A Window into a Lost World

Europe in the Looking-Glass by Robert Byron

Written in 1925 in the time between the wars Byron's account of a journey through the heart of Europe captures a vanished world just ten years away from being irrevocably changed by the Second World War. This was Byron's first book and as such there are some points where the pretension of youth comes through but the seeds of the great travel writer that he was to become are certainly there.

Byron's descriptions of the countries he travels through are fascinating, pictures of the continent before it was completely tamed by tourists, even at this time you can see how quickly the tourist trade is developing. The appalling roads he describes are almost unbelievable, at one point in Greece the trio are forced to load their car on a train for Corinth as there is no road to Athens from the port they land at.

My favourite part of the book was Byron's description of his travels through Greece and his time spent in Athens. He has an obvious passion for the country and for the ancient civilisation of the Greeks. He has a wonderful eye for ancient art and architecture and truly brings the buildings to life, his description of the Parthanon is wonderful.

This is not just a fascinating piece of travel writing but also a piece of history. This is a first hand account of a lost world that would never be seen again. Byron also mixes his observations on the countries he visits with political and social commentary which makes this a priceless piece of evidence for this period of relative peace between two of the most catastrophic events of the twentieth century. For me this was the perfect introduction to this writer and I look forward to reading his later works to see the seeds of his talent as a writer come to fruition.