Dakota Beacon

Inflation hits. Gas prices soar. Road trips cancelled. Vacations postponed. RATS!

If a person can’t travel, at least they can dream. Which segues into the question, “What are you reading?”

Travel literature, like mystery, history, or science fiction, comprises a genre all its own. The travelogue is a form of nonfiction prose written by, needless to say, someone wishing to share their travel adventures. Travelogues sustain their own identity. Success of a travelogue depends more upon the traveler’s wit and powers of observation than on their skill as a writer. Such a traveler may be described as an adventurer or a connoisseur of art, architecture, scenery, or strange and wonderful customs in faraway lands. As such, travel literature finds its roots as far back as the ancient Greek geographers. Travel guides such as Fodors and Michelin trace their origins to this species of travel literature.

A suggested read that lets your travel imagination run wild would be Marco Polo’s “Travels” (what else?) “Travels” may be the most renowned piece of travel literature of all time and a best seller at that. Polo’s work comprises four books dictated to his fellow prisoner, Rustichello, in 1298. Fellow prisoner!? But, I’m getting ahead of myself.

Marco Polo was born in 1254. “Travels” recounts his journey to China along the Silk Road with his father (Niccolo) and uncle (Matteo).

Niccolo and Matteo departed Venice (without Marco) on their first foray into the orient in 1260 while Marco was still a young child. They returned in 1269 when Marco was 15 years old. During their journey the two men were well received by Kublai Khan, grandson of Genghis Khan. Before their departure from China, the grand khan requested that the Polo brothers return with one hundred learned men (missionaries) selected by the Pope.

On Niccolo and Matte’s second journey in 1271, Marco accompanied his father and uncle. On this trip the Venetians took only two friars sent by the Pope. Even so, the grand khan took a liking to Marco and brought him into the imperial court as an advisor and later elevated him to the position of ambassador. In his capacity as ambassador from the grand khan, Marco Polo traveled throughout the imperial realm trekking as far as Sri Lanka, India, Japan, and Russia. Marco was not to see Venice again until 1295.

During a conflict between the city-states of Genoa and Venice, Marco Polo was taken prisoner by the Genoese for commanding a Venetian galley during the war. It was at the time of his incarceration from 1296 to 1299 that he dictated his “Travels” to his cell mate, Rustichello.

“Travels” generated much contention since first published. For example, many features prevalent in China at the time of Polo’s visit were never mentioned, items such as The Great Wall, tea, chop sticks and the binding of women’s feet. Such omissions may be excused. However, reports of a pillar in Samarcan hanging in mid-air without support and the grand khan’s cups filling themselves and flying into his hand did not help Polo’s credibility. This led some skeptics to doubt whether Polo ever traveled as far as China and that he merely reported what others had told him. Nevertheless, Polo did report many strange and marvelous things found in the Imperial Court of Kublai Khan including paper money, asbestos, coal, and a postal system.

Despite challenges to the authenticity of his observations, “Travels” remains one of the finest accounts of the Silk Road ever produced inspiring poets like Samuel Taylor Coleridge to write “Kubla Khan.”

My copy of “Travels” is one of a hard cover series of travel classics published by Konemann, a Hungarian publishing house. My interest spurred me to begin collecting the Konemann travel series. As an aside, the 2007 DVD release of “Marco Polo” is relatively true to the book, but a movie is never a substitute for a classic read.

Three cheers for the imagination! Delve into a travelogue and allow your mind to wander. Be transported into your dream vacation and sidestep the inflation blues. It’s been said that reading books is slowly giving way to visual media. If true, that’s a shame. Cultivating the imagination develops social and emotional wellbeing. Plus, it’s easy on the pocketbook.

Dennis M. Patrick can be contacted at (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).