TANGERINE PRESS

Losing Oneself in Remote Asia was published on June 21, 2003

Zia Zaman's debut of travel stories set across various small towns in Asia is Tangerine Press' first publication of 2003.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 21, 2003.

In the spirit of many great travel books published recently, Tangerin press has just released “Losing Oneself in Remote Asia.” The book is a collection of travel stories written during the author's travels throughout Asia, blending mysticism, Eastern philosophy, sharp commentary, and humor. It is written from the same perspective throughout, that of a displaced traveler from nowhere seeking to lose himself through peripatetic travel.

Specifically, the book is composed of stories principally from India and Southeast Asia. The lead story is set in Bhutan, a lost Himalayan kingdom with a benevolent king and a undiluted Buddhist culture. About half of the stories are set in India, spanning the subcontinent from the languid backwaters of Kerala to the silky city of Mysore in the South to a tale about flying in the Himalaya. The remainder of the stories are set in Indochina, covering exotic stations such as Luang Prabang in Laos, a tale about the Karen rebels in the Myanmar jungle, and a haunting tale about a monk in Angkor Wat, Cambodia. The final story is a humorous post-war tale about capitalism called “Vanity in Viet Nam”. The underlying threads are displacement, the pollution of global influence on fragile cultures, and the appeal of living a simpler life.

Target Market: Armchair and Would-Be Travelers

Especially in this day and age, armchair travelers are looking for a combination of Eastern philosophy and adventure. There is a lot to be learned from the plethora of books on the Himalaya which span the sublime self-help to the adventurous mountaineering thriller. Zia has managed to write simply on the splendors of what there is to learn from remote Asia without sounding affected. The average reader is looking for the storyteller to tell them how they were personally affected; but they also want simple learnings they can use in everyday life. They are looking for therapeutic enlightenment, administered one dose at a time, for eight weeks. Armchair travel to a Buddhist country is like yoga: low initial investment, potentially infinite reward. It all starts with the most comfy yoga mat money can buy. Or a really good travel book.

The book will also cater to the would-be traveler preparing for her journey. Some stories describe the preparations, which is an exercise in anticipation. He has managed to carefully describe the moment of arrival, of consummation. Those first impressions always feature a duality. On the one hand, it is confronting the revered whether it be the Potala, the guru, the view of the Golden Temple, or prayer flags blowing in the mist. On the other hand, there is an enigmatic twist to the moment, a disheartening sense that enlightenment is still out of reach. Losing Oneself reminds the reader that the journey of self-discovery is never simple, it is not a package holiday. One should remember, though, that travels through Asia, especially India, are never easy. A serious collection does not turn a blind eye and paints the picture that they do not want to see: the traveler confronting the horrors of poverty, beggars, untouchables, and chaos. The book should entice you to pull out your secret picture of the Dalai Lama you keep in your wallet. And to question whether you are capable of going at all. This theme of displacement, helps lure the reader down their personal path towards enlightenment.

About the Author

Zia Zaman has worked in high-tech and consulting; he has lived in the US, Canada, Singapore, the UK, and was born in Pakistan. In his last job, Zia traveled throughout India and Southeast Asia as a successful venture capitalist; because of his extensive business experience, he has seen a different side of capitalism in Asia. Zia is well-educated: a MBA from Stanford and two degrees from MIT. He shares a penchant for travel with many would-be readers; plus, being a displaced Asian himself, he brings an authenticity to the story that is difficult to capture from a Westerner’s point of view. Zia is reminiscent of Bruce Chatwin and Pico Iyer, he writes stories about traveling, not focusing on his travels.

Over the past two years, many of the stories in this collection have been published, mostly on-line. Zia's work has appeared in litzines Novelists Abroad, Undershorts, Cherrybleeds, Hackwriters, Seeker, Quarterly Literary Review of Singapore, and Rivative. He has also published short fiction as well as popular science essays.

Tangerine Press is a small, literary press in India with offices in Delhi and Bangalore. Its mission is to offer works of global interest to the Indian public that yearns for a perspective on its place in the world. Focusing exclusively on travel narrative, Tangerine Press is selectively looking for acquisitions that speak to the essence of being Asian, and not merely travelogues about Asia. As Paraj Kakkar, Editor-in-Chief once said, so much of travel is in its recounting.

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