Point of No Return by Vltchek, Andre (2013) Paperback

by André Vltchek

POINT OF NO RETURN shows the world through the eyes of a war correspondent, working in conflict zones avoided by the mainstream media, unveiling the dire state of today's world, its disparities and brutal post-colonial arrangement - including the imperialist push for Western hegemony. "Point of No Return is one of the great novels of the 21st century. It deserves a wide readership and serious critical appraisal. Over a half century ago, in his important book "American Moderns - From Rebellion to Conformity," the great literary critic Maxwell Geismar noted that "Our best literary work has come from writers who are outside [the dominant] intellectual orbit, where [capitalist] panic has slowly subsided into inertia." Geismar anticipates Vltchek. Point of No Return explodes from that vital realm far beyond hegemonic control." - Tony Christini "Point of No Return is riveting." - Paulin Cesari (Le Figaro) "Andre Vltchek is a writer, the real thing, of the same calibre and breed as Hemingway and Malraux." - Catherine Merveilleux "Andre Vltchek tells us about a world that few know, even when they think they do. That is because he tells the truth, vividly, with a keen sense of history, and with a perceptive eye that sees past surfaces to reality..." - Noam Chomsky "This gripping novel blends fiction and autobiography; it reflects the experience of the author as a war correspondent while drawing the portrait of a globalized world coming apart at the seams. A political novel after the fashion of Malraux... it is also a meditation on the state of the world (and of literature), and a raucous escapade to the far corners of the globe." - Le Grand Soir "Iconoclastic The lives of great reporters are fascinating. Long before establishing his credentials as a poet, essayist, documentary filmmaker and even a novelist, Andre Vltchek, was a journalist. Donning this hat once again, he revisits his years as an intrepid reporter..." - Caroline Mangez (Paris Match) "Vltchek has written a colourful and elegantly crafted novel with a political stance that will engage some and provoke others but is always heart-felt and sincere." - Lila Rajiva"

Genres: Fiction

Paperback

First published December 1, 2005

About the author

André Vltchek (Russian: Андре Влчек, [ɐnˈdrɛ ˈvɫ̩t͡ɕɛk], December 29, 1963 – September 22, 2020) was a Soviet-born American political analyst, journalist, and a filmmaker. Vltchek was born in Leningrad but later became a naturalized U.S. citizen after being granted asylum there in his 20s. He lived in the United States, Chile, Peru, Mexico, Vietnam, Samoa, and Indonesia.

Vltchek covered armed conflicts in Peru, Kashmir, Mexico, Bosnia, Sri Lanka, Congo, India, South Africa, East Timor, Indonesia, Turkey, and the Middle East. He traveled to more than 140 countries, and wrote articles for Der Spiegel, Japanese newspaper The Asahi Shimbun, The Guardian, ABC News and the Czech Republic daily Lidové noviny. From 2004, Vltchek served as a senior fellow at the Oakland Institute.

Commenting on Vltchek's book Oceania, published in 2010, American linguist Noam Chomsky said that it evoked "the reality of the contemporary world" and that "He has also not failed to trace the painful — and particularly for the West, shameful realities to their historical roots".

Reviews

[Armando Osmani · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hope

This and other writings of the author are like a noisy wake up: you sleep comfortably and warm within your bedsheets, you hear the call but you feel too comfortable in your bed. Though the sound gets so loud that you have no other choice than to stand up. What you do next is the real question: Will you turn off the waker and go back to sleep, or get out and take your life and fate in your own hands?

[Henry Wijaya · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are a couple of things that Vltchek's book has and has not managed to do. First of all, this fictional book manages to provide the readers with these, while not new nor original, 'grand' ideas, such as the rise of globalization, the dangers of capitalization, the persistence of different forms of imperialism/colonization, and the threats of religious fanaticism. However, it fails to provide the readers with the discussion on those issues. Vltchek, through the thoughts of the main character - Karel, who almost talks one-sidedly throughout the whole book, seemingly prefers to impose his own certain dead-set ideologies without the room for the other sides of the arguments to even defend themselves. Other characters who are luxuriously given the chance to talk exist merely as the other extension of those thoughts, only now delivered by different actors as a variation. The story does manage to serve the readers with the interesting paradox of the life of a world 'savior'; on one hand, the world savior is the man who has the privilege to witness all the tragedies that can befall to mankind, but on the other hand, the world savior is the man who unluckily turns bitter as he has to face the fact that the world, with its complexities and its tendency to repeat history, is beyond salvation. Yet, don't worry, the world savior will continue his noble duty no matter what, in between consuming just enough alcohols before turning himself into a pathetic drunkard and screwing women from different continents because apparently the world savior has got to be a desirable male (Sarcasm intended). The story, nonetheless, fails to show the, by now, supposedly developing dynamic between male and female in an equal and mutual relationship. In the end, the readers are provided with this typical male hero who has to leave to save the world in this life and death mission and this stereotypical female character who has to choose which should be her priority: living the comfortable and secure life with her already established family, or following the male hero to have the wild but (promise!) a will-be more lively life. Does the female character have her own an ambition, passion, or dream? Forget it. Such things are non existent in this male's world (Yes. Another sarcasm intended). What does the male hero has to psychologically battle to be with the female character? Oh, not much, in the end it is all about woman's and this over attention to her body and shaming. So, original and deep. Do not get me wrong; for those who are interested in this one sided 101 lecture on those grand issues and ideologies, there are wonderful lines to be made into quotation. While they are not originals; reading, understanding, and quoting them will make you feel that you are more aware of what is going on in our world and more critical. However, for those who have been dwelling in those issues for sometimes, this book does not offer anything new nor deeper discussions than what already available elsewhere.

[Liany · Rating 4 out of 5]

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