3 Review(s)

The history of Wales as a destination and confection of English Romanticwriters is well-known, but this book reverses the process, turning a Welshgaze on the rest of the world.This shift is timely: the severing of Britain from the European Union asksquestions of Wales about its relationship to its own past, to the Britishstate, to Europe and beyond, while the present political, public healthand environmental crises mean that travel writing can and should neveragain be the comfortably escapist genre that it was. Our modern anxietiesover identity are registered here in writing that questions in a personal,visceral way the meaning of belonging and homecoming, and reflects asearch for stability and solace as much as a desire for adventure. Here arelyrical stories refracted through kaleidoscopes of family and world history,alongside accounts of forced displacement and the tenacious love thatexists between people and places. Yet these pieces also show the enduringvalue and joy of travel itself. As Eluned Gramich expresses it 'It's one ofthe pleasures of travel to submit yourself to other people, let yourself beguided and taught'.Taken together, the stories of An Open Door extend Jan Morris' legacy intoa turbulent present and even more uncertain future. Whether seen fromLlyn or the Somali desert, we still take turns to look out at the same stars,and it might be this recognition, above all, that encourages us to hold thedoor open for as long as we can.