Background

Kevin Rushby was born in Nottingham, United Kingdom.

Education

Kevin Rushby graduated from Newcastle University in 1982.

Career

Kevin Rushby’s first book, Eating the Flowers of Paradise, was inspired by qat, a stimulatory and hypnotic drug that was once commonly used throughout northern Africa but which has recently become illegal in countries that have come under conservative Muslim leadership since the mid-1980s. Rushby taught English in Yemen in the early ‘80s, when qat was still legal there, and was inspired—by a piercing nostalgia for that time in his life as well as his love for qat—to follow the old Khat Road (the ancient trade route for qat that runs between Ethiopia and the Arab peninsula). Rushby envisions his quest for qat as a search for Shangri-La. He follows in the footsteps of famous nineteenth-century adventurers like Richard Burton and Arthur Rimbaud who similarly explored these regions, searched for Shangri-La, and enjoyed the use of qat. But, in his search for paradise, Rushby recognizes that the Western explorer’s idea of paradise does not always fit with the lived reality of the poor native inhabitant.

Rushby has also produced another travelog, Chasing the Mountain of Light: Across India on the Trail of the Koh-i-Noor Diamond. The Koh-i-Noor is the world’s biggest diamond. Discovered around 1000 A.D. in southern India, the diamond has had a fascinating history; eventually, it became the literal "jewel in the crown" of the British Empire, as evidenced by its presence in the Tower of London, where it still resides. The diamond has always had an air of mystery surrounding it and is even reputed to bring bad luck to its owners. Rushby himself finds plenty of that quantity on his journey in the diamond’s path.

In 2001, Kevin produced Hunting Pirate Heaven, a journey to discover the lost pirate communities of Madagascar. In the Sixteenth century, pirates used the jungles of Madagascar as their own kingdoms. In his quest to locate these forgotten kingdoms, Rushby travels by freighters, yachts and fishing boats. Rushby introduces a quirky cast of characters, including a chainsmoking Portuguese gun-runner who turns out to be an idealist.

He has also authored Children of Cali: Through India in Search of Bandits, the Thug Cult, and the British Raj, and Paradise: A History Of The Idea That Rules The World.

Kevin Rushby has lived and worked in Sudan, Malaysia, Thailand, and Yemen. Nowadays, he is Guardian Travel's 'Explorer' and a contributor to the Saturday Review.

Achievements

• Kevin Rushby is particularly known as the author of five acclaimed travel books and a columnist who writes for the prestigious Guardian, with a total reach of 25 million readers.

Works

More photos

• book

  • Chasing the Mountain of Light

    (In Chasing the Mountain of Light, Kevin Rushby pursues th...)

    1999
  • Eating the Flowers of Paradise

    (The book discusses a culture where Western values have ye...)

    1998
  • Children of Kali

    (In Children of Kali, Kevin Rushby researches these two cr...)

    2002
  • Paradise 2006
  • Hunting Pirate Heaven 2001