2009.02.07: February 7, 2009: Headlines: Figures: COS - Malawi: Writing - Malawi: Independent: My secret life: Paul Theroux, travel writer
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2009.02.07: February 7, 2009: Headlines: Figures: COS - Malawi: Writing - Malawi: Independent: My secret life: Paul Theroux, travel writer
My secret life: Paul Theroux, travel writer
"In 10 years' time I hope to be ... having a couple of adorable little children, sort of like Rupert Murdoch did in his seventies. Ha! Just joking. All I want is to still be here 10 years' hence." Author Paul Theroux served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Malawi in the 1960's.
My secret life: Paul Theroux, travel writer
My secret life: Paul Theroux, travel writer, 67
Interview by Charlotte Philby
Saturday, 7 February 2009
The house I grew up in ... was full of people – my parents and seven children, which instilled in me a desire to leave.
When I was a child I wanted to be ... a doctor of tropical medicine.
The moment that changed me for ever ... was the moment my first child was born. I was happy, filled with hope, and thought, "Now I understand the whole point of work, of life, of love".
My greatest inspiration ... is memory.
My real-life villain ... is anyone who says, "That murder was necessary".
My style icon ... Yvon Chouinard, surfer, mountain-climber, businessman, philanthropist and [as the founder of the Patagonia label] maker of sturdy clothing.
If I could change one thing about myself ... I would find a way of ridding myself of gout.
At night I dream of ... flying like a frigate bird, on the up-flows of wind currents, hardly moving my arms, but often soaring to considerable heights.
What I see when I look in the mirror ... is an unfamiliar face.
My favourite item of clothing ... is a Borsalino hat, splendid for all occasions, at home and abroad.
I wish I'd never worn ... bell bottoms in the 1970s.
It's not fashionable but I like ... to spit out of the window of a moving train.
You wouldn't know it but I'm very good at ... growing and propagating non-invasive types of bamboo.
You may not know it but I'm no good at ... coping with all the attention in the luxury hotels I sometimes find myself in.
All my money goes on ... supporting myself while I am trying to think of an idea that will make me some money.
If I have time to myself ... I sit on a sunny beach, eating ice-cream and pondering the narcissism of minor differences in the world.
I ride ... a Merlin titanium hybrid bike up many volcanic ridges in Hawaii.
My house is ... a place I have spent many years improving to the point where I have no desire to leave it.
My most valuable possession is ... a small leather briefcase (made by Glaser Designs in San Francisco) which is my portable office, containing a clipboard, a pad of white lined paper, a tiny radio and earphones, and a selection of pens and other items necessary to write on the road or under a palm tree.
My favourite building is ... Victoria Station (now called Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus) in Bombay (Mumbai).
Movie heaven is ... The Godfather.
A book that changed me ... was The Worst Journey in the World, by Apsley Cherry-Garrard – a magnificent book about a harrowing trip, written brilliantly by a modest and obscure man.
My favourite work of art ... is the Bayon temple at the centre of Angkor Thom, in Cambodia.
The last album I bought ... was Monsters of Grace by Philip Glass.
The person who really makes me laugh ... is any politician who starts a speech, "What we really need to do now is tighten our belts ..."
The shops I can't walk past ... are those in the heart of England (Ludlow comes to mind) filled with different kinds of cheese.
The best invention ever ... is the twist-off beer bottle cap.
In 10 years' time I hope to be ... having a couple of adorable little children, sort of like Rupert Murdoch did in his seventies. Ha! Just joking. All I want is to still be here 10 years' hence.
My greatest regret ... is that I did not go to medical school when I still had an agile-enough brain to do so.
My life in seven words ... joyous, bewildering, rewarded, secretive, familial, passionate, American.
A life in brief
Paul Theroux was born on 10 April 1941 in Medford, Massachusetts, and worked as a Peace Corps teacher in Malawi before taking up writing. Among his most famous works are the novel Mosquito Coast, which was made into a Hollywood film, and the travel book The Great Railway Bazaar. He is also a professional beekeeper and lives with his second wife in Cape Cod and Hawaii. Paul Theroux's latest book is Ghost Train to the Eastern Star (published by Hamish Hamilton)
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Headlines: February, 2009; RPCV Paul Theroux (Malawi); Figures; Peace Corps Malawi; Directory of Malawi RPCVs; Messages and Announcements for Malawi RPCVs; Writing - Malawi
When this story was posted in February 2009, this was on the front page of PCOL:
Peace Corps Online The Independent News Forum serving Returned Peace Corps Volunteers
| Director Ron Tschetter: The PCOL Interview Peace Corps Director Ron Tschetter sat down for an in-depth interview to discuss the evacuation from Bolivia, political appointees at Peace Corps headquarters, the five year rule, the Peace Corps Foundation, the internet and the Peace Corps, how the transition is going, and what the prospects are for doubling the size of the Peace Corps by 2011. Read the interview and you are sure to learn something new about the Peace Corps. PCOL previously did an interview with Director Gaddi Vasquez. |
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Story Source: Independent
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