Jeff Greenwald (1) (1954–)
Author of Shopping for Buddhas
For other authors named Jeff Greenwald, see the disambiguation page.
About the Author
Image credit: By Submitted to OTRS, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3611183
Works by Jeff Greenwald
Associated Works
I Should Have Stayed Home: The Worst Trips of the Great Writers (1994) — Contributor — 187 copies, 5 reviews
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Birthdate
- 1954-03-06
- Gender
- male
- Occupations
- author
photographer
Monologist
interviewer
journalist - Organizations
- Ethical Traveler
Hidden Compass - Awards and honors
- Lowell Thomas Gold Medal for Best Travel Book of the Year
- Short biography
- Bronx-born Jeff Greenwald moved west when he was 19 and has lived in Oakland, California for the past 15 years. Since 1979 he has traveled throughout the world, working as a writer, photographer and visual artist.
His first book, Mr. Raja’s Neighborhood: Letters from Nepal, was published in 1985; many consider it a “cult classic” of Asian travel literature. Shopping for Buddhas, published in 1990, was reissued by Lonely Planet in 1996. The revised edition won the Lowell Thomas Gold Medal for Best Travel Book of the Year and has been translated into five languages. The Size of the World: Once Around Without Leaving the Ground – a chronicle of his nine-month, 29,172-mile, around the world overland voyage – was a national bestseller in 1995, while Future Perfect, Greenwald’s quirky look at the impact of Star Trek on global culture, appeared in 1998.
Jeff divides his time between Oakland and Asia, contributing travel and science articles to a variety of publications including The New York Times Magazine, Yoga Journal, National Geographic Adventures, Outside, and Islands. A pioneer of internet travel writing, his stories have often been featured on Salon.
Scratching the Surface: Impressions of Planet Earth from Hollywood to Shiraz, released in 2002, is Greenwald’s first anthology, containing 31 previously published short works written during the past 23 years. The book became a national bestseller in November 2002.
(taken from leftcoastwriters.com) - Nationality
- USA
- Birthplace
- Bronx, New York, USA
- Places of residence
- New York, New York, USA
Oakland, California, USA - Associated Place (for map)
- New York, USA
Members
Reviews
By the time that travel writer Jeff Greenwald hit his late thirties, he had covered more ground than Magellan, Marco Polo, and Columbus combined. But he also came to a sobering conclusion: airplanes had reduced his exotic explorations to a series of long commutes. So he set out to rediscover the mass, the gravity, and the size of the world. His mission: to circle the earth without leaving its surface.
What followed was a remarkable odyssey, as Greenwald scaled an active volcano in Guatemala, show more rode a rat-infested ferry across the Persian Gulf, dropped by Paul Bowles's flat unannounced, saved a baby snow leopard in Tibet, and spent his fortieth birthday marooned in the Sahara. And no matter where he found himself, he sent reports of his exploits from his ever-faithful laptop to the screens of thousands of eager Internet readers. A pilgrimage both hilarious and harrowing, insightful and wise, The Size of the World takes you on an adventure you will never forget. show less
What followed was a remarkable odyssey, as Greenwald scaled an active volcano in Guatemala, show more rode a rat-infested ferry across the Persian Gulf, dropped by Paul Bowles's flat unannounced, saved a baby snow leopard in Tibet, and spent his fortieth birthday marooned in the Sahara. And no matter where he found himself, he sent reports of his exploits from his ever-faithful laptop to the screens of thousands of eager Internet readers. A pilgrimage both hilarious and harrowing, insightful and wise, The Size of the World takes you on an adventure you will never forget. show less
This book was nothing that I expected. The title, "Shopping for Buddhas" is not some euphemism for an untold malady nor is it even a cute name for a travelog (although it is), it's a literal description for the underlying premise behind this book. The author, after traveling/working in southeast Asia for many years, decides he needs the perfect buddha statue as a souvenir on his final visit. But what could have easily become a flippant list of one liners and anecdotes (and there are plenty show more of them), the book was surprisingly informative, and I learned a lot about the buddhist religion including the terms for the different representations and poses. Maybe not for everyone, but defnitely a recommended read for those who enjoy quirky nonfiction show less
This is one of my favourite books especially regarding writing style. I picked it up in a second-hand bookstore in Kathmandu, Nepal and couldn't stop the enchantment overcoming me while reading it. Admittedly, it made more sense while being there or if you've travelled in the country already. You can relate to the places and the geography much more. But even if Asia and the Himals have not been not on your travel route yet, this book is a must read for Nepal. It's THE literature for your show more travel in the small Himalayan kingdom. Alone the language enthrals you, captivates your mind, sucks you into the stories and adventures, and paints pictures on your inner eyelid. 8-)
My favourite quote from the book about the country:
".... If I were pressed to give one reason, one specific observation of why the life in Nepal seems so much more vivid than life anywhere else, I would answer with a single word: time. There is a quality to time spent in Nepal that can only be described as inhalant. [...]
In Nepal [...] Time is a stick of incense that burns without being consumed. One day can seem like a week; a week, like months. Mornings stretch out and crack their spines with the yogic impassivity of house cats. Afternoons bulge with a succulent ripeness, like fat peaches. There is time enough to do everything - write a letter, eat breakfast, read the newspaper, visit a shrine or two, listen to the birds, bicycle downtown, change money, buy postcards, shop for Buddhas - and arrive home in time for lunch." (taken from my Forum for Book Recommendations) show less
My favourite quote from the book about the country:
".... If I were pressed to give one reason, one specific observation of why the life in Nepal seems so much more vivid than life anywhere else, I would answer with a single word: time. There is a quality to time spent in Nepal that can only be described as inhalant. [...]
In Nepal [...] Time is a stick of incense that burns without being consumed. One day can seem like a week; a week, like months. Mornings stretch out and crack their spines with the yogic impassivity of house cats. Afternoons bulge with a succulent ripeness, like fat peaches. There is time enough to do everything - write a letter, eat breakfast, read the newspaper, visit a shrine or two, listen to the birds, bicycle downtown, change money, buy postcards, shop for Buddhas - and arrive home in time for lunch." (taken from my Forum for Book Recommendations) show less
Some of Jeff Greenwald's interviews--with amazing subjects, ranging from the Dalai Lama to Kurt Vonnegut to Leonard Nimoy--are really terrific. I especially liked his discussion with Kate Mulgrew. However, most of his other conversations with women are way, way too focused on their anatomy. There's a sleezy, out-of-place quality to his writing that's often far from respectful. When talking to international Trek fans, he seems to straddle the line between respect and mocking; ultimately, I'm show more not really sure which side he's on. show less
Awards
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Associated Authors
Statistics
- Works
- 13
- Also by
- 7
- Members
- 492
- Popularity
- #50,225
- Rating
- 3.5
- Reviews
- 9
- ISBNs
- 27
- Languages
- 2
