When it was easy for us to walk. Life in five journeys

A collection of travel prose by the renowned classic of British literature Evelyn Waugh, compiled by him after World War II based on pre-war stories of his numerous travels around the world — a world that, in just ten years, changed beyond recognition. «I never aimed to be a great traveler, — writes Evelyn Waugh. — I was content with the role of a typical representative of the youth of my time; trips were perceived by us as something taken for granted. It is pleasant to realize that our travels coincided with a time when it was easy for us to walk.» And the scale of these journeys is impressive even now: the Mediterranean and the Middle East; Abyssinia — where Haile Selassie is crowned emperor, the future messiah of the Jamaican Rastafarian religion; Africa — across the entire continent; Brazil and British Guiana; again Abyssinia — where the Italo-Ethiopian war is about to begin… And everywhere fate took him, Evelyn Waugh consistently demonstrates his signature knack for the absurd and the humorous, exquisite psychological accuracy, and masterful command of language. It is no wonder he said that sometimes it seems as if the whole world is populated by his characters…