Eames, Andrew 1958–

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Eames, Andrew 1958–

(Andrew John Eames)

PERSONAL:

Born July 9, 1958, in Brighton, England; son of Ronald Arthur (a doctor) and Margaret (a doctor) Eames; married; children: two. Education: Cambridge University, B.A. (with honors), 1980.

ADDRESSES:

Home—London, England.

CAREER:

Freelance journalist in Southeast Asia, 1980-83; features editor of an international transport paper, 1983-85; Frontier (magazine), London, England, editor, 1985-87; freelance writer in London, 1987—. Photographer, with exhibitions in London.

AWARDS, HONORS:

Guild of Travel Writers award for Narrative Travel Book of 2004, for The 8:55 to Baghdad: From London to Iraq on the Trail of Agatha Christie.

WRITINGS:

Crossing the Shadow Line: Travels in South-East Asia, Hodder & Stoughton (London, England), 1986.

Four Scottish Journeys: An Identity Rediscovered, Hodder & Stoughton, 1991.

The 8:55 to Baghdad: From London to Iraq on the Trail of Agatha Christie, Overlook Press (New York, NY), 2005.

Contributor of articles and photographs to magazines.

EDITOR

Dresden, Houghton Mifflin (Boston, MA), 1993.

Frankfurt and Surroundings, Houghton Mifflin (Boston, MA), 1993.

Venezuela, Houghton Mifflin (Boston, MA), 1993.

France, Houghton Mifflin (Boston, MA), 1994.

Lisbon, Houghton Mifflin (Boston, MA), 1994.

Paris, Houghton Mifflin (Boston, MA), 1994.

Spain, Houghton Mifflin (Boston, MA), 1994.

Alaska, Houghton Mifflin (Boston, MA), 1995.

New Zealand, Houghton Mifflin (Boston, MA), 1995.

Ecuador, Houghton Mifflin (Boston, MA), 1996.

India, Houghton Mifflin (Boston, MA), 1996.

Devon and Exmoore, Houghton Mifflin (Boston, MA), 1997.

SIDELIGHTS:

To John Ure of the Times Literary Supplement, Crossing the Shadow Line: Travels in South-East Asia marks its author as "an observant traveller with a quick eye and ear … and a tolerance of the aberrations of those he encounters. He is frank about his own frustrations and the rapacious philosophy of his fellow travellers." The book describes Eames's two-year journey through Indonesia and Thailand to Nepal and India. His adventures provide clear comparisons to those of Lord Jim and other characters from the work of Joseph Conrad. In addition, Ure found that Eames's "comments on the antiseptic municipal regime in Singapore suggest that he has as sharp an eye for political and economic symptoms as he has for social ones."

In The 8:55 to Baghdad: From London to Iraq on the Trail of Agatha Christie, Eames recounts his own trip from London to Baghdad, an attempt to retrace the steps taken by Agatha Christie in 1928 when she made a similar journey by train. In Christie's case, she was a single mother in her thirties, just ending a bad marriage, searching for a change with which to start her new life. Eames seeks her experience, but given the turmoil of the Middle East and the modern-day familiarity with travel, ends up having his own unique adventure. A reviewer for the Fresh Fiction Web site remarked that "fans of Agatha Christie will delight in Eames's descriptions … and armchair travelers will thrill in the exotica of the journey." Peter Hughes, reviewing for Telegraph Online, commented: "Eames has the acute eye and polished pen of an outstanding observer." He went on to add that "the book is as strong on people as it is on places" and dubbed it "a splendid read."

Andrew Eames told CA: "I am a travel writer with a detailed knowledge of Southeast Asia, although nowadays I am moving into home news in the United Kingdom. My university thesis on Joseph Conrad provoked my first book, and my novel echoes some of Conrad's themes."