An epic pilgrimage by acclaimed author Rick Bass, "an American classic" (Newsweek), to honor and thank his heroes
"A literary titan."--New York Times Book Review
"A master."--Boston Globe
"One of the very best writers we have."--San Francisco Chronicle
"Both mythic and intimate . . . A virtuoso."--O: The Oprah Magazine
"The beauty of his sentences recalls the stylistic finesse of Cormac McCarthy and Willa Cather."--Chicago Tribune
From his bid to become Eudora Welty's lawn boy to the time George Plimpton offered to punch him in the nose, lineage has always been important to Rick Bass. Now, at a turning point--in his mid-fifties, with his long marriage having dissolved and his grown daughters out of the house--Bass strikes out on a journey of thanksgiving. His aim is to make a memorable meal for each of his mentors, to express his gratitude for the way they have shaped not only his writing but his life.
The result, an odyssey to some of America's most iconic writers, is also a record of self-transformation, as Bass seeks to recapture the fire that drove him as a young man. Along the way we join in escapades involving smuggled contraband, an exploding grill, a trail of blood through Heathrow airport, an episode of dog-watching with Amy Hempel in Central Park, and a near run-in with plague-ridden prairie dogs on the way to see Lorrie Moore, as well as heartwarming and bittersweet final meals with the late Peter Matthiessen, John Berger, and Denis Johnson. Poignant, funny, and wistful, The Traveling Feast is a guide to living well and an unforgettable adventure that nourishes and renews the spirit.
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Bass's reflective, funny, and generous chronicle of culinary adventures and nourishing literary encounters will renew readers' appreciation for stories and storytellers and how literature guides us back 'to some deeper, older place.'
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Booklist (starred review)