Patria

Extraordinary … [t]his debut turns the familiar story of South America’s origins inside out … There’s something oneiric about South America in Blair’s storytelling; its broiling jungles, smothering cloud forests and desiccated badlands are landscapes on which dreams are built on. … Romantic, adventurous and thrilling, Patria achieves something remarkable. Not only does Blair bring the stink and splendour of these “forgotten nations” to pungent life, but he also forces us to consider how, and why, they came to be lost in the first place. His travels deserve their own TV series. And his book’s import deserves a wide hearing – that to ignore South America’s past is to ignore the planet’s future. -- Alex Diggins * The Telegraph *
A work of scholarship in its own right ... Patria also has a descriptive flair that lifts Blair’s stories off the page. Best of all, it introduces us to the myriad voices within South America that are retelling their own past -- Oliver Balch * Spectator *
Past and present cleverly entwine in this erudite, pacy and brilliant book -- Sophy Roberts * author of THE LOST PIANOS OF SIBERIA *
A distinctive and original account of an under-appreciated continent ... Patria is a feat of historical detail. Blair is an excellent guide -- Daniel Rey * History Today *
An ambitious, wide-ranging, and illuminating book focusing on South American peoples, places, cultures and eras long overlooked, repressed or misunderstood. ... a fascinating narrative [of] wit, flair and passion -- Shafik Meghji * Geographical *