The School of Hum

I'm seeing Jim Benning tonight for the second time this week, have talked to him several times on the phone, and traded countless emails as well. But even with all that, I almost missed some travel book news. Luckily, I checked the World Hum Blog just now.

Their 11.18.2004 post features commentary about Frederic Prokosch’s The Asiatics.

Who? What? Leave it to the School of Hum.

“The novel, which will be reissued in January, is about a young American wandering in the Middle East. Camus remarked that the book “invented what might be called the geographical novel.” Writes Iyer: “’The Asiatics’ is a book of atmospheres more than of events (let alone emotions). Yet what makes it stand apart from the works of Hermann Hesse, say, or Jack Kerouac, the other talismans of youth who might seem to be its cousins, is that this narrator is less a seeker than a collector. He’s not going anywhere; he’s just happy to pick up the colorful characters and pieces of philosophy and moods of transport that linger along the road.” “

Is there a word for the pressure to check friends’ blogs before meeting up with them? If not, we need one. How about blegress–a combo of blog, friend, and stress. Speaking of, I better go hit Vagablogging.