The Land without a Name - Adams, John - EN

This emotionally charged, autobiographical work draws the reader into the mysterious world of the past, incorporating decades worth of photographs, diaries and other personal material into its poignant discussions of early memories and child- hood wonder. While these items might be seen as remnants of a vanished time, gone forever, the author contemplates the notion that the past exists somewhere, that we can somehow get back to it, if only we knew how. The book also explores the thoughts and writings of great authors who were profoundly attached to their past, aware that it has gone yet still present. From Alain Fournier to Marcel Proust and Saul Bellow, such writers offer not simply evocative works of art, but a sincerity of expression that touches us, resonates with our deepest imaginations and desires; their sad, joyful, often intense longing for the past might be said to be our longing. And towards the end of the book, the author himself goes back into his past and details his own youthful attempts to return to the magical world of his childhood, relating his experiences as a desperate teenager to the experiences de- scribed by some of those who populate this contemplative work of remembrance.