000			01356nam a2200181 4500
010			_a89027450
020			_a9781555971243
024			_a20452634
050			_aF2517
082			_a918.10463
100	1		_aMoritz Thomsen
245	1		_aThe Saddest Pleasure
260			_bGraywolf Press
300			_a284 pages
520			_aThe Saddest PleasureThe Saddest Pleasure is a deeply personal look at the people, poverty, beauty, art, music, literature, and passion of South America by an American who has spent most of his life there.Moritz Thomsen was one of the early Peace Corps volunteers. Through his skill as a writer he vividly brings to life the people and landscapes he loves. The Saddest Pleasure tells the story of Thomsen's desperate departure from Ecuador at the age of sixty-three and his soul-searching journey through Brazil and the Amazon River. Along the way the author reflects on the meaning of his own life and the world around him, his friendships, and on the distances between people and cultures.Thomsen's spirited observations are tinged with irascibility, as he moves from city to feudal countryside, from primitive conditions to the startlingly contemporary details of a culture in transition.Paul Theroux's introduction to this book is a testament to Mr. Thomsen's remarkable life.
650			_aGeography & Travel
999			_c2149 _d2149