Robert Twigger goes to the Far East in search of the world’s longest snake – ‘echoes of Gerald Durrell’s trips crossed with Redmond O’Hanlon’s foray into the heart of Borneo . . . a fantastic book’ DAILY MAIL
About to be married, Robert Twigger decides on his last great adventure as a bachelor. Surfing the net, he discovers the Roosevelt Prize – worth $50,000 – for the capture of a live 30 foot python. Armed only with a tin of High Toast Snuff (deadly if sniffed by a snake), Twigger sets off into the remote jungles of Indonesia in search of his prey.
Along the way, he investigates the legendarily beautiful women of Sulawesi, treads in Nabokov’s footsteps, looks for giant snakes beneath the sewers of Kuala Lumpur, and spends time with a variety of snake catchers and cults. After being caught up in anti-Chinese riots and surviving on greasy civet cat in the jungle, Twigger finally comes face to face with the big one; but the final capture is not quite what he had in mind.
About to be married, Robert Twigger decides on his last great adventure as a bachelor. Surfing the net, he discovers the Roosevelt Prize – worth $50,000 – for the capture of a live 30 foot python. Armed only with a tin of High Toast Snuff (deadly if sniffed by a snake), Twigger sets off into the remote jungles of Indonesia in search of his prey.
Along the way, he investigates the legendarily beautiful women of Sulawesi, treads in Nabokov’s footsteps, looks for giant snakes beneath the sewers of Kuala Lumpur, and spends time with a variety of snake catchers and cults. After being caught up in anti-Chinese riots and surviving on greasy civet cat in the jungle, Twigger finally comes face to face with the big one; but the final capture is not quite what he had in mind.
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Reviews
Echoes of Gerard Durrell's trips crossed with Redmond O'Hanlon's foray into the heart of Borneo... a fantastic book
Moving and comic, both a poetic quest and a real adventure, Big Snake paints a hitherto unseen portrait of the Malay and Indonesian archipelagos and will leave you checking under your bed for your own hidden monster snake. A terrific read
There are travelogue, natural history and mythology here, and the hunt is always entertaining and often hilarious. Twigger is a generous and easygoing observer and participant, even when the going gets rough.
Engaging, humorous, and poignant
Twigger's adventures are vastly entertaining and he relates them as well as he seeks his zoological goal
A yarn that manages to be ripping, thoughtful and at times very, very funny
Robert Twigger's masterful tale is a rare blend of savage reality and poetic finesse
Part travelogue, part boy's own adventure story
Funny, immensely readable ... Twigger has found a narrative voice all too rare in contemporary travel writing: clear-eyed, unaffected, deadpan, slyly witty and unobtrusively erudite. By the end you cease to care whether or not he fulfils his mission... Merely to travel in his company is pleasure enough
A wonderfully enjoyable tale