To escape or to explore The spur behind Bice Chatwins absurdly romantic nomadic existence has become something of a literary conundrum Chatwins life and art were strewn with secrets subtle resonances and it must be said lies But he was for all that a brilliant and unique writer His first book In Patagonia published in 1977 is an awesome exercise in imagination A travel book that reinvented travel writing it has the animation of a thriller the sparkle of romantic fiction and the irrepressible insight of truly extraordinary literature Of course even with this book Chatwin cloaked fact with concoction when sketching individuals and incidents he would adjust if not abandon objective reality for the sake of a better twist to an anecdote or a clean cut to the heart of what the book somehow seemed to suggest  that through travel it was possible to discover whole histories that had been lived out as if solely to excite and fascinate future explorers