“One should always have something sensational to read in the train.”
(The Importance of Being Earnest, Oscar Wilde)
When I travelled on the Trans-Siberian Railway over 16 years ago, I assumed there would be lots of time for reading. We had flown out to Beijing, and would be taking the train all the way back to Moscow, visiting places such as Mongolia, Lake Baikal and Irkutsk along the way. Although we aimed to spend a few days in each of these locations, the rest of the time would be spent on the train, with (we thought) not much else to do other than eat, chat and look out of the window. So I packed a few books, in the expectation that at some point I’d get full of food, the conversation would die away and one pine tree would start to look very much like another.
How wrong I was. The food may not have been a high point, most of it being obtained from station kiosks along the way; but the novelty of finding ourselves drinking beer for breakfast one day (body clocks thoroughly confused by travelling through multiple time zones) was at least a tale to write home about. And if the conversation between the three members of our party stalled at any point, it could quickly be reinvigorated by a stroll down the corridor to meet other travellers of wildly different backgrounds and nationalities: the Russian women smuggling salami, and the British students eating cereal with Baileys Irish Cream instead of milk, are fondly remembered highlights. And as for the scenery… when, on the longest leg of our journey (Irkutsk to Moscow), one tree really did start to look like another, I was surprised to find that this became not dull but weirdly hypnotic: I became glued to the window, unable to believe that after hours, days even, everything still looked exactly the same. Despite having a bag of unread books by my side, I didn’t dare tear myself away from the view, in case I missed that one point where something completely unexpected might present itself.
And so, having utterly failed to complement my travels with appropriate reading at the time, I would now like to revisit the trip, and make suggestions for reading material to accompany the different stages of our route. Some of the following are books I have read; some are books I would simply like to read; most are fiction. If you are interested in following this incredible journey from the comfort of your arm-chair, then the books below might be a good place to start. (Please note that this list is not intended to be a definitive selection, rather a collection of books I have come across and connect with the memories of my travels.)
I make no excuse for including some of my favourite photos from the trip: I hope you enjoy them.
China
Wild Swans
Jung Chang
I read this book many years ago at a book club: it was a fascinating insight into the personal stories of women in a culture that I had very little knowledge of. Always a good reason to read any book!
The Good Earth
Pearl S Buck
This was recommended to me by Paul Jeorrett, who read the book as part of his quest to read works by Nobel Prize winners. A different insight into Chinese culture from that offered in Wild Swans, but equally important.
The Three-Body Problem
Liu Cixin
This science-fiction novel featured on the list of books I read in 2017 for my Book Diaries blog.
Mongolia
Kubla Khan
Samuel Taylor Coleridge
A poem rather than a novel, and with a fantastical rather than a real-life setting, this is nonetheless a classic read from one of our most-loved Romantic poets.
The Blue Sky
Galsan Tschinag
This book tells the story of a Mongolian shepherd boy from a yurt-living tribe; I am pretty sure that it will bring back many fond memories of my own stay on the Mongolian plains.
The Unforgotten Coat
Frank Cottrell Boyce
This is a children’s book, but seems likely to appeal to adults as well. Telling the story of two Mongolian refugee schoolboys in Liverpool, it offers a somewhat different perspective on Mongolian culture.
Russia
The House of the Dead
Fyodor Dostoyevsky
As this is about life in a prison camp, it clearly does not reflect my own experiences of Siberia! Mine involved sitting by the side of Lake Baikal, in a T-shirt, enjoying the September sun. But a classic, and therefore worthy of mention.
Kolymsky Heights
Lionel Davidson
A thriller set in the frozen wastes of Siberia, featuring isolated scientists, secret codes and a man on a mission to solve the mystery… Sounds like my kind of book!
Anna Karenina
Leo Tolstoy
I loved this book. It follows the stories of many characters, and the action shifts between city and country, presenting a beautifully drawn picture of life in not just high society but also rural 19th-century Russia.
General non-fiction
The Great Railway Bazaar
Paul Theroux
The classic travelogue about an epic journey through Asia. Covering not just the Trans-Siberian but also other legendary train routes, this is a must-read for anyone wishing to (re-)capture the spirit of old-fashioned train travel.
Has this inspired you to read more travel books, or even undertake a great train journey yourself? I hope so. Books have the potential to inspire us to make changes in our lives – but only if we act on that inspiration.
Go book that holiday!
© Gwyneth Marshman 2023
Originally published (with slight differences) on the Bookylicious website (2017)