The Idiot and the Odyssey: Walking the Mediterranean - Softcover

Joel Stratte-McClure

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0977586650 ISBN 13: 9780977586653

Publisher: ETN Communications, 2008

Synopsis

When inquisitive American journalist Joel Stratte-McClure decides to walk around the Mediterranean Sea, we re in for an exhilarating adventure. As a 30 year expatriate in France, he explores the coast, countryside and regional cultures as well as his own mind with compulsive vigour. Armed with a copy of Homer s Odyssey, he re-opens this great book for us as he ponders life, divorce, Buddhism, alcoholism, the art of trekking and a vast collection of weird, wicked, wonderful people along the way. This is a trip to get into!

About this title

About the Author

Joel Stratte-McClure, an American journalist/adventurer who lived in France for over three decades, has been writing about his global trekking and hiking adventures since the 1970s. His work has taken him to over 100 countries and his articles on a variety of subjects have appeared The International Herald Tribune, Time Magazine, The London Times, People Magazine, Who Weekly, Fast Thinking and numerous other publications. He s currently based in Los Angeles where, when he s not hiking, he writes the Tinseltown SpyWitness column for the Los Angeles Daily News and is completing a book entitled Hollywood s Twenty-Five Hottest Latinos: How They Got There, What They re Doing Now And Where They re Going.

Review

From The Sydney Morning Herald Traveller Section Weekend Edition, Dec. 13-14 Armchair Journey The Idiot and the Odyssey Joel Stratte-McClure Fast Thinking, 358 pp, $24.95 This is one of those seductive books that, as you read, slowly insinuates itself into your consciousness and becomes more and more compelling and entrancing. The premise is simple. As Stratte-McClure explains: "I'm in the midst of existential self-examination that, following a divorce and general weariness after 30 years as a working journalist, has me wondering where I'm going and why." Or, in more detail, after his marriage of 20 years collapses, Stratte-McClure, a US citizen who has lived in France for three decades, decides to clear his head by walking around the Mediterranean. He is accompanied, at least for part of the journey, by his dog, Bogart, and a copy of Homer's Odyssey, which he quotes regularly. It is a journey of the mind, the body and the soul. It is also a reminder that a leisurely stroll, even if it does involve walking thousands of kilometres, is a wonderful opportunity to see and experience different cultures and to think about your own life. In reality, Stratte-McClure doesn't walk around the Mediterranean. He walks along the coast of France, Spain, Morocco and then up the western coast of Italy. That is not really the point. Stratte-McClure belongs to a generation that was entranced by the road journeys of Jack Kerouac and Robert Pirsig (Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance). These were journeys where the landscape and the exploration of the author's psyche were blended artfully. Stratte-McClure has done the same thing. It is a high-wire literary act that is always in danger of collapsing into pretentiousness but Stratte-McClure is so knowledgeable about the paths he walks and so sensitive to the history and landscapes around him that what he produces is not only a interesting travel book but a compelling story about a simple attempt to overcome a midlife crisis and make some sense of the world. Reviewed by Bruce Elder --Bruce Elder, The Sydney Morning Herald

November 2008 American Stratte-McClure is that rare bird among writers who can write a memoir that addresses the universal without sounding pompous or self-indulgent. Here is a man who tackles the most fundamental subjects with wit and profoundity in equal measure. In the midst of a mid-life crisis of seemingly epic proportions, Stratte-McClure, an ex-pat American living in the south of France, put on his hiking boots and strode out, in the footsteps (sort of) of his childhood hero Odysseus. In fact, serial hiker Stratte-McClure determined to walk around the Mediterranean as close to the coast (and regrettably occasionally falling off the edge of the coast) as possible. On his way he made a fine fist of walking meditation while meeting his fair share of demons and temptresses, gods and monsters. The Idiot and the Odyssey is the result. Described as Eat Pray Love for men, it is Stratte-McLure's account of that journey carried out with determination, a sack full of Homeric quotes and Buddhist wisdom. It is entertaining, informative and inspirational. In fact, this book is much more than Eat Pray Love for men. It is an any-body (any age, any gender, any stage of life) book and as such , I am very happy to make it my book of the month. Reviewed by Toni Whitman, Booktopia Buzz --Toni Whitman, Booktopia Buzz, Booktopia.com.au

"With the Mediterranean as his muse, Joel Stratte-McClure embarks on travels intended not only to broaden the mind, but also to serve as a springboard for reconnecting with the wisdom of the past. An Odyssey that meanders from Greek philosophers to personal demons, a reflective, amusing and open-minded attempt to reconstrue existential questions we ask at the age of 20, some thirty years on." --Jill Harry, Editor, New Riviera Magazine Joel Stratte-McClure maintains it would be unreasonable to think anyone can achieve Nirvana after walking less than 5000 kilometres. Wrong! I felt enlightened from the first page to the last of this inspiring and motivating book as I faithfully accompanied the author on every step and stumble of his remarkable journey. And it s a delight to see pesky French women finally taken off their pedestal. --Margaret Kemp, Editor at Large/Critic, Bonjour Paris

This book puts the soul into walking, capturing the spirit of place and enabling you to feel that you are on every step of this adventurous journey. It provides real insights to the people, the culture and lifestyle found around the shores of the Mediterranean. Inspiring as it makes travel fun. --Peter Robinson, San Francisco Books and Travel

Edition details

• Publisher: ETN Communications
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 0977586650
• ISBN 13: 9780977586653
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 376
• Editor: Tim Mendham
• Illustrator: Nick Dale