What to read to understand quests

Michel the Giant: An African in Greenland by Tété-Michel Kpomassie (1981)

This landmark memoir, translated by Ros Schwartz and James Kirkup, tells the story of Tété-Michel Kpomassie’s odyssey from rural Togo to live with the Inuit in 1965, after a run-in with a python made him resolve to seek out a land that had no snakes. Published when travel writing was largely the preserve of white Europeans, it reimagines what stories about journeys can be, modelling a humane, playful curiosity built on connection, exchange and mutual respect. I had the privilege of visiting Greenland with Kpomassie this summer, 60 years after his first arrival, and he remains as open, curious and enchanted by the country as ever.

Wondrous Journeys in Strange Lands by Sonia Nimr (2020)

The renowned Palestinian author Sonia Nimr’s joyous folkloric novel, translated by Marcia Lynx Qualey, follows bibliophile Qamar, an orphan born centuries ago who follows her desire to see the world. In defiance of social expectations about what is possible or acceptable for women, she travels to destinations including Abyssinia, Andalusia, India and Yemen, sometimes posing as a man, living as a pirate, and using the herbal medicine her mother taught her to make to get her out of many a tight corner. This is one of those books that reaches across time, space and cultural barriers to take us to the heart of human experience. Pure magic.

The Rarest Fruit by Gaëlle Bélem (2025)

A historical novel set on Bourbon Island (now Réunion) in the Indian Ocean, this tells the story of Edmond Albius, an enslaved boy who unlocks the secret of how to pollinate vanilla. Coming after years of trial and error, this discovery revolutionises global trade and gastronomy, and brings his adoptive father-cum-master great acclaim. But, as International Booker prize longlistee Gaëlle Bélem and her translators Karen Fleetwood and Laëtitia Saint-Loubert portray in startling, furious and deeply moving prose, this innovation that enriches the menus and coffers of the world’s wealthiest comes at a terrible cost to Albius himself. A stark reminder of what it means to be constrained by others’ ideas when we imagine ourselves to be free.

Ann Morgan challenged herself to read a book from every country for Reading the World. Her new book, Relearning to Read: Adventures in Not-Knowing (£10, Renard Press), is out now. Order a copy from The Observer Shop for £9. Delivery charges may apply

Photograph by Getty Images