Eric Newby, a denizen of London’s high-fashion industry, bored with its brittle sophistication, asked a friend, the appropriately-named Hugh Carless, to accompany him on a expedition in the wild and remote Hindu Kush. With minimal training in mountaineering — four days of climbing lessons in Wales — they made several attempts to scale Mir Samir, a 19,800-foot mountain. Newby’s candid, disarmingly modest and often hilarious account of their expedition to this isolated, near-inaccessible (and today highly dangerous) area is widely acknowledged as one of the classics of travel writing. The setting is spectacular and vividly described, sometimes comical, but always instructive. Some of Newby’s colonial nostalgia and imperial-era attitudes have not worn as well as his timeless literary skills have. Some of his descriptions of the Afghan people he encounters can come across as borderline racist. But he travelled and wrote nearly six decades ago and must not be judged by the standards of our era. In its wit, stunning descriptions and memorable style, Newby’s book is a masterpiece.
Shashi Tharoor is an author and a parliamentarian whose latest book is Pax Indica.