Psychogeography

September 17, 2007
This artful and entertaining collection of essays by novelist Self (The Book of Dave
) will delight anyone who enjoys his weekly column of the same name in the Independent
or his last collection of essays, Feeding Frenzy
. Here Self shifts from gonzo journalism to the study of psychogeography, the study of how geographical environments affect emotions and behavior. Setting off on a quest for the “intrinsic character” of various places as well as “the manner in which the contemporary world warps the relationship between psyche and place,” Self casts a dismissive eye on most of the world. Singapore strikes him “as Basingstoke force-fed with pituitary gland”; Sao Paolo's lack of a street plan makes it “an unholy miscegenation between London and Los Angeles.” But Steadman's beautifully harsh illustrations (worthy of their own book) and “Walking to New York,” a previously unpublished semi-autobiographical meditation on life and death, reveal a surprising depth to Self's cynical insights.