The following book is of high sentimental value to me. Ten years ago I found it in a public library, where it was part of the epic Die Andere Bibliothek book series, edited by none other than Hans-Magnus Enzensberger.
I mean, it just HAD to be awesome.

Spanning the distance

The story: JGS is an editor from Saxony who embarks on a trip to Italy, just like Johann Wolfgang Goethe and many others did before him. This was pretty fashionable among the rich and famous back then, and for many it was just part of their so-called “Grand Tour”.

But JGS isn’t one of those guys. He is neither particularly wealthy nor does he have a big name or an entourage, and his main mode of transportation consists simply of his own two feet. And while others might be a bit bloated and preoccupied with the immense task of shaping their character, JGS is a lot more humble. He makes it look like he is just walking around, observing, narrating, and getting in touch with the people he runs into.

The resulting book is awesome.

Sure, sometimes it is a bit difficult to follow JGS’s descriptions of sceneries, especially of towns, because he seems to be observing them mostly from a military standpoint (where they would be vulnerable to attack, etc.), but all in all, it is just a blessing to be out there with him, enjoying the fruits of the Italian countryside, getting mad at injustices, rejoicing at all the beauty that is there, and being simply… human.

To span the distance between the souls, across time and space, beyond even the barrier of life and death – isn’t that one of the greatest gifts of literature, or of art in general?

This book did that for me, like only a few others.

A 10/10.