Unless there is a strong sense of place there is no travel writing, but it need not come from topographical description; dialogue can also convey a sense of place. Even so, I insist, the traveler invents the place. Feeling compelled to comment on my travel books, people say to me, "I went there"---China, India, the Pacific, Albania-- "and it wasn't like that." I say, "Because I am not you.
Paul TherouxOne of the pleasures of reading is seeing this alteration on the pages, and the way, by reading it, you have made the book yours.
Paul TherouxPeople talk about the pain of writing, but very few people talk about the pleasure and satisfaction.
Paul TherouxMark Twain was a great traveler and he wrote three or four great travel books. I wouldn't say that I'm a travel novelist but rather a novelist who travels - and who uses travel as a background for finding stories of places.
Paul Theroux