Paul Theroux on photography and other things
One of the most irritating things of modern times is people’s obsession with phototaking. Smart phones and their digital cameras have made every person a photographer, such that many people just click away to their hearts content, often producing the most atrocious of photos.
What’s more, to add insult to injury, these amateur photographers then insist on posting hundreds, if not thousands, of photos on Facebook, and/or sending them to all their acquaintances.
Thankfully Paul Theroux, perhaps the greatest modern travel writer, has shared with us his thoughts on photography and other aspects of travelling in a 2015 interview with the Wall Street Journal.
When it comes to photography he says:
“I never take photographs because: people who take pictures lose their capacity for close observation. Without a camera, you study a thing more carefully and remember it better. Taking a picture is a way of forgetting.” I could not agree more.
When I was a young traveller, I used to pity older travellers who have less energy and less excitement when travelling. Again, Theroux has some reassuring words of wisdom:
“The greatest advantage to being an older traveler: is being invisible, unregarded, ignored. This allows one to eavesdrop and to see much more of a place or a people. There is a detachment, too, in being older: You’re not looking for a new life, not easily tempted. So you see a place clearly. Perfect for writing.”
I also share Theroux’s fascination with India.
He says “One place I could return to again and again: is India. There’s something about the size of it, the complexity of it and the darkness of it. Indians are approachable as well as maddening. And they love their history, unlike the Chinese, who don’t talk about the past.”
In this interview, Theroux curiously does not mention one of my very favourite countries, namely Japan.
Please read the full interview with Theroux:
https://www.wsj.com/articles/travel-author-paul-theroux-on-the-destinations-of-a-lifetime-1443034104