Abstract:
In 1923 Blasco lbanez began his tour around the world. He travelled aboard the Franconia, a luxury cruiser from which he would disembark to visit countries in four continents. Right after he returned home, he started writing the account of what he had seen. He did not intend to be factual; if anything his goal was to write as if he were dealing with a novel. The countries that impressed him the most were those he visited in the Far East. It is worth noting that he observed from a distance. This is not only because he was always on the move and did not have time to linger in one place long enough to be familiarized with it, but also because he was afraid to get close to people he considered very different from him.
