this construction with its frequent use of digression, rather than a standard linear structure, mirrors one of the underlying themes of the work as a whole: a meditation upon wandering and nomadism in human life. This is accentuated by the fact that many of the narratives of the people that Chatwin meets in the work involve discussions of the nomadic life. Chatwin's route takes him from Buenos Aires south through Argentina as far as Ushuaia, and thence to Punta Arenas, Puerto Natales and the Cueva del Milodon in Chile. The many topics he discusses in the book include the landscape and wildlife of Patagonia, the history of European exploration and settlement, Butch Cassidy's time in Patagonia, anarchists and strikers, and the fate of the native inhabitants. Reception This work established Chatwin's reputation as a travel writer. One of his biographers, Nicholas Murray, called In Patagonia "one of the most strikingly original postwar English travel books" and said that it revitalised the genre of travel writing. The New York Times described it as a "little masterpiece of travel, history, and adventure." Some reviewers compared it with classics of travel literature such as Travels by Sir John Mandeville, Eothen by Alexander Kinglake and The Road to Oxiana by Robert Byron. However, residents in the region contradicted the account of events depicted in Chatwin's book. It was the first time in his career, but not the last, that conversations and characters which Chatwin presented as fact were later alleged to be fiction. In the words of his biographer Nicholas Shakespeare, "Critics ... suspected that a number of Chatwin's brontosauri were mylodons." Some editions of In Patagonia contain 15 black and white photographs by Chatwin. According to Susannah Clapp, who edited the book, "Rebecca West amused Chatwin by telling him that these were so good they rendered superfluous the entire text of the book." Prizes For In Patagonia Chatwin received the Hawthornden Prize and the E. M. Forster Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. References General «El mito del escritor viajero - Diario La Nación - 13 de enero de 1999» Citations 1977 non-fiction books British travel books Books by Bruce Chatwin Patagonia Jonathan Cape books Books about South America Hawthornden Prize-winning works English non-fiction books Books about Argentina Books about Chile