This book is a comprehensive collection of Dervla Murphy's travels over five decades, showcasing her unique style and engagement with the world. It highlights her independence and passion for justice, making her a role model for many.
Dervla Murphy's travels, spanning from Spain in 1956 to recent visits to Palestine and Israel, are chronicled in this book. Her approach to travel, blending fresh encounters with meticulous journaling, offers a vivid portrayal of her journeys. Ethel Crowley's curation of Murphy's works presents a complex character, emphasizing her role as a trailblazer for women and environmentalists, deeply rooted in Irish heritage yet part of a broader English travel writing tradition. The book, with a preface by Colin Thubron, captures Murphy's seamless integration of learning into her narratives, reflecting her passionate engagement with global issues and independent mindset.
Quick quotes
Dervla's style of travel, to go somewhere that interested her and see who she met, made for fresh encounters every day, recorded faithfully each evening in her journal.
She read hungrily to prepare for her journeys and folded her learning seamlessly into her books.
What shines through is her passionate engagement with the world and its injustices, and her utter independence of mind.