Pierre Bayard's 'Comment parler des lieux' Explores Imaginary Travels in Literature

In 'Comment parler des lieux…' (Éditions de Minuit), Pierre Bayard examines how travel writing often blurs the line between reality and fiction. Drawing on the concept of 'geographical sentiment' from Michel Chaillou, Bayard argues that the desire to abandon fictitious roots and seek new horizons is a powerful passion that leads many to imagine unknown lands and journeys. The book opens with Marco Polo, whose accounts of China may be products of a delirious imagination, whether he actually traveled there or not. Bayard notes that 'the travel narrative is a privileged place for the exercise of fiction.' Over twelve chapters, he explores the 'fantastic' peregrinations of writers including Chateaubriand, Jules Verne, Blaise Cendrars, Édouard Glissant, Margaret Mead, and Nina Berberova. The essay is described as learned, humorous, and stimulating for minds that love to wander through the infinite earth of books, especially in an era of globalization where the planet shrinks. Francis Wybrands reviews the work, suggesting that instead of taking the Trans-Siberian Railway, one should take Cendrars as a guide to reach Vladivostok from an armchair.