“Beware! You run a grave risk of dying in 1993. You mustn’t fly that year. Don’t fly, not even once.”
In 1976, a Hongkonger fortune teller said these words to the journalist Tiziano Terzani. Throughout the years, Terzani keeps this presage in mind and, driven by his love for new adventures rather than fear, he decides to abide by the prophecy. He communicates his intentions to the German newspaper he was working for at the time: “Der Spiegel”. The newspaper surprisingly agrees and allows Terzani to work as a land reporter in Indo-China. This is an intense year in which Terzani travels extensively: from the modern city of Singapore to the sleepy country of Laos; from smiling Thailand to hectic China; from mystical Myanmar to wounded Cambodia. Terzani starts to become fascinated with the art of oneiromancy, and this fascination grows stronger as the year unfolds. He visits a different fortune teller in each city he stops by, curious about learning new ominous techniques and listening to other premonitions. The book dives deep into Terzani’s thoughts as he travels from country to country. He focuses his attention more on the ordinary people he meets rather than historical events, more on the mystical nuances rather than the objective facts typically covered by a journalist. He tells the story of the ordinary people in Asia, the daily routine of the friends he meets and the blooming landscapes he sees on his way. Terzani has been in love with south-east Asia for most of his life, and this sacred curse gave him a chance to fully appreciate these lands.
Tiziano Terzani was a great writer, journalist, philosopher and expert on Indo-China. This book is a narrative report that you will read in one breath. I travelled pretty extensively in South-East Asia. Reliving my memories meanwhile reading Terzani’s book gave me goosebumps. Reading this book was like daydreaming: comparing his descriptions with photos in my mind, recalling the smells he described and the human touch of the local populations. I am very glad to have stolen this book from my dad’s library at the beginning of the pandemic. My mind was able to travel from the couch of my living room, and it was an unforgettable journey.