Our Far-Flung Correspondents

From The New Yorker’s archive: a selection of pieces about the distant regions that our writers traverse. View in browser | Update your preferences Our Far-Flung Correspondents For many decades, The New Yorker has run a series of columns called Our Far-Flung Correspondents. These pieces commonly chronicle journeys our writers have taken that are by turns revelatory, moving, and sometimes harrowing. This week, we’re bringing you a selection of pieces from our archive about these journeys and the distant regions that our writers traverse. In “Paddling After Henry David Thoreau,” John McPhee retraces the philosopher’s famous canoe voyage through the rivers of Massachusetts and New Hampshire. In “A State of Nature,” Jennie Erin Smith travels to the lush Central American forest known as the Darién Gap and explores the complexities of ecotourism. In “The March of the Strandbeests,” Ian Frazier visits Holland and writes about the Dutch artist Theo Jansen’s remarkable kinetic sculptures, which are powered solely by wind. In “Medical Mountaineers,” Rebecca Solnit reports on the heroic efforts of health-care workers in the Himalayas. Finally, in “Swingers,” Ian Parker examines the fascinating habits of bonobos in the Democratic Republic of Congo. We hope that you find these pieces as enchanting as we do—whether you’re currently sitting on your sofa or lucky enough to be on a journey of your own. — David Remnick From The New Yorker’s Archive Our Far-Flung Correspondents Paddling After Henry David Thoreau Retracing the waterways of Thoreau’s first book. By John McPhee | December 15, 2003 Our Far-Flung Correspondents A State of Nature Life, death, and tourism in the Darién Gap. By Jennie Erin Smith | April 22, 2013 Our Far-Flung Correspondents The March of the Strandbeests Theo Jansen’s wind-powered sculpture. By Ian Frazier | September 5, 2011 Our Far-Flung Correspondents Medical Mountaineers Delivering basic care to the remote Himalayas. By Rebecca Solnit | December 21, 2015 Our Far-Flung Correspondents Swingers Bonobos are celebrated as peace-loving, matriarchal, and sexually liberated. Are they? By Ian Parker | July 30, 2007 This e-mail was sent to you by The New Yorker. To insure delivery, we recommend adding newyorker@newsletters.newyorker.com, to your contacts, while noting that it is a no-reply address. Please send all newsletter feedback to tnyinbox@newyorker.com. For more from The New Yorker, sign up for our newsletters, shop the store, and sign in to newyorker.com, where subscribers always have unlimited access. Contact us with questions. View our Privacy Policy Unsubscribe Copyright © Condé Nast 2020. One World Trade Center, New York, NY 10007. All rights reserved.