Literature and Travelogues

19th-Century Travelers

For some reason, Honduras [1] seemed to attract foreign travelers with literary proclivities during the 19th century. Of the four books listed below, Stephens’s is by far the most famous. Wells, a mining engineer sent to prospect in Honduras, wrote a lively account with a wealth of detailed observations, particularly regarding Olancho.

Cecil, Charles. Honduras: A Land of Great Depth. New York: Rand McNally, 1890.

Soltera, Maria. A Lady’s Ride Across Honduras. Gainesville: University of Florida Press, 1964.

Stephens, J. L. Incidents of Travel in Central America, Chiapas, and Yucatán. New York: Dover, 1969, two volumes. Originally published by Harper and Brothers, New York, 1841.

Wells, William. Explorations and Adventures in Honduras. New York: Harper, 1857.

Fiction

Henry, O. Cabbages and Kings. New York: Doubleday, Page and Co., 1904. Famed short-story writer O. Henry (the pen name of William Sydney Porter) spent some time in Puerto Cortés [2] and Trujillo [3] around the turn of the 20th century while on the run from U.S. authorities, who were pursuing him on charges of embezzlement. With the material gathered during his stay, he wrote this collection of stories.

Quesada, Roberto. The Big Banana. Houston: Arte Publico Press, 1999. Bananero Eduardo Lin heads to New York to make it big, the Big Banana in the Big Apple. By one of Honduras [1]’s most popular authors.

Theroux, Paul. The Mosquito Coast. New York: Avon, 1982. This novel, along with the movie version starring Harrison Ford, has probably done more to put the Mosquitia region of northeastern Honduras on the map than anything else. Unfortunately, the site was apparently chosen by Theroux to represent the lowest state of humanity, and he shows little appreciation for anything Honduran.

Yuscarán, Guillermo. Blue Pariah. Tegucigalpa, Honduras: Nuevo Sol Publications. William Lewis, now known by his adopted name, Guillermo Yuscarán, lives in Honduras, where he paints and writes short stories and novels. A born storyteller, Yuscarán has published several fiction and nonfiction books on Honduras, including Blue Pariah, Conociendo a la Gente Garífuna, Points of Light, Beyond Honduras, Northcoast Honduras, and La Luz Hondureña. These can be found in several bookstores and more expensive hotels in Tegucigalpa [4], San Pedro Sula [5], Copán [6], the Bay Islands [7], and the north-coast beach towns.