The cruel way : Switzerland to Afghanistan in a Ford, 1939

In 1939 Swiss travel writer and journalist Ella K. Maillart set off on an epic journey from Geneva to Kabul with fellow writer Annemarie Schwarzenbach in a brand new Ford. As the first European women to travel alone on Afghanistan’s Northern Road, Maillart and Schwarzenbach had a rare glimpse of life in Iran and Afghanistan at a time when their borders were rarely crossed by Westerners. As the two flash across Europe and the Near East in a streak of élan and daring, Maillart writes of comical mishaps, breathtaking landscapes, vitriolic religious clashes, and the ingenuity with which the women navigated what was often a dangerous journey. In beautiful, clear-eyed prose, __The Cruel Way__ shows Maillart’s great ability to explore and experience other cultures in writing both lyrical and deeply empathetic. While the core of the book is the journey itself and their interactions with people oppressed by political conflict and poverty, towards the end of the trip the women’s increasingly troubled relationship takes center stage. By then the glamorous, androgynous Schwarzenbach, whose own account of the trip can be found in __All the Roads Are Open__, is fighting a losing battle with her own drug addiction, and Maillart’s frustrated attempts to cure her show the profound depth of their relationship. Complete with thirteen of Maillart’s own photographs from the journey, __The Cruel Way__ is a classic of travel writing, and its protagonists are as gripping and fearless as any in literature. Contents 8 1. The Idea 14 2. The Start 19 3. Italy 25 4. Yugoslavia 29 5. Sofia 40 6. Istanbul 48 7. Black Sea 52 8. Pontic Range 59 9. Bayazit 65 10. Azerbaijan 73 11. Roads 82 12. Nikpeh 88 13. Sultanieh 94 14. Teheran 98 15. Gumbad-I-Kabus 108 16. Khorassan 117 17. Meshed 125 18. Abbas Abad 131 19. The Border 137 20. Herat 143 21. Bala Murghau 152 22. Shibargan 161 23. Turkestan 170 24. Pol-I-Khumri 176 25. Do-Au 187 26. Bamian 194 27. Band-I-Amir 200 28. Begram 207 29. Kabul 214 30. Mandu 223 Envoi 230 Dates 231 Bibliography 232 Heights and Distances 233 Index 234 In 1939 Swiss travel writer and journalist Ella K Maillart set off on an epic journey from Geneva to Kabul with fellow writer Annemarie Schwarzenbach in a brand new Ford. As the first European women to travel alone on Afghanistanѫs Northern Road, Maillart and Schwarzenbach had a rare glimpse of life in Iran and Afghanistan at a time