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In a world increasingly preoccupied by borders, bridges celebrate the possibility of connection, allowing the flow of goods, people and ideas. Bridges are among our grandest physical structures with the power of transforming lives and economies, but we also stand (or fall) upon the simple arch of bones in our feet. Text is a bridge between writer and reader, and conversation builds bridges of understanding between minds.
Dr Gavin Francis has spent his life fascinated by the power of bridges to improve human connection. In The Bridge Between Worlds he examines bridges both actual and metaphorical, on a journey through more than twenty countries, across four decades of travel.
From Rome's Ponte Sant'Angelo to Brooklyn, Victoria Falls to London, Singapore to Siberia, this thought-provoking book reflects on connections between nations and between individuals. Francis demonstrates what the building of bridges has meant to our civilisation, how crossings can enrich our lives, and the price we pay when we tear them down.
— ALEXANDER McCALL SMITH
"Informative, imaginative and hugely enjoyable. Who knew? A bridge can take you anywhere!"
— SARA WHEELER
"It's rare and interesting to see bridges explored both as metaphors and as structures. The Bridge Between Worlds is a valuable reminder that the physical environment we build has immense social and cultural consequences"
— SARAH MOSS
"Francis writes with energy, flair and empathy: The Bridge Between Worlds opens a marvellously rich seam of inquiry, striking many urgent and timely reverberations"
— MARINA WARNER
"The Bridge Between Worlds is a delight - a memoir of restlessness. Across five decades, Gavin Francis takes us to lands known and unknown, making us wonder on the very links that bind us as beings"
— JAMES CANTON
"Wonderful in the truest sense of the word. Thought-provoking and beautifully written. I'm full of admiration for his ability to seamlessly blend travelogue and memoir with a compassionate analysis of human endeavour and behaviour"
— MARISA HAETZMAN
"[A] meditative travelogue . . . there is elegance in Francis’s book."
— ERICA WAGNER
"Francis is a thoughtful and engaging writer . . . there is a lightness of touch to Francis’s prose that is a delight to read."
— DOUG JOHNSTONE