Poor people of the world - William T. Vollmann

Have any of you ever asked yourself what is the reason for the spread of poverty in the world? Perhaps this question crossed his mind in the blink of an eye, then he forgot about it, focusing on his life and interests. But when does the question become urgent? When one of us falls into poverty. This question troubled Voltaire, the American William T. Vollmann, so he went in search of an answer as he traveled through many regions of the world to experience the situation firsthand, testing the feelings of the poor, speaking to them in a work that is like field investigation with an attempt to uncover whether there are causes other than material deprivation behind the tragedies of millions of the poor. Vollmann says about his book (The Poor of the World): "...This work was not written for the poor, nor for any specific other person. All I dare to do is observe some points of similarity and difference that I believe relate to the experience of being poor. I began my journey by asking some of my fellow humans the following question: Why are you poor? I receive answers—despite their diversity depending on geographic regions—that their details mean nothing. People can be poor in every field, every context, even in the same sense. And this must be the reason why one of the great writers, who knew poverty truly, wrote: 'Poor people never ask about the reasons that explain what they have to endure in their lives. They hate each other, and derive satisfaction from that.' The heroes of this book—except for some exceptions—are not hopeless. They are either happy or sad. They go through good days. As for their despairing acts, it is somewhat merciful that their impact is weakened because they happen daily. For example, the beggar Oksana pretended to be cheerful even though every time she discussed her family’s situation with me, she had to accept all its bitterness; she would sob. I tried to find poor people whose circumstances were somewhat typical or at least fell under a certain pattern, so that it would be possible to draw a general conclusion. Two aspects may reinforce the truth of this presentation I am offering; what do I need to prove? How foolish would I be to hope I can make a difference? Therefore, all I have left is to try honorably to show the nature of things and make comparisons with all my abilities." This book, living testimonies of the poor of the vast world, seeks answers in the wrong place, for the answer, sir, is not with the poor, but with those who hold their destiny... and the struggle continues. Cover type: regular paper size: 14×21