About the Book:

Istanbul, Buenos Aires, Mexico City, Hanoi, Delhi, Cairo: the author spent two months in each to explore, in search of man-made beauty still resisting the march of time: winding alleys, cobbled squares, shingled roofs and grand palazzi, which have somehow escaped globalisation and slipped through the tourist net.

About the Author:

Born in Trieste to a Greek-Italian mother and an Austro-British father, John Seilern spent four years at the École Française de Zurich before going on to Ampleforth College (1961–70) and Geneva University (1971–75). From then onwards he sang with such rock bands as the Thunderbirds, Jack and the Rippers and the Zero Heroes. After making ends meet by teaching English to adults in Geneva, he married in 1982 and embarked on a career in finance. A trip around the word (2012–2013) produced this book. In 2024 his novel The Vow was published in German as Das Gelöbnis. He lives in London