Bruce Chatwin

Bruce Chatwin
Born	(1940-05-13) 13 May 1940 Sheffield, England
Died	18 January 1989(1989-01-18) (aged 48)
Occupation(s)	Novelist, journalist, travel writer
Years active	1972–1989
Known for	In Patagonia, On the Black Hill, Utz, The Songlines

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Charles Bruce Chatwin Template:Postnom (13 May 1940Template:Spaced ndash18 January 1989) was a prominent English novelist, journalist, and travel writer. His debut publication, In Patagonia (1977), secured his reputation as a travel writer, although he identified primarily as a storyteller focused on uncovering extraordinary narratives. He was awarded the James Tait Black Memorial Prize for his novel On the Black Hill (1982), and his later novel Utz (1988) was shortlisted for the prestigious Booker Prize. In 2008, The Times placed Chatwin at number 46 in their list of the "50 Greatest British Writers Since 1945".

Born in Sheffield, Chatwin completed his secondary education at Marlborough College. At 18, he began working at Sotheby's in London, where he developed extensive expertise in art and eventually managed the auction house's departments for Antiquities and Impressionism. In 1966, he departed Sotheby's to study archaeology at the University of Edinburgh, but left after two years to dedicate himself to writing.

In 1972, Chatwin joined The Sunday Times Magazine as a staff member. His role involved global travel and conducting interviews with notable figures such as politicians Indira Gandhi and André Malraux. He left the magazine in 1974 to journey to Patagonia, Argentina, an experience that inspired his first book, In Patagonia (1977). Over his career, he authored five additional books, including the bestselling The Songlines (1987), which explored themes related to Australia. His contributions are credited with revitalising travel literature and have influenced writers such as William Dalrymple, Claudio Magris, Philip Marsden, Luis Sepúlveda, Rich Cohen, and Rory Stewart.

Early years

Born on 13 May 1940 at the Shearwood Road Nursing Home in Sheffield, England, Chatwin was the son of Charles Leslie Chatwin, a solicitor from Birmingham who also served as an officer in the Royal Naval Reserve during World War II, and Margharita (née Turnell), whose father worked as a clerk for a Sheffield knife manufacturer. Before her marriage, Margharita was employed by the local Conservative party. The Chatwin family held a notable position in Birmingham society, with Charles Chatwin’s grandfather, Julius Alfred Chatwin, recognized as a distinguished architect.

During his infancy, Chatwin moved frequently with his mother while his father was deployed at sea. Prior to his birth, his parents resided in Barnt Green, Worcestershire, but Margharita relocated to her parents' home in Dronfield, near Sheffield, shortly before giving birth. They stayed there for several weeks. Concerned about the dangers of The Blitz, Margharita sought safer accommodations. Throughout the war, she and her son stayed with various relatives, relocating whenever safety concerns arose or family tensions made it necessary. Reflecting on this period later, Chatwin described their transient "home" as a black suitcase called the Rev-Robe, which held a section for his clothes and his Mickey Mouse gas mask.

One wartime residence was with his paternal grandparents, whose curiosity cabinet captivated young Chatwin. Among its contents was what the family called a "piece of brontosaurus"—in reality, skin from a mylodon, a giant sloth. This artifact had been sent to Chatwin’s grandmother by her cousin Charles Milward, who discovered the remains while traveling in Patagonia. Milward eventually sold the specimen to the British Museum but gifted a sample of the animal’s skin to his cousin. Although the skin was later lost, this childhood encounter inspired Chatwin’s later travels to and writings about Patagonia.

Following World War II, Chatwin lived with his parents and younger brother Hugh (1944–2012) in West Heath, Birmingham, where his father maintained a legal practice. At seven years old, Chatwin was enrolled at Old Hall School in Shropshire before attending Marlborough College in Wiltshire. Academically unremarkable, he gained recognition through his participation in school theatrical productions. During his time at Marlborough, he completed A-levels in Latin, Greek, and Ancient History.

Chatwin initially intended to study Classics at Merton College, Oxford. However, with the conclusion of National Service in the United Kingdom, university admissions became more competitive, forcing him to explore alternative career paths. His parents dissuaded him from pursuing acting or joining the Colonial Service in Kenya. Instead, his father leveraged connections by requesting a letter of introduction from one of his clients to the auction house Sotheby's. This led to an interview where Chatwin successfully obtained employment.

Art and archaeology

In 1958, Chatwin relocated to London to begin working as a porter within Sotheby's Works of Art department. However, this role, which involved tasks such as dusting stored items, proved ill-fitting for him. Subsequently, Sotheby's reassigned him to a junior cataloguer role, where he contributed to both the Antiquities and Impressionist Art departments. This new position allowed Chatwin to refine his artistic judgment and he swiftly gained recognition for his skill in identifying forgeries. Additionally, his cataloguing responsibilities honed his ability to succinctly describe objects and required thorough research. Over time, Chatwin advanced to become Sotheby's authority on Antiquities and Impressionist art, eventually overseeing both departments. Many colleagues anticipated that he would one day ascend to chairman of the auction house.

Throughout this era, Chatwin traveled widely for both professional duties and personal adventure. Travel provided an escape from the constraints of the British class system, which he found oppressive. Inspired by Robert Byron’s The Road to Oxiana, he journeyed twice to Afghanistan. These excursions also offered opportunities to visit markets and antique shops, where he purchased items that he later sold for profit, supplementing his Sotheby's income. During this time, he developed friendships with artists, collectors, and dealers. Among his acquaintances was Howard Hodgkin, who portrayed Chatwin in the 1962 painting The Japanese Screen. Chatwin described himself as the "acid green smear on the left."

During this phase of his life, Chatwin experienced ambivalence regarding his sexual identity and engaged in relationships with both men and women. One of his romantic partners was Elizabeth Chanler, an American secretary at Sotheby’s and a descendant of John Jacob Astor. Chanler held a history degree from Radcliffe College and had worked in Sotheby’s New York office for two years before transferring to London in 1961. Her independent spirit and passion for travel resonated with Chatwin.

By the mid-1960s, dissatisfaction with Sotheby’s grew within Chatwin for several reasons. Both men and women were attracted to him, a trait Peter Wilson, then chairman of Sotheby’s, leveraged by involving Chatwin in persuading affluent clients to sell their collections. This role increasingly unsettled Chatwin. Later in life, he described feeling "burnt out," likening his work to that of a "rather superior funeral parlour," where much time was spent appraising recently deceased individuals’ possessions.

In late 1964, Chatwin began experiencing vision problems which he attributed to the intense scrutiny of artworks required by his job. After consulting eye specialist Patrick Trevor-Roper—who diagnosed a latent squint—he was advised to take a six-month hiatus from Sotheby’s. Trevor-Roper had helped design an eye hospital in Addis Ababa and recommended that Chatwin travel to East Africa. In February 1965, Chatwin departed for Sudan. During this journey, he encountered a nomadic tribe whose lifestyle captivated him: "My nomadic guide carried a sword, a purse and a pot of scented goat's grease for anointing his hair. He made me feel overburdened and inadequate..." This fascination with nomads persisted throughout his life.

Upon returning to Sotheby’s, much to the surprise of friends, Chatwin proposed marriage to Elizabeth Chanler. They wed on 21 August 1965. Throughout their marriage, Chatwin identified as bisexual—a fact Elizabeth accepted. He had hoped to abandon his homosexual tendencies and emulate the successful marriage model set by his parents. Despite numerous affairs during their union—mostly with men—some observers assumed the couple maintained a chaste relationship; however, biographer Nicholas Shakespeare clarifies this was not the case. The couple had hoped for children but remained childless throughout their marriage.

At age 26 in April 1966, Chatwin attained the position of director at Sotheby’s—a role he had long desired. Nonetheless, he was disappointed when appointed junior director without voting privileges on the board. This frustration combined with boredom and unease over questionable side deals at Sotheby’s—including transactions involving items from the Pitt-Rivers museum collection—prompted him to resign in June 1966.

In October 1966, Chatwin enrolled at the University of Edinburgh to pursue studies in Archaeology. Having regretted not attending Oxford earlier and after years of contemplation about university education, a December 1965 visit to Leningrad’s Hermitage Museum further ignited his interest in archaeology. Although he earned the Wardrop Prize for outstanding first-year performance, he found academic archaeology too demanding and left after two years without completing a degree.

The Nomadic Alternative

After leaving Edinburgh, Chatwin embarked on a writing career, successfully pitching a book concept about nomadic peoples to Tom Maschler, the publisher at Jonathan Cape. He provisionally named the project The Nomadic Alternative and aimed to explore the question, "What motivates humans to wander instead of remaining settled?" Chatwin completed the manuscript in 1972; however, Maschler rejected it, describing it as a "chore to read".

Between 1969 and 1972, while developing The Nomadic Alternative, Chatwin travelled widely and engaged in various projects to build his creative profile. In 1970, he co-curated an exhibition titled Nomadic Art of the Asian Steppes, which was showcased at Asia House Gallery in New York City. He also contemplated publishing an account of his 1969 journey to Afghanistan with Peter Levi. Levi eventually authored his own narrative, The Light Garden of the Angel King: Journeys in Afghanistan (1972). Additionally, Chatwin contributed two articles about nomads to Vogue and wrote another piece for History Today.

During the early 1970s, Chatwin was involved in a romantic relationship with film director James Ivory. Ivory recounts this episode in his memoir, Solid Ivory. Chatwin also proposed story ideas to Ivory for potential film projects, though Ivory did not take these seriously. In 1972, Chatwin ventured into filmmaking by travelling to Niger to produce a documentary focused on nomadic life. Unfortunately, the film was lost during attempts to sell it to European broadcasters.

In addition to writing and filmmaking, Chatwin captured photographs during his travels and tried selling images from a trip to Mauritania to The Sunday Times Magazine. While these photographs were not accepted for publication by The Times, the newspaper offered Chatwin employment.

The Sunday Times Magazine and In Patagonia

Further information: In Patagonia

In 1972, Chatwin was appointed by The Sunday Times Magazine to serve as a consultant on art and architecture. His initial duties involved proposing story concepts and assembling features such as "One Million Years of Art," which appeared across several summer 1973 editions. Encouraged by his editor, Francis Wyndham, Chatwin began developing his writing abilities, honing his narrative technique. Throughout numerous international assignments, he covered topics ranging from Algerian migrant workers to the Great Wall of China, and conducted interviews with a wide array of individuals including André Malraux, Maria Reiche, and Madeleine Vionnet.

During 1972, Chatwin met with the 93-year-old architect and designer Eileen Gray in her Paris salon, where he observed a painted map depicting the South American region of Patagonia. When he expressed his long-standing desire to visit the area, Gray responded, "So have I. Go there for me."

In November 1974, Chatwin traveled to Lima in Peru before continuing on to Patagonia in Argentina a month later. He later claimed to have sent a telegram to Wyndham simply stating: "Have gone to Patagonia." In reality, he dispatched a letter explaining: "I am doing a story there for myself, something I have always wanted to write up." This journey marked the conclusion of his regular contributions to The Sunday Times Magazine, though he occasionally submitted articles thereafter, including a profile on Indira Gandhi.

Spending six months traversing Patagonia, Chatwin collected narratives from settlers who had relocated there from other places. This expedition culminated in the publication of In Patagonia (1977). He framed the narrative around his pursuit of a personal "piece of brontosaurus"—a relic once owned by his grandparents but discarded years earlier. Chatwin described In Patagonia as "the account of both a literal journey and a symbolic one.... It is intended either as part of or a parody of the Wonder Voyage genre: where the narrator ventures to a remote land seeking an unusual creature; along the way encountering peculiar circumstances, people, or books that share strange tales ultimately conveying a deeper message."

The book features fifteen black-and-white photographs taken by Chatwin himself. According to editor Susannah Clapp, "Rebecca West entertained Chatwin by remarking that these images were so compelling they made the entire text unnecessary."

In Patagonia solidified Chatwin's standing as an accomplished travel writer. Biographer Nicholas Murray described it as "one of the most distinctively original English travel works produced after the war," crediting it with reinvigorating travel literature. Nonetheless, locals from the area disputed some of the events portrayed in the book. This was the first instance—though not the last—in which conversations and characters presented by Chatwin as factual were later challenged as fictionalized.

For In Patagonia, Chatwin was awarded both the Hawthornden Prize and the E. M. Forster Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. The work garnered praise from notable figures such as Graham Greene, Patrick Leigh Fermor, and Paul Theroux. Following its success, Chatwin's social circle expanded to include prominent personalities like Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Susan Sontag, and Jasper Johns.

Ouidah and the Black Hill

After returning from Patagonia, Chatwin found that the editorial leadership at The Sunday Times Magazine had changed, resulting in the termination of his contract. He planned to focus his subsequent work on a biography of Francisco Félix de Sousa, a Brazilian-born 19th-century slave trader who rose to become the Viceroy of Ouidah in Dahomey. Chatwin first encountered de Sousa’s story during a 1972 visit to Dahomey. He returned to the nation, then called the People's Republic of Benin, in December 1976 to gather material for his research. In January 1977, amid the 1977 Benin coup d'état attempt, Chatwin was accused of mercenary activities and detained for three days. He later recounted this episode in "A Coup – A Story," which appeared in Granta and was included in What Am I Doing Here? (1989).

Following his release, Chatwin departed Benin and traveled to Brazil to pursue further research on de Sousa. Encountering scarce archival material on de Sousa, Chatwin opted to craft a fictionalized biography titled The Viceroy of Ouidah. This book was published in 1980, later inspiring Werner Herzog's 1987 film Cobra Verde.

File:Grwynefechan.JPG

The southern section of the Grwyne Fechan valley within the Black Mountains, located in the Welsh Borders

Although critically well-received, The Viceroy of Ouidah did not achieve strong sales. Nicholas Shakespeare noted that these disappointing figures led Chatwin to explore an entirely different theme for his next work. Embracing his growing status as a travel writer, Chatwin remarked he "decided to write something about people who never went out." His subsequent novel, On the Black Hill (1982), tells the story of twin brothers who spend their entire lives on a farmhouse situated along the Welsh borders. This work earned him both the James Tait Black Memorial Prize and the Whitbread Prize for Best First Novel, despite his own view that his earlier book, The Viceroy of Ouidah, was also a novel. The story was adapted into a film released in 1987.

During the late 1970s, Chatwin increasingly spent time in New York City. While he engaged in numerous brief relationships with men, his first significant affair began in 1977 with Donald Richards, an Australian stockbroker. Richards introduced him to New York’s gay nightclub culture. In this period, Chatwin became acquainted with photographer Robert Mapplethorpe, who captured images of him—one of the rare subjects Mapplethorpe photographed fully clothed. Chatwin later wrote the introduction for Mapplethorpe’s photo collection, Lady, Lisa Lyon (1983).

Although Elizabeth Chatwin had tolerated her husband's extramarital relationships, their marriage deteriorated during the late 1970s, culminating in her request for separation in 1980. By 1982, after ending his relationship with Richards, Chatwin embarked on another serious affair with designer Jasper Conran.

The Songlines

In 1983, Chatwin revisited the subject of nomadic peoples, choosing to concentrate on Aboriginal Australians. His interest was shaped by the research of Ted Strehlow, known for his work Songs of Central Australia. Strehlow had gathered and documented Aboriginal songs but became a contentious figure after he sold images of secret initiation ceremonies to a magazine shortly before his death in 1978.

Chatwin traveled to Australia with the aim of deepening his understanding of Aboriginal culture, particularly focusing on the songlines, also called dreaming tracks. Each songline serves as both a personal narrative and a creation myth, functioning as a map; every Aboriginal Australian possesses their own unique songline. Chatwin viewed these songlines as metaphors supporting his theory that the human urge to wander is innate. Nevertheless, he found it difficult to fully grasp or accurately portray the significance of songlines within Aboriginal society. This challenge stemmed largely from his method of research; during his stays in Australia in 1983 and 1984, he depended mainly on non-Aboriginal informants due to his lack of proficiency in Aboriginal languages. He conducted interviews with individuals associated with the Land Rights movement but alienated many by showing ignorance of the political context and by expressing admiration for Strehlow’s controversial legacy.

During his time in Australia, Chatwin—who was already dealing with health issues—first encountered information about AIDS, then referred to as the gay plague. This revelation alarmed him and motivated him to seek reconciliation with his wife. The fear surrounding AIDS also spurred him to complete the book that would become The Songlines (1987). The novelist Salman Rushdie remarked, "That book was an obsession too great for him.... His illness did him a favour, got him free of it. Otherwise, he would have gone on writing it for ten years."

The Songlines features a protagonist named Bruce whose life closely mirrors Chatwin’s own biography. Bruce spends time in Australia attempting to understand Aboriginal traditions with an emphasis on the songlines. As the narrative unfolds, it transforms into a meditation on what Chatwin described as "for me, the question of questions: the nature of human restlessness." Within the text, Chatwin also alludes to his preoccupation with mortality: "I had a presentiment that the 'travelling' phase of my life might be passing.... I should set down on paper a resume of the ideas, quotations, and encounters that amused me and obsessed me." Following this reflection, The Songlines includes extensive passages from Chatwin’s moleskine notebooks.

Published in 1987, The Songlines achieved bestseller status in both the United Kingdom and United States. Although it was nominated for the Thomas Cook Travel Award, Chatwin requested its withdrawal from contention, asserting that the book was fictional. After its release, Chatwin developed a friendship with composer Kevin Volans, who drew inspiration from the book to create a theatrical score that eventually evolved into an opera titled The Man with Footsoles of Wind (1993).

Illness and final works

Between 1983 and 1986, while engaged in writing The Songlines, Chatwin often suffered from frequent colds. During this period, in 1985, he visited Patrick Leigh Fermor in Greece and enjoyed the stay so much that he rented accommodations nearby. He developed skin lesions that were possibly indicative of Kaposi's sarcoma. After completing The Songlines in August 1986, Chatwin traveled to Switzerland where he collapsed on the street. At a local clinic, he received an HIV-positive diagnosis. He offered various explanations to his physicians regarding how he might have contracted HIV, including a gang rape incident in Dahomey or possibly through Sam Wagstaff, the patron and partner of Robert Mapplethorpe.

Chatwin's case was atypical due to a fungal infection, Talaromyces marneffei, rarely seen outside South Asia at the time. Presently recognized as an AIDS-defining illness, this fungus was poorly understood in 1986 when knowledge about HIV and AIDS was limited. Medical professionals were uncertain whether all HIV cases inevitably progressed to AIDS. The presence of this uncommon fungal infection gave Chatwin hope that his condition might differ from typical cases and formed the narrative he shared with most people regarding his health. He offered various theories about contracting the fungus, ranging from consuming a thousand-year-old egg to exploring an Indonesian bat cave. Due to the stigma surrounding HIV/AIDS, Chatwin never publicly acknowledged his HIV-positive status, aiming to shield his parents from knowledge of his homosexual relationships.

Although Chatwin refrained from public discourse about his illness, he did address the AIDS epidemic once in 1988 through a letter to the editor of the London Review of Books:

"The term 'Aids' is among the cruelest and most foolish neologisms of our era. 'Aid' signifies assistance, relief, comfort—yet by adding a hissing sibilant at the end it transforms into a nightmare.... HIV (Human Immuno-Deficiency Virus) is an entirely manageable name. 'Aids' incites panic and despair and has likely contributed to the disease's spread."

Throughout his illness, Chatwin maintained his writing activities. Encouraged by Elizabeth, he drew inspiration from a letter he had sent her from Prague in 1967 for a new narrative. During that trip, he encountered Konrad Just, an art collector. This meeting and the aforementioned letter inspired Chatwin’s subsequent novel, Utz (1988), which explores individuals' compulsions to collect. Set against the backdrop of Prague, it chronicles Kaspar Utz’s life and death—an individual consumed by his collection of Meissen porcelain. The novel garnered critical acclaim and was shortlisted for the Booker Prize.

In addition, Chatwin compiled a selection of his journalistic work into What Am I Doing Here (1989). At the time of his passing in 1989, he was developing several new novel concepts, including an ambitious transcontinental saga tentatively titled Lydia Livingstone.

Chatwin passed away on 18 January 1989 at a hospital in Nice. A memorial service took place on 14 February 1989 at the Greek Orthodox Church of Saint Sophia in West London; among those attending was Salman Rushdie, a close friend. Paul Theroux also attended and later reflected on both Chatwin and the service in an article for Granta. The novelist Martin Amis recounted the memorial event in his essay "Salman Rushdie," featured in his anthology Visiting Mrs Nabokov.

In 1985, amid suffering from an enigmatic illness later identified as HIV, Chatwin paused his writing to undertake a pilgrimage to Mount Athos. Previously not known for religious inclinations among acquaintances, this visit profoundly affected him and ultimately led to his decision to embrace Orthodox Christianity. At the memorial service, Bishop Kallistos Ware remarked: "Bruce was always a traveller and he died before all his journeys could be completed… his journey into Orthodoxy was one of his unfinished voyages."

Chatwin’s ashes were scattered near a Byzantine chapel overlooking Kardamyli in the Peloponnese, close to the residence of one of his mentors, writer Patrick Leigh Fermor. In 1985, Chatwin had spent several months nearby working on The Songlines.

His archives—including 85 moleskine notebooks—were entrusted to Oxford’s Bodleian Library. Two collections featuring his photographs alongside excerpts from these notebooks were published: Photographs and Notebooks (also titled Far Journeys in the US) in 1993 and Winding Paths in 1999.

News regarding Chatwin’s AIDS diagnosis emerged publicly in September 1988; however, obituaries at his death only referenced statements about a rare fungal infection. Following his passing, some within the gay community criticized him for not openly revealing the true nature of his illness earlier, believing that as one of Britain’s first prominent individuals known to have contracted HIV, he could have heightened public awareness about AIDS.

Writing style

John Updike characterized Chatwin's prose as "concise, gem-like writing that condenses entire worlds into pages," while Susannah Clapp, one of Chatwin's editors, observed that although his sentence structure was minimalistic, his vocabulary was far from simple. She described his style as simultaneously economical and ornate.

Chatwin's tenure as a cataloguer at Sotheby's significantly influenced his writing approach, honing his ability to craft brief yet vivid descriptions aimed at captivating potential buyers. Moreover, his fascination with nomadic cultures shaped his literary style. He was particularly drawn to their minimal belongings and austere lifestyle, which resonated with his aesthetic preferences. This admiration inspired him to remove superfluous elements both from his personal life and his writing, aiming for a leaner existence and prose.

His experimentation with literary form is evident in works like In Patagonia. Clapp likened the book’s structure—composed of 97 brief vignettes—to a "Cubist" arrangement: numerous small images angled toward and away from each other to produce an unconventional yet cohesive portrayal of Patagonia. Similarly, The Songlines reflects Chatwin’s formal experimentation. The narrative begins as a novel told by a character named Bruce but transitions two-thirds through into a collection of quotations, stories, and research summaries designed to investigate the theme of restlessness. While some critics found this approach in The Songlines unsuccessful, others praised its innovative format.

Chatwin drew inspiration from several writers of the 19th and 20th centuries. Early in his travel writing, he acknowledged emulating Robert Byron’s style. During his time in Patagonia, he studied Ernest Hemingway’s In Our Time, admiring Hemingway’s succinct prose. While composing In Patagonia, Chatwin aspired to write as a "literary Cartier-Bresson," producing prose that biographers have described as rapid snapshots of everyday individuals. Besides Hemingway and Cartier-Bresson, Osip Mandelstam’s work also had a significant impact on him during this period. Additionally, Chatwin admired Noël Coward and found the breakfast scene in Private Lives instructive for mastering dialogue writing. Later, when working on The Viceroy of Ouidah, he immersed himself in the writings of 19th-century French authors like Honoré de Balzac and Gustave Flaubert, whose influence persisted throughout his career.

Themes

Bruce Chatwin's writings delve into a variety of themes, notably human restlessness and migration, the concept of borders and exile, as well as the significance of art and material possessions.

Central to Chatwin's literary focus was the idea of human restlessness. His primary goal was to investigate this phenomenon as he considered it a fundamental question about human existence. He viewed humanity as inherently nomadic, suggesting that once people settle permanently, their innate impulses manifest in behaviors such as violence, greed, social climbing, or a compulsive search for novelty. Chatwin’s initial literary effort, The Nomadic Alternative, aimed to provide an academic study of nomadic cultures—an area he believed lacked sufficient recognition and understanding. Through this work, he sought to answer the question: "Why do men wander rather than sit still?" He also acknowledged a personal connection to this inquiry, questioning his own discomfort with prolonged stays in one place: "Why do I become restless after a month in a single place, unbearable after two?"

Although The Nomadic Alternative did not achieve success, Chatwin revisited themes of restlessness and wandering in later works. According to Jonathan Chatwin (no relation), Bruce Chatwin’s oeuvre can be categorized into two groups: those that define restlessness and those that seek to explain it. Much of his writing portrays restlessness—for instance, one twin in On the Black Hill yearns to leave his home. Similarly, the protagonist of Utz experiences an annual urge to escape to Vichy, yet invariably returns to Prague. In The Songlines, Chatwin attempts to elucidate restlessness through an exploration of the Aboriginal Australians’ walkabout, drawing upon research originally conducted for The Nomadic Alternative.

Another prominent theme in Chatwin’s work is that of borders. Elizabeth Chatwin remarked that he was fascinated by boundaries where change is constant and identities are fluid rather than fixed. Patagonia, which features prominently in his first published book, straddles both Argentina and Chile. The Viceroy of Ouidah is portrayed as a Brazilian slave trader operating in Dahomey. On the Black Hill is set along the borderlands between Wales and England. In The Songlines, the protagonist primarily interacts with individuals who serve as intermediaries between Aboriginal and white Australian cultures. The lead character in Utz moves repeatedly across the Iron Curtain.

Exile, both literal and figurative, also permeates Chatwin’s narratives. Nicholas Murray observed that this theme recurs throughout his work, depicting people living on society’s periphery. He highlighted various examples: actual exiles like those chronicled in In Patagonia, and the Viceroy of Ouidah who cannot return to Brazil; characters in On the Black Hill, who though not traditional exiles are disconnected from major historical events and prevailing societal values; and Utz, who remains confined within a society whose principles he rejects but cannot abandon.

Throughout his career, Chatwin revisited the theme of art and material objects. Early in his tenure at the Sunday Times Magazine, he produced articles focusing on artists and artistic expression—many later compiled in What Am I Doing Here. The novel Utz centers on how art ownership—in this case porcelain figurines—affects a collector’s life. The protagonist’s refusal to part with his collection keeps him anchored in Czechoslovakia despite opportunities to emigrate westward. Chatwin himself grappled with a tension between desiring beautiful possessions and seeking simplicity free from clutter. His critical view of the art world stemmed from his experiences at Sotheby’s; some of his later writings reflect this skepticism. This subject is explored in "Tales from the Art World," a collection of four short stories concluding What Am I Doing Here. Toward the end of this volume, Chatwin recounts advice from Noël Coward: "Never let anything artistic stand in your way," which he claimed guided much of his own conduct.

Influence

The release of In Patagonia revitalized the travel writing genre, with Chatwin’s biographer, Nicholas Murray, noting that he "demonstrated how a creative author could inject fresh energy into a traditional category." His distinctive style—characterized by lucid yet evocative prose combined with a global outlook at a time when many English authors concentrated on domestic themes—distinguished him from his contemporaries. Beyond his literary talents, Chatwin's striking appearance and persona as an adventurous traveler enhanced his public image and contributed to his celebrity status. For emerging writers like Rory Stewart, Chatwin "rendered [travel writing] fashionable." In an article for The New York Times, journalist Andrew Harvey observed:

"Almost every writer of my generation in England has aspired, at some stage, to emulate Bruce Chatwin; to speak with equal confidence about places like Fez, Firdausi, Nigeria, and Nuristan; to be discussed with the kind of boisterous envy he inspires; and above all, to have authored works like his."

Chatwin's writings motivated some readers to explore Patagonia and Australia personally. Consequently, Patagonia saw a rise in visitor numbers, where it became common for travelers to be spotted holding a copy of In Patagonia. Similarly, The Songlines encouraged readers to journey to Australia in search of the individuals who inspired Chatwin’s characters—much to their dismay, as he had not informed them of these intentions.

Chatwin's influence extended beyond travel literature, impacting authors such as Claudio Magris, Luis Sepúlveda, Philip Marsden, and William Dalrymple. Nicholas Shakespeare remarked that part of Chatwin’s legacy stemmed from the challenge of defining his work within traditional genres, which helped "liberate other writers from conventional constraints." Although frequently labeled a travel writer, Chatwin himself rejected that classification as well as being called a novelist, stating, "I don't quite know the meaning of the word novel." He preferred describing his output as stories or quests. His focus was on exploring profound questions about human existence, recounting unusual narratives, and drawing connections among diverse ideas. Fellow author and friend Robyn Davidson reflected that "he raised questions we all seek answers to and perhaps created the illusion that such answers were attainable."

Posthumous influence

Bruce Chatwin's writings attracted a devoted audience in the years following his death, as noted by his biographer Nicholas Shakespeare. By 1998, his books had reached sales of one million copies. Nevertheless, his standing suffered after details about his private life emerged and doubts were raised regarding the factual accuracy of his narratives.

Concerns about the truthfulness of Chatwin's work existed even before he passed away. He himself acknowledged "counting up the lies" in In Patagonia, though he claimed their number was limited. During his research on Chatwin, Nicholas Shakespeare observed that outright fabrications in In Patagonia were scarce. Most discrepancies amounted to exaggerations, such as when Chatwin described a nurse as an admirer of Osip Mandelstam—one of his preferred authors—while she actually favored Agatha Christie. When Michael Ignatieff questioned Chatwin about the boundary separating fact from fiction, Chatwin responded, "I don't think there is [a division]."

Certain individuals depicted in In Patagonia expressed dissatisfaction with how Chatwin portrayed them. Among them was a man implied to be homosexual and a woman who believed her father was wrongfully accused of killing Indigenous people. Conversely, one farmer featured in the book considered Chatwin's representation of himself and others in his community to be accurate. The farmer remarked, "No one likes looking at their own passport photograph, but I found it accurate. It's not flattering, but it's the truth."

Chatwin’s bestseller, The Songlines, has faced significant criticism. Some have labeled his perspective as "colonialist", pointing out his failure to interview Aboriginals directly and instead relying on white Australians for information about Aboriginal traditions. Additional critiques come from anthropologists and scholars who have dedicated extensive time to studying Aboriginal culture and dismiss Chatwin's brief visit to Australia as insufficient for authoritative commentary. However, others like author Thomas Keneally argue that The Songlines deserves wide readership within Australia, where many were previously unaware of the songlines concept.

The scrutiny over the authenticity of Chatwin’s writing intensified following revelations about his sexual orientation and the actual cause of his death. Once it became public that Chatwin was bisexual and had succumbed to an AIDS-related illness, some critics labeled him dishonest and rejected his work. Nicholas Shakespeare commented that Chatwin’s refusal to acknowledge his AIDS diagnosis fostered suspicion that if he lied about aspects of his personal life, he might have also fabricated elements in his writing. This led some readers either to judge his books harshly or avoid them altogether. A 2010 review in The Guardian asked rhetorically whether anyone still reads Bruce Chatwin today. Despite this, Rory Stewart has maintained that although Chatwin’s charisma, erudition, myths, and prose may be less captivating than before, he remains a significant and influential writer. In 2008, The Times ranked Chatwin number 46 among the "50 Greatest British Writers Since 1945."

Legacy

The name Chatwin has become associated with the marketing of Moleskine notebooks. In The Songlines, Chatwin described small black notebooks covered in oilskin that he purchased in Paris and referred to as "moleskines". The notes and stories he gathered within these notebooks form a significant portion of The Songlines, where he lamented the shutdown of the final manufacturer of such items. In 1995, Marta Sebregondi encountered The Songlines and suggested to her employer, the Italian design and publishing company Modo & Modo, that they produce these moleskine-style notebooks. By 1997, the firm had launched sales of these notebooks, leveraging Chatwin’s name for promotional purposes. After Modo & Modo was sold in 2006, the business was rebranded as Moleskine SpA.

In 2014, the fashion brand Burberry unveiled a collection influenced by Chatwin's literary works. The following year, Burberry issued a limited edition series of Chatwin’s books featuring unique cover designs.

In September 2019, the BBC aired the documentary Nomad: In the Footsteps of Bruce Chatwin, directed by Werner Herzog.

Works

• In Patagonia (1977)
• The Viceroy of Ouidah (1980)
• On the Black Hill (1982)
• Patagonia Revisited, with Paul Theroux (1985)
• The Songlines (1987)
• Utz (1988)
• What Am I Doing Here (1989)

Posthumously published

• Photographs and Notebooks (1993)
• Anatomy of Restlessness: Selected Writings 1969-1989 (1995, reissued 1996); later republished as Anatomy of Restlessness: Uncollected Writings (1997)
• Winding Paths (1998)
• Under the Sun: The Letters of Bruce Chatwin (2012)

Sources

• Antonella Riem, La gabbia innaturale – l'opera di Bruce Chatwin (pp. 175). Udine: Campanotto (Italy), 1993.

Documentaries

• Paul Yule, In The Footsteps of Bruce Chatwin (two episodes, 60 minutes each), BBC, 1999 – Berwick Universal Pictures
• Werner Herzog, Nomad: In the Footsteps of Bruce Chatwin, BBC Scotland, BBC Studios, BBC2, 2019 – Sideways Films

External links

• "Bruce Chatwin", a dedicated source for updates on Bruce Chatwin and his oeuvre
• "On the Black Hill" Entry in the Literary Encyclopedia
• "The Songlines" Entry in the Literary Encyclopedia
• "Bruce Chatwin" Entry in the Literary Encyclopedia
• Official Moleskine website
• Bruce Chatwin at IMDb
• Archive of (Charles) Bruce Chatwin; Bodleian Libraries