•Written by Bruce Elder• ••Tuesday•, 11 •May• 2010 23:25•
When American journalist Joel Stratte-McClure decides to walk the Mediterranean Sea, it quickly emerges as a never-ending endeavour. "Unreasonable to think anyone can achieve Nirvana until they've walked at least 5000kms!" he insists. Particularly, as he notes further, when your wife runs off with a night club bouncer leaving you devastated. Bruce Elder comments on this book which is part of an ongoing journey which Joel continues whenever he has time. For those interested, you can join Joel via his Facebook blog followtheidiot on his next leg and win a gelato.
This is one of those seductive books that, as you read, slowly insinuates itself into your consciousness and becomes more and more compelling and entrancing.
The premise is simple. As Stratte-McClure explains: "I'm in the midst of existential self-examination that, following a divorce and general weariness after 30 years as a working journalist, has me wondering where I'm going and why." Or, in more detail, after his marriage of 20 years collapses, Stratte-McClure, a US citizen who has lived in France for three decades, decides to clear his head by walking around the Mediterranean.
He is accompanied, at least for part of the journey, by his dog, Bogart, and a copy of Homer's Odyssey, which he quotes regularly. It is a journey of the mind, the body and the soul. It is also a reminder that a leisurely stroll, even if it does involve walking thousands of kilometres, is a wonderful opportunity to see and experience different cultures and to think about your own life.
In reality, Stratte-McClure doesn't walk around the Mediterranean. He walks along the coast of France, Spain, Morocco and then up the western coast of Italy. That is not really the point. Stratte-McClure belongs to a generation that was entranced by the road journeys of Jack Kerouac and Robert Pirsig (Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance). These were journeys where the landscape and the exploration of the author's psyche were blended artfully.
Stratte-McClure has done the same thing. It is a high-wire literary act that is always in danger of collapsing into pretentiousness but Stratte-McClure is so knowledgeable about the paths he walks and so sensitive to the history and landscapes around him that what he produces is not only a interesting travel book but a compelling story about a simple attempt to overcome a midlife crisis and make some sense of the world.
Bruce Elder writes for the Sydney Morning Herald
The Idiot and the Odyssey - Walking the Mediterreanean is published by Fastthinking for $24.95 US
And, as the Editors of The Essential Edge add: Stratte-McLure is an inveterate and unabashed self-promoter - and good for him. He has a great story to tell and certainly knows how to make use of new media. Also, here is what we have just received from Joel's publicist,
Subject: Follow The Idiot and Win a Gelato!
April 22, 2010
Dear “The Idiot and the Odyssey” Facebook Group Member,
Author Joel Stratte-McClure, who is 6,166 kilometers into his trek around the Mediterranean Sea, is inviting his Facebook friends to join him during his counterclockwise circumnavigation of Sicily from April 23-June 8, 2010.
Facebook virtual travelers can track Joel’s day-to-day advances on Google maps, get updates about his progress and problems, view his photos and laugh at his witty and wry observations while he MedTreks 1,000-plus kilometers from Messina-to-Messina.
You can help Joel keep a twinkle in his eyes and a spark in his steps by encouraging your peripatetic Facebook friends to join him as he gathers anecdotes for a sequel that will hit the shelves in 2012. Just click on “Invite People To Join” on the group page.
Why bother?
Because Joel will invite the 2,010th Facebook cybertrekking group member to join him for a free quadruple gelato when he arrives in Messina in early June.
And you thought there was no free ice cream!
Omward!
Judy Barnett, Publicist
Tasmania, Australia
Joel's links:
The Idiot and the Odyssey - Walking the Mediterreanean Website
Twitter:
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