A Visit to Don Otavio: A Traveller's Tale from Mexico [Paperback]

Sybille Bedford (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 15, 2003

This affectionate study of the Mexican temper is "one of the most charming travel books ever written." --The Atlantic Monthly

Before returning to the Old World after World War II, Sybille Bedford resolved to see something more of the New. "I had a great longing to move," she said, "to hear another language, eat new food, to be in a country with a long nasty history in the past and as little present history as possible." And so she set out for Mexico--and, incidentally, to write what Bruce Chatwin called the best travel book of the twentieth century, "a book of marvels, to be read again and again and again."

Editorial Reviews

Review

"An absolutely first-class writer at the top of her powers" Mark Amory --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Sybille Bedford was born in 1911, in Charlottenburg, Germany, and was brought up in Italy, England, and France. In 1953, she made her literary debut with A Visit to Don Otavio, and has since published eight other books--novels, travel books, classic accounts of criminal trials and other courtroom cases, and an acclaimed biography of her mentor Aldous Huxley. A vice president of English PEN and one of Britain's nine Companions of Literature, Mrs. Bedford lives in London and is currently at work on a memoir.

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Counterpoint (April 15, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 158243171X
• ISBN-13: 978-1582431710
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #929,414 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars laughing & learning, December 20, 2005

By 

rick from Boston - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A Visit to Don Otavio: A Traveller's Tale from Mexico (Paperback)

I've enjoyed this travel book more than any I've read in a long time. Educational and enjoyable. Anyone who has done any traveling anywhere can have a good chuckle at the culture clashes that come from traveling in Mexico or any country where you're not familiar with the customs. These women weren't afraid of adventure and certainly found plenty of it! In spite of the frustrations of things not always going their way, they never resort to racial slurs or any real putdowns of the people they meet. And what a trip. They saw some of the most beautiful parts of Mexico before they've become over-run with tourists. I think the spirit in which they travel is something more people need when going to a foreign country. Go with the flow and everything will work out in the end. A wonderful read.

17 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Barefoot me., September 11, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: A Visit To Don Otavio. A Traveller's Tale From Mexico (Hardcover)

Sublime. I am profoundly uninterested in Mexico, but it charmed my socks off. Wonderfully written. Up there in the clouds with Paula Fox, William Trevor, Alice Munro.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A visit to Don Otavio, or the pleasure to travel in his own bedroom., November 12, 2009

By 

Patricku - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A Visit to Don Otavio: A Traveller's Tale from Mexico (Paperback)

No doubt one of the most satisfying book you could possibly find!
You go back in a lost world, you travel for almost free, you plunge in a pool of humor, you learn some history.
Your life will just got better.
Read or steal as they said..