All the Roads Are Open: The Afghan Journey

In June 1939, Annemarie Schwarzenbach and Ella Maillart set out from Geneva in a Ford, heading for Afghanistan. Their journey documented in All the Roads Are Open is one of the most important episodes of Schwarzenbach's life, offering a unique glimpse of an Afghanistan already touched by the "fateful laws known as progress." Schwarzenbach's incisive, lyrical essays offer a reflection on the longings and loneliness of travel and its grace. Maillart's account of their trip, The Cruel Way, is a classic of travel literature, and Schwarzenbach's memoir rounds out the story.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 124 pages
Publication date: 11 May 2021
Publisher: Seagull Books London Ltd

In June 1939, Annemarie Schwarzenbach and fellow writer Ella Maillart embarked on a remarkable journey from Geneva to Afghanistan. Their mission was to explore the Northern Road, a path less traveled by women, seeking solace from the storm brewing in Europe. These pioneering women were the first to venture into the heart of Afghanistan, driven by their desire to escape the Western neuroses they believed were affecting the world. Their journey, documented in the book "All the Roads Are Open," holds a significant place in Schwarzenbach's turbulent life. Through her incisive and lyrical essays, Schwarzenbach offers a unique perspective on a Afghanistan already touched by the forces of progress and global upheaval. She paints a vivid picture of the country's desolate beauty, both within and beyond its borders, reflecting on the longing and loneliness of travel as well as its inherent grace. Maillart's account of their trip, "The Cruel Way," is considered a classic of travel literature, and now, for the first time in English, Schwarzenbach's memoir completes the story of this extraordinary adventure.

Praise for the German Edition:
"Schwarzenbach's discovery of the Orient was a personal one. Yet, the author never loses sight of the historical and social context. . . . She shows no trace of colonialist arrogance. In fact, the pieces also reflect the experience of crisis, the loss of confidence which, in that decade, seized the long-arrogant culture of the West."

- Süddeutsche Zeitung

Weight: 182g
Dimension: 128 x 207 x 15 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780857428226