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A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush
- Narrated by: James Bryce
- Length: 10 hrs and 41 mins
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A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush
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Summary
A classic of travel writing, A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush is Eric Newby’s iconic account of his journey through one of the most remote and beautiful wildernesses on earth.
It was 1956, and Eric Newby was earning an improbable living in the chaotic family business of London haute couture. Pining for adventure, Newby sent his friend Hugh Carless the now-famous cable - CAN YOU TRAVEL NURISTAN JUNE? - setting in motion a legendary journey from Mayfair to Afghanistan, and the mountains of the Hindu Kush, northeast of Kabul. Inexperienced and ill prepared (their preparations involved nothing more than some tips from a Welsh waitress), the amateurish rogues embarked on a month of adventure and hardship in one of the most beautiful wildernesses on earth - a journey that adventurers with more experience and sense may never have undertaken. With good humour, sharp wit and keen observation, the charming narrative style of A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush would soon crystallise Newby's reputation as one of the greatest travel writers of all time.
One of the greatest travel classics from one of Britain's best loved travel writers, this edition includes an epilogue from Newby's travelling companion, Hugh Carless, and a prologue from one of Newby's greatest proponents, Evelyn Waugh.
Critic reviews
"The master storyteller. He transformed travel writing." (Independent)
"One of the most enjoyable reads of the last century." (Herald Tribune)
"The most successful travel writer of his generation. It's impossible to read this book without laughing aloud." (Observer)
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What listeners say about A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 27-12-20
Fantastic
Really enjoyed from start to finish, takes you back to a time when true adventuring was. Real possibility
1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Badger
- 04-10-22
Fantastic !
Loved this classic of travel writing. Excellent narration. Struggled to find useful/detailed map anywhere online to follow the journey but managed somehow using Google maps etc. Triggered a slightly better understanding of recent/current political situation in this part of Afghanistan. Laugh out loud funny at times.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Jamie Barron
- 08-09-22
Jaunty and humorous
This was light and jaunty in tone with lots of humorous episodes throughout. Enjoyable and entertaining account of the preparations for and attempts at climbing a mountain in Afghanistan.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- M M Gower
- 21-02-21
Travel classic
I was delighted to find A Short Walk now on Audible, though I have read it in print many, many times. Newby’s careful attention to culture and landscape, his wry self-knowledge, and his historical place at the end of the great age of Himalayan exploration make the book extraordinary. It was satisfying to hear the reflections of Hugh Carliss, in the epilogue written for this edition.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- LDO Trained
- 07-04-20
Interesting Adventure of Mounteering
Overall, an interesting read, but one really needs to have printed a copy of the map (readily available on the internet with a Google search) so as to better follow and appreciate the amazing story of two truly novice climbers who survived ther "first-time" mountaineering expedition and were the first to traverse areas in Afghanistan, etc.