The collection of travel prose by the non-fiction master Alexander Genis (“Dovlatov and the Surroundings”, “Six Fingers”, “Kolobok”, etc.) divided the world, as in the old days, into the Old and New Worlds. Describing each half, the author uses all genres except the banal: a lyrical confession, a philosophical postcard, a cultural investigation or a funny scene. With all the variety of topics, the strategy remains unchanged: to turn the ordinary into the exotic, the impression into an experience. “Travel is a sensual pleasure that, unlike sex, can be described,” says A. Genis in the introduction and shows how it’s done.