Far and Away
Reporting from the Brink of Change
by Andrew Solomon
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Andrew Solomon’s Far from the Tree and The Noonday Demon are in my pantheon of best non-fiction books. He treats his subjects with such openness and curiosity, and writes in such a calm, soothing style, that I would want to read anything he publishes, no matter the topic.
Far and Away is a collection of articles from over the course of his career, all centred around his reporting on places that are foreign to him. Early in his career, he filled the niche of writing about artists living in countries undergoing social change, like Russia and China. Much of history is captured in art, and it’s fascinating to see how artists react to history as it’s happening.
As Solomon’s career progressed, he started writing travel articles for Travel + Leisure magazine, some of which were skippable for me. Because I know that he’s capable of digging into complex social issues, these pieces felt like fluff, because they focussed on the touristy description of a place, rather than on the people who live there. I don’t fault him for taking job opportunities, but maybe they didn’t need to be included in this collection. It feels like they dilute from his more substantive work.
But, to his credit, a couple of my favourite pieces in the book are expanded versions of T + L articles:
- “Rio, City of Hope,” which covers the Brazilian city as they prepared for the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Summer Olympics. The government instituted a crackdown on crime in the favela slum neighbourhoods. Whether it is a feasible long-term solution, or simply a bandage, is open for debate.
- “Myanmar’s Moment,” about the country’s rise out of military dictatorship, and its continuing oppression of the Rohingya people.
That Solomon is able to mix somewhat superficial travelogue-style work with a deep analysis of social strife is proof of his writing and editing skill.