Critics
"With this book," a reviewer noted, "Chatwin redefined the genre of travel writing with his little nuggets of historical information weaved intricately together with his search for anecdotes." The New York Times described it as a "little masterpiece of travel, history, and adventure." Chatwin's fascination with Patagonia had its roots in a scrap of mylodon skin that sailor Charley Milward, his grandmother's cousin, had sent back to England.
After Chatwin had published the book and gained acclaim as a travel writer, however, residents in the region came forward to contradict the events depicted in the book. It was the first, but not the last, time in his career that conversations and characters that Chatwin reported were alleged to have been fictionalised.
Read more about this topic: In Patagonia
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