RSSBill Bryson Wrote The Funniest Book I Know
June 3, 2008
This man is so funny, it hurts. Without profanity, without belittling anyone, he manages to point out life’s ridiculous moments (and he finds himself in a lot of them). He is gently but profoundly funny.
Not just a Travel Writer
Bill Bryson is an American from DesMoines, Iowa. He lived in North Yorkshire, in England for 20 years. In the mid-90’s, he came back to live in New Hampshire, with his wife and 4 children. He stayed awhile and wrote some incredibly humorous, but also rather sad, books about the homeland he found when he returned. After 8 years, he went back to England. The link to his name and the picture below are both linked to Bryson’s Wikipedia page.
Bill Bryson from Wikipedia
He is classified as a Travel Writer. His books will take you across the US (The Lost Continent), Europe (Neither Here Nor There), England (Notes From A Small Island) , and Australia (Down Under, In A Sunburned Country). Though you will get a very clear snapshot of the place you visit, his books are to Travel what Natalie Portman is to pleasant features. It goes far beyond mere travel.
I’ve always hoped he would visit India or Beijing or a place where the culinary and sanitary traditions are far removed from ours. If he’s this funny in the south of England and Virginia, just imagine the man in Bombay! I would likely meet my demise from laughing so hard. One of his more recent books, Bill Bryson’s African Diary, has him visiting Kenya at the invitation of CARE International, with all proceeds from the book going to support that organization. It is No. 1 on my summer reading list. Notice the online price of $4.00.
The funniest book of all
Though all his books are hilarious, A Walk In The Woods is the undoubtedly the funniest book I have ever read.
This is the story of how Bryson finds himself the world’s most unsuitable walking companion in the form of his old buddy, Stephen Katz, and treks the Appalachian Trail. This is a trail that begins in Georgia and ends somewhere in Maine. He plans to walk the trail, beginning at the Southern end in early March, so that he is always walking in the springtime, though it doesn’t turn out that way.
Katz is looking for a place to watch the X-Files and drink his favorite kind of pop. Bryson wants a decent restaurant. The pair are reminiscent of Frazier Crane and Bill Murray’s Caddyshack character hitting the trail together. From the comfort of your chair, you’re quite happy that it’s them and not you, as you enjoy the majesty and fragility of the forest and the one-of-a-kind characters they encounter, only some of whom are willing to share their food.
Bugs, blizzards, and the hills keep coming
From the beginning where he is assembling his gear and supplies, you’re laughing so hard you’re having trouble reading. He develops quite a preoccupation with bears from his readings. His description of how he would react if he encountered any more than a single bear stopped me from reading for a good 15 minutes, and it was just one sentence. Four words, to be precise.
A.T. Map linked to A.T. Conservancy site
You can perfectly visualize this out-of-shape guy who really doesn’t care to be too deeply immersed in the wonders of nature, trudging through the wilderness, coping with blisters and bugs galore. Since camping closely approaches my idea of hell-on-earth when things are going well, some of these ordeals were almost unbearable for me to read.
Being rained on all night, trudging through swamps with his pack held over his head, and yet he persisted, earned my amazement and admiration. Considering the physical demands on his body, I marvel at how he survived on the food he ate. You see, Katz tossed most of the food supplies on day 1 so breakfast was coffee and raisins. They ate cheeseburgers and gelatinous pies every few days, when they happened upon restaurants.
10 miles a day
His descriptions of the people he meets, like the young couple in love headed to Way Off Road Junction, or some similar place, is priceless. He’s never special or above anyone. In fact, there are times when his adventures are related with a little more honesty than you might really want to read, but he puts himself at the mercy of our judgment.
Time, space, and distance lose their meaning eventually. The forest becomes their world. When they do happen upon a town, the contrast between the beauty and strength of the woods and the ugliness of shopping mall America is quite sad. You find yourself in a hurry for him to get back into the forest. I felt physically calmer when he was walking, wet clothes and all, than when he was in an ugly motel or restaurant.
This man is obviously not a 20yr old extreme adventurer. Like us, he’s finally lived long enough to soften a little, to understand and forgive, and to reflect on life’s moments. On the way, he just happens across people who clear their sinuses by blowing out their ears repeatedly.
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4 Responses to “Bill Bryson Wrote The Funniest Book I Know”
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I love Bill Bryson-the scope of his interests and knowledge amazes me. The first book of his that I read was “The Mother Tongue”, subtitled “English and how it got that way”. It is a short story on the Eglish language with some general history of language and its origins. It’s FUNNY and educational! I also have his “Short History of Nearly Everything”. I have really enjoyed, that too. “Walk” is going on my list of books to read. Thanks for the recommendation!
Ann,
Thank you for commenting. I find it so hard to tell women how great his books are. As soon as you say Travel Writer, folks kind of tune out.
But he is so dry and so hilarious in his descriptions of people or places that I love every minute of all his books.
A Short History is #1 on my summer reading list. I can’t wait.
Christine, I enjoyed your article on the most entertaining writer that is Bill Bryson. I recently bought “Notes from a Big Country” as a gift and got into a conversation with the elderly lady behind me in the queue about his works, so his appeal really does cross gender and age boundaries!
I did however notice that you mentioned Bill being in the South of England, which is incorrect as the county of Yorkshire is actually one of the most Northern in England.
Norfolk is a county in the East of England, the region often called East-Anglia or the Midlands, certainly never the South. Perhaps you read this from Bill himself and the mistake has simply passed on, or perhaps it is another classic Bryson-esque case of American ignorance of British details (no offence intended, I say this only as a continuation of many of the themes of Bill’s work!)
All the best, and remember – There is always a little more toothpaste in the tube. Think about it.
Thank you, Mark. Perhaps I was thinking that some of the travels took him through the South. Notes From A Big Country was the first Bryson book I’d ever read. It was simply hilarious. I still remember so many of the passages.