Drawing together a remarkable body of writing from over 14 many years of function, Figures in a Landscape runs from profiles of cultural icons (Oliver Sacks, Elizabeth Taylor, Robin Williams) to intimate personal remembrances; from exciting travels in Africa to literary writings from Theroux’s wealthy and expansive personal reading. Collectively these pieces offer a exciting portrait of the author himself, his remarkable existence, restless and ever-curious brain. Figures in a Landscape can be an essential addition to the wide-ranging Theroux canon, bound collectively by a protracted mediation for the art of writing itself, and driven by Theroux’s constant quest for the authentic within a person or in a location.