Overview

Winner of the Thomas Cook Travel Book AwardFor the Chinese, the Great Wall of China has defined much more than a physical barrier. Over the centuries it has represented a psychological frontier - within it lies the Celestial Kingdom, the compass of all civilization. Beyond lies a barbaric world of chaos and exile.In Frontiers of Heaven, author Stanley Stewart recounts his wanderings halfway across Asia. The journey takes him from Shanghai to the banks of the Indus, and along the way he encounters the modern Chinese for whom these regions beyond the Wall still hold the same morbid fascination. Today, the great western province of Xinjiang is still a land of exile, the destination of soldiers, reluctant settlers, political prisoners, and disgraced officials.Whether describing the lost cities of Central Asia, a Buddhist monastery in the shadow of Tibet, or a love affair in Xi'an, Stewart tells his story with charm and affection.

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9781592287918

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Reviews

Stewart is a master at weaving history and geography into cleverly reconstructed observations and encounters that range from the merely curious to the heartily bizarre. Juxtaposed against all is his unabashed fascination with unfamiliar surrounding and the isolation that comes with being alone. --Booklist A Stanley Stewart travel story about a walk to the nearest corner would be a page-turner. And that is because, unlike too many other travel writers, he takes his reader on the most important trip of all: the journey of a good sentence. --The Washington Post Self-deprecating and wry, Stewart is a gifted amateur in the classic tradition of Patrick Leigh Fermor; indeed, he seems to have no particular objective other than to observe and enjoy. This is not travel with a purpose; it is pure gratification, a fine addition to what is sometimes called 'loiterature.' --New York Times Book Review ... The book is full of the kind of lively encounters most people find only in literature ... Stewart's narrative brings the Great Wall that much closer. --USA Today Stewart writes of his experiences with compassion and great charm. --Chicago Tribune

Stewart is a master at weaving history and geography into cleverly reconstructed observations and encounters that range from the merely curious to the heartily bizarre. Juxtaposed against all is his unabashed fascination with unfamiliar surrounding and the isolation that comes with being alone. --Booklist <br> A Stanley Stewart travel story about a walk to the nearest corner would be a page-turner. And that is because, unlike too many other travel writers, he takes his reader on the most important trip of all: the journey of a good sentence. --The Washington Post <br> Self-deprecating and wry, Stewart is a gifted amateur in the classic tradition of Patrick Leigh Fermor; indeed, he seems to have no particular objective other than to observe and enjoy. This is not travel with a purpose; it is pure gratification, a fine addition to what is sometimes called 'loiterature.' -- New York Times Book Review <br>. . . The book is full of the kind of lively encounters most people find only in literature . . . Stewart's narrative brings the Great Wall that much closer. --USA Today <br> Stewart writes of his experiences with compassion and great charm. --Chicago Tribune <br>

Author Information

Stanley Stewart is the author of In the Empire of Genghis Khan, and Old Serpent Nile, an account of his journey to the source of the river.

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