• James Joyce (writer)
• Aldous Huxley (writer)
• Jack Kerouac (writer)
• Rebecca West (writer)
• Harriet Doer (writer)
• Leonora Carrington (artist)
• The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, by B. Traven (novel)
• Nathaniel Philbrick (author)
• Moby-Dick, by Herman Melville (book)
• Subcomandante Marcos (revolutionary)
• Zapatista Army of National Liberation (militant group)

The Deviate theme music comes from the title track of Cedar Van Tassel’s 2017 album Lumber.

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