Best books...chosen by Michael Palin
The actor and comedian recommends six books about the pursuit for truth.
Michael Palin recently published two new books: Brazil, a travelogue, and The Truth, a novel about a would-be biographer of a famed environmentalist. Below, the actor and comedian recommends six books about other pursuits for truth.
Ryszard Kapuscinski by Artur Domoslawski (Verso, $23). Kapuscinski has become a hero of mine for the breadth of his travels, the power of his descriptive writing, and his insight into the human condition. In this absorbing biography, a fellow admirer applies the same standards to Kapuscinski that the pioneering Polish journalist did to his subjects—asking awkward questions about my hero’s commitment to the truth.
Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad (Dover, $1.50). A short, powerful tale about where an obsession can take you, about a character pushing into the unknown and entering a world whose values are turned upside down.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Scoop by Evelyn Waugh (Back Bay, $16). The story of a writer sent abroad by mistake to cover a war in Africa makes for a dark and funny look at the power and incompetence of press barons. Some very fine travel writing adds another level to its appeal.
The Diary of Virginia Woolf, Vols. 1–5 (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $139). One of the greatest travelers of the mind, Virginia Woolf was always asking questions of herself and her writing. Why should she be “so divinely happy one day, so jaded the next?” These volumes are shot through with excoriating honesty, as she pushes the boundaries of self-examination to try to get at the truth of her talent and her place in the world.
The Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan (Dover, $3.50). Christian’s journey toward the Celestial City via the Slough of Despond is a classic 17th-century account of the search for a better world. In the godless 1960s, books like this fell out of fashion, but on recently re-reading it I could see why its imagery once gripped me so firmly.
The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway (Scribner, $12). Like his protagonist—an old fisherman in pursuit of a marlin—Hemingway fixes the reader’s attention unwaveringly on the story he wants to tell. The tension peaks as an exhausted Santiago fights one last time to find the success that has so persistently eluded him.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
FIRE is catching as people want to leave the traditional workforce
In the spotlight Many are taking steps to retire early
-
How might Bari Weiss change CBS News?
Talking Points Is the network trying to ‘appease’ the president?
-
‘A legacy news brand brings a visibility of its own’
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Marisa Silver’s 6 favorite books that capture a lifetime
Feature The author recommends works by John Williams, Ian McEwan, and more
-
Lou Berney’s 6 favorite books with powerful storytelling
Feature The award-winning author recommends works by Dorothy B. Hughes, James McBride, and more
-
Elizabeth Gilbert’s favorite books about women overcoming difficulties
Feature The author recommends works by Tove Jansson, Lauren Groff, and more
-
Fannie Flagg’s 6 favorite books that sparked her imagination
Feature The author recommends works by Johanna Spyri, John Steinbeck, and more
-
Jessica Francis Kane's 6 favorite books that prove less is more
Feature The author recommends works by Penelope Fitzgerald, Marie-Helene Bertino, and more
-
Keith McNally's 6 favorite books that have ambitious characters
Feature The London-born restaurateur recommends works by Leo Tolstoy, John le Carré, and more
-
Garrett Graff's 6 favorite books that shine new light on World War II
Feature The author recommends works by James D. Hornfischer, Craig L. Symonds, and more
-
Helen Schulman's 6 favorite collections of short stories
Feature The award-winning author recommends works by Raymond Carver, James Baldwin, and more