The book is quite short, just 171 pages and a lot of those have half and half text and photographs of the trip, I therefore read it in about two and a half hours. From the descriptions in this book it looks like it may be becoming possible to be a relatively safe tourist in Iraq again, however he explains that major destinations such as Ur’s ziggurat and the site of Babylon were largely reconstructed over their original ruins during the time of Saddam Hussain. The first thing to say about this book is visually it's stunningly beautiful with countless images woven on nearly every single page. Auch wenn das Buch alles hatte, was mir an den Büchern von Michael Palin gefällt, konnte er mich nicht so fesseln wie sonst.

Daarna ging hij naar de Iraakse hoofdstad Bagdad, naar de Groene Zone die na de oorlog is ontstaan en ontdekte de geneugten van het leven in de bruisende oude stad voordat hij de beroemde Ziggurat van Ur bezocht.A series of essays inspired by books that I own, talking about their history, some reviews and also how they came to be on my shelves. About the Author: Michael Palin has written and starred in numerous TV programmes and films, from Monty Python and Ripping Yarns to The Missionary and The Death of Stalin. There is surprisingly only one reference to Lawrence of Arabia (I am also reading a 100-year old book ‘Lawrence and the Arabs’), and then only about his friend Gertrude Bell, one of the founders of the modern Iraq.

At the next he would be visiting the war-torn city of Mosul, or learning about the horrific Speicher massacre in Tikrit. Gegen Ende findet er noch einmal deutliche Worte, denn die Reise entlang des Tigris zeigt deutlich, wie sich der Lauf des Flusses und damit auch die Lebensumstände für seine Bewohner durch unser Zutun verändert haben.

Having listened to the all too brief audio book, I will have to lay hands on the ebook to see the photographs. Into Iraq his latest book and TV venture, is in the tradition of all that he has done in his earlier works. I doubt I'll get there unless either, the country becomes completely "normal" or I have Palin's pedigree. It's not the most detailed at around 160 pages, but it does paint a vivid picture of a country struggling with identity and recovery.

Waar de gelegenheid zich aandient gaat Michael Palin op zoek naar geschiedenis, maar hij heeft tegelijkertijd veel aandacht voor het roerige nabije verleden en de toestand vandaag. I would have liked more details especially on the life of the people coming out of decades of conflict. He contemplates the graffiti-strewn ruins of Saddam Hussein’s former palaces, and he notes the constant presence of armed guards. Mas é triste que, uma vez mais, a BBC, que deve ter gasto uma soma substancial e deslocou uma equipa de 8 pessoas (além dos motoristas e contactos locais), não tenha incluído um fotógrafo. He talks about a variety of things, like the checkpoints, the droughts, the recovery, architecture and legacy, Palin also gives nice small snippets of Iraqi history as to understand the context of Iraq, which makes the book nicer to read.

This may result in small marks to the dustjacket and title page, please also bear in mind that each signature will be a little different from the one we show here. This is another great journey through a curious and largely unknown (to the west) culture seen though his humorous eyes - but the apparently lighthearted approach ensures he gets to meet some extraordinary people, and see far beyond the bounds of a normal traveler. I wonder if the next attempt will be more successful, with any combination of the bullet, ballot box, ‘big oil’ boardroom, or pulpit … I don’t think I will live to see the day, or ever be able to safely follow Palin’s footsteps. In March 2022, Michael travelled the length of the River Tigris through Iraq to get a sense of what life is like in a region of the world that once formed the cradle of civilisation, but that in recent times has witnessed turmoil and appalling bloodshed. Palin takes you on a very observant journey through Iraq, striking a careful balance between history, culture, and personal observation.