En Route

Peter Fiennes travels France in the footsteps of its greatest writers

'Peter Fiennes's brisk literary travelogue is witty and packed with gossip; it moves at the speed of a TGV, with the elegance of a Citroën DS .' —Sebastian Faulks

'A journey around France in the company of the great writers who have loved, quarrelled, soared and come to rest there. By turns playful and profound, En Route is a tour de force .’ —Christopher de Bellaigue, author of The Lion House

'What bliss to travel France in the company of such great writers – including Peter Fiennes, the wittiest companion anyone could hope for .' —Alex von Tunzelmann, author of Fallen Idols

'A fascinating tour de France through the eyes of its some its finest writers – rich, enlightening and compelling .' —Felicity Cloake, author of One More Croissant for the Road

' Fascinating, funny and elegiac. This personal, affectionate yet irreverent tour of France in the footsteps of some of its greatest writers is sheer bliss . I’m still haunted by Sartre’s lobster, Maupassant’s syphilitic madness and Colette’s daring in "tickling the libido" of Paris.' —Sofka Zinovieff, author of Eurydice Street

' En Route by Peter Fiennes is a masterful exploration of the lives of a dozen writers ranging from Simone de Beauvoir and Edith Wharton to Jean Paul Sartre and Guy de Maupassant as the author follows their literary trajectories through France. Fiennes seamlessly blends literary criticism with his own personal story as he meditates on art, literature, the changing landscapes of France and the formative power of place.' —Joanna Pocock, author of Surrender

Peter Fiennes is the author of the critically acclaimed A Thing of Beauty and Footnotes . As a publisher for Time Out , he nurtured a lifelong obsession with old guidebooks. He lives in south London and has travelled around France all his life.