May 3, 2012
New ***** Review of River of Desire
Many thanks to Michelle Harper for this review, which she posted on Kindle recently: Wish I could read it for the 1st time again; wonderful read, lyrical & haunting. Beautiful, haunting, lyrical, riveting! Follow the author on an exciting adventure into the heart of Patagonia and into his own heart. This is more than simply a wonderfully written travel book into one of the most remote regions of the... read more
Apr 16, 2012
Dalian, China 1984-1985
These amazing, historic photos were recently sent to me by Ralph Lake, an old colleague and excellent Mandarin speaker, who shared an extraordinary year with me in Dalian, Manchuria, where I taught English at the Dalian Foreign Language Institute for a year from 1984-1985. It was only five years after the Cultural Revolution, Mao caps and bicycles were everywhere, the shops were almost empty, people were... read more
Apr 8, 2012
Journey to Hazebrouck: BBC From Our Own Correspondent
I was honoured this weekend to be given the chance by BBC Radio 4′s great programme, From Our Own Correspondent, to tell the moving story of the death of my mother’s WW2 fiance, Martin Preston, nephew of the poet Robert Graves; and the heroic resistance put up by the Bucks Batallion at the siege of Hazebrouck in 1940, which allowed thousands of British soldiers to reach Dunkirk and England... read more
Mar 22, 2012
70th. Anniversary of The First Transport of Women to Auschwitz: March 26th.
We’re about to leave on a journey to Auschwitz via Vienna, Bratislava and Poprod to honour the first transport of Jewish women to the death camp on March 26th. 1942. Heather Macadam, author of Rena’s Promise: The Story of Two Sisters in Auscwhitz, is the moving force behind this event. Please join us at #PromiseVigils http://goo.gl/hmVmD so we don’t forget these brave... read more
Feb 28, 2012
***** Review of River of Desire
5.0 out of 5 stars True adventure! Reading this is almost like riding shotgun in the Jeep throughout the journey. This is an honest, uplifting, trying, and heartfelt story that travels through one of the most amazing places on the earth. Having been to parts of Patagonia, I found myself remembering certain descriptions, longing to experience more, and dying to meet the people Worrall so perfectly... read more
Feb 22, 2012
In Wallace’s Wake: Part Two ~ Penis Gourds and Birds of Paradise
Our journey aboard the Ombak Putih began in Sorong, in West Papua, or Irian Jaya, as it is known today. A bush town that services the resources grab currently taking place in Irian Jaya, Sorong felt like a place straight out of a Joseph Conrad novel. In an arts and crafts store, I even found penis gourds for sale. All shapes and sizes. Some of them rather strange. But it’s not often you get the... read more
Simon Worrall was born in Wellington, England and spent his childhood in Eritrea, Paris and Singapore. He has written for publications all over the world, including National Geographic, Smithsonian, London Times, The Guardian, Paris Review, GQ, The New Yorker, The New Republic, Conde Nast Traveler, Maxim, Playboy,Die Zeit and the New Statesman. He divides his time between Herefordshire and the East End of Long Island.
