Letter from the Khyber Pass and Other Travel Writing

Pradip Sarbadhikari is a professor of political science at Lakehead
University in Thunder Bay.

The publication of this collection of travel vignettes is a timely one.
George Woodcock’s experience of people and places in distant lands is
valuable for two reasons. First, it reassures Canada’s growing
multicultural urban population that there does exist a cosmopolitan and
sensitive Canadian perspective. Second, it enables Canadians,
particularly those insulated in hinterland communities, to encounter the
new globalization as it rapidly envelops and shapes their lives.

This is a book full of rich imagery and keen insight laced with subtle
humor and empathy. The travel pieces were written between 1955 and 1993,
and although they bear the mark of the period, their thoughtful
juxtaposition of past and present gives them a timeless quality. In
addition to pieces on India and Spain, Woodcock provides fine sketches
of Peru, Cambodia, and the Middle East.

Whether preparing for travel or in pursuit of armchair travel, general
readers will find both valuable information and sheer entertainment in
these masterful travel writings by one of Canada’s pre-eminent
writers.