Word: bryson
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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...Bill Bryson...
...Though Bryson currently resides in England, he writes from an entirely American perspective. In it, he finds European stereotypes in all the people he meets...
...motif, Bryson uses the description of the drivers in different countries. He begins with France, claiming that "the pedestrian crossing lights have been designed with the clear intention of leaving the foreign visitor confused, humiliated, and if all goes according to plan, dead." He follows that by telling how blind people and old ladies in wheelchairs can cross without hesitation, but how when he crosses the drivers try to kill...
...Bryson then moves to Italy, asserting that the drivers no longer "want" to kill him, but they still "will." Apparently, the drivers are too busy "tooting their horns, gesturing wildly, preventing other vehicles from cutting into their lane, making love, smacking the children in the back seat, and eating a sandwich the size of a baseball bat, often all at once" to pay attention to pedestrians. Spontaneity like this makes this book enjoyable...
...Bryson does not try to "sell" Europe, but instead depicts all the color and vitality he has experienced there. He makes his work distinct from other travelogues because he does not merely glamorize the scenes and sights of Europe--he adds all of the hilarious anecdotes that have happened to him in his months of travel. Where else will you find Naples depicted as a dump and a description of the view of the sea at Capri as something for which the author would trade eyelashes with Tammy Bakker...