Hello, travellers and world observers!

Have you had the experience but missed the meaning?

That’s the question that haunts me and the English Republic of Letters1.

Join me, a recovering cultural bureaucrat as I use literature, language and culture as a lens to work out what a life of travel and learning about other countries adds up to.

I’ve lived and worked all round the world, finding out about and sharing culture, language and education with people from different countries and cities, thanks to my work with the British Council.

My writing is an invitation to see the world through a literary lens while twisting and turning through the streets of Mexico City, Kyoto or Istanbul.

What you'll need to pack

There's no sense in being slowed down by suitcases, travel cheques or bars of soap. All you need in this new Republic is a passport! (Otherwise known as a free subscription.)

Your upcoming itinerary

Each week you'll receive a dispatch from around the world of literature and art, with lots of what we call real life thrown in, too.

You can expect to:

• find out what happened when I introduced Kurt Vonnegut to a huge audience of his fans;

• join the thrill of my pursuit of Chinese poetry in Shanghai;

• enjoy the beautiful plum blossom season in Japan;

• or spend time on the beach with Pablo Neruda.

In the original Republic of Letters, “Glory and immortality [we]re sought above all things”.

You may not experience those things in this one, but I hope that here you’ll find inspiration in great literature from around the world and the cultures that have produced it.

Let’s learn together. And share.

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Let’s do this together

Help me form a community of people with shared interests. I hope to be adding discussion threads in due course, for subscribers only.

To find out more about the company that provides the tech for this newsletter, visit Substack.com.

Thanks for reading this far and I hope you’ll join me!