Paul Theroux On Africa: An Ex-Peace Corps Volunteer On Revisiting Africa

One of my favorite travel writers and novelists is Paul Theroux, a friend with whom I've traveled and whom I've interviewed several times in different venues.  Today I came across this terrific Q&A with Theroux posted on a web site dedicated to former Peace Corps volunteers who write.  And with dozens of books to his credit, Theroux, who served in the Peace Corps in Malawi, certainly does write. 

Theroux has stirred up his share of controversy on the subject of Africa, the role of international aid organizations there, and the commitment of Africans themselves to reform.  But his observations in this interview, formed from not only by his past but a solo trip he took through Africa for his book Dark Star Safari, are worth the read.  

In addition to his work as a great chronicler of travel (The Great Railway Bazaar, published in 1975 made him famous), Theroux is an accomplished novelist.  The Mosquito Coast is familiar to moviegoers, but my favorite is My Secret History, published in 21 years ago and still instructive for middle-aged men who are beginning to examine their lives closely.