“If there is any revelation to be gleaned from spending several days on a single train, it will come from the bizarre details that lurk beneath the mundanity of the trip itself.” – Rolf Potts
In this episode of Deviate, Rolf reads his essay On the Trans-Siberian Express (2:00) and then recounts, with Jonathan Arlan, the story behind the story, discussing his approach to writing about his experiences on the Trans-Siberian railroad (1:17:00).
Jonathan Arlan (@JonathanArlan) is the author of the book Mountain Lines: A Journey through the French Alps and a recent Tablet essay titled Off the Rails in Birobidzhan.
Notable Links:
- Marco Polo Didn’t Go There, by Rolf Potts (book)
- Genghis Khan (historical figure)
- David Foster Wallace (author)
- In Xanadu, by William Dalrymple (book)
- Naadam (festival)
- Ulan-Ude (Russian city)
- Elderhostel, i.e., Road Scholar (non-profit organization)
- Hunter S. Thompson (journalist and author)
- Douglas Coupland (author and artist)
- Fyodor Dostoevsky (author)
- William S. Burroughs (writer)
The Deviate theme music comes from the title track of Cedar Van Tassel’s 2017 album Lumber.
Note: We don’t host a “comments” section, but we’re happy to hear your questions and insights via email, at deviate@rolfpotts.com.
