Places & Travel

The fiction writer sought adventure, so he followed the Equator around the world. His new book describes the different cultures, colonial vestiges, and natural phenomena of his various stops -- many of which the locals described as the "middle of nowhere."

Jordan was a fiction writer before becoming a filmmaker. His early cinematic work was financed by the British network Channel 4. His newest movie, a supernatural comedy called High Sprits, is his first big-budget feature. Jordan made his mark with Mona Lisa, a noir about call girl and her driver.

The new film Cry in the Dark dramatizes the true story of Lindy Chamberlain, who was wrongfully convicted of infanticide while camping in Australia. Film critic Stephen Schiff says the movie proves Schepisi is a great director.

Folklorist Jan Harold Brunvard recently returned from a trip to New Zealand, where he learned about a curious away homeowners try to keep dogs off their lawns/

James Fenton is a poet who traveled to Southeast Asia without any clear goal in mind. He started writing first-person journalism for a number of newspapers and magazines. Fenton covered the fall of Saigon and the end of the Marcos regime in the Philippines.

Book critic John Leonard reviews Alfred Kazin's new book, A Writer's America, which explores the country through the eyes of its great authors. Leonard's only complaint is that Kazin doesn't feature enough of his own distinct, literary voice.

Jane and Michael Stern are a husband-and-wife food-writing duo who travel the country to find the best regional food. Their work has spanned twenty years and several books. Their latest is called A Taste of America.

Writer William Shawcross's new book profiles the Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi, who was overthrown during the Iranian revolution. Despite his despotic rule -- including the brutal deployment of the SAVAK secret police -- the Shah advanced some reforms in education and women's rights. He was an ally to the United States; who provided the Iranian state with money for weapons.

Folklorist Jan Harold Brunvand recently came back from New Zealand, where he learned some of the local urban legends. Several of them echoed familiar tales in the United States.

Book Critic John Leonard reviews The Shah's Last Ride by journalist William Shawcross. The book documents the Iranian leader's rise with the help of Western intervention, and his overthrow during the Islamic Revolution.

The writer has also worked as a diplomat. Artistically and professionally, he has explored the cultural and political identity of his home country. His new book is about the poet Sor Juana; Paz says her life mirrors his own in several ways.

Rock historian Ed Ward profiles the late guitarist, whom he knew personally. Bloomfield grew up a rich kid in Chicago, and later started one of the city's first integrated blues bands. He's notable for updating the genre by linking it to folk traditions.

The writer's new book, An Empire of Their Own, examines the long-neglected history of how a group of Jewish European emigrees created the screen's idea of the American Dream, and how America adopted that dream.

Book critic John Leonard says that Greene has trained readers to fill the gaps in his novels and flesh out his sometimes underdeveloped characters. Leonard is a longtime admirer of the author, but says his newest book is more of a notebook than a polished novel.

Book critic John Leonard reviews historian Jonathan Spence's newest work, about a Chinese convert in France who is institutionalized by a Jesuit priest name Jean-Francois Foucquet. Leonard says that the historical novel feels more like a poem about history.

Writer Nick Tosches wrote the book Hellfire, profiling rock progenitor Jerry Lee Lewis. Now he has a novel called Cut Numbers, about small-time loan sharks in New York City.

Book critic John Leonard says that Andrew Vachss' new Burke detective novel Blue Belle, about the disturbing world of child porn and prostitution, is not for the faint of heart. He has this review.

Miles stars as a modern day Yenta in the new film Crossing Delancey. She was nominated for an Academy Award for her performance in Midnight Cowboy, and appears in the new movie Spike of Bensonhurst. A native New Yorker, Miles often chooses eccentric roles firmly rooted in the culture of her hometown.

Book critic John Leonard reviews Studs Terkel's new collection of oral histories. Leonard says that Terkel is an eternal optimist, who features interviews with people working for change -- like doctors, union leaders, and gay rights activists.

McInerney's first novel -- Bright Lights, Big City -- delved deep into the drug-fueled world of the New York City club scene. His revisits Manhattan's nightlife in his new book, Story of My Life, about an aspiring actress. A movie version of Bright Lights, Big City, starring Michael J. Fox, was released this year.