 The Sunday Times Magazine hired Chatwin in 1972 . He travelled the world for work and interviewed figures such as the politicians Indira Gandhi and André Malraux . He left the magazine in 1974 to visit Patagonia , which resulted in his first book . He produced five other books , including The Songlines ( 1987 ) , which was a bestseller . His work is credited with reviving the genre of travel writing , and his works influenced other writers such as William Dalrymple , Claudio Magris , Philip Marsden , Luis Sepúlveda , and Rory Stewart . 
