Rosinante to the Road Again

A journey through Spain in search of a gesture that means everything.

John Dos Passos's early masterpiece is a lyrical, impressionistic travelogue that blends fiction, literary criticism, and philosophical reflection. Published in 1922, it captures a young American writer's wandering journey through the Spanish countryside in search of something elusive—a gesture, an essence, a way of being that defies the machine-driven world he left behind.

The narrative follows two American travelers, Telemachus and Lyaeus, as they journey through Castile toward Toledo. Along the way, they encounter flamenco dancers in Madrid cafes, debate Spanish literature with local intellectuals, and observe the harsh realities of peasant life under a fading feudal order. Telemachus is searching for a "gesture"—a moment of pure, spontaneous expression he witnessed on his first night in Spain, when a dancer's sudden turn embodied everything he felt was missing from modern life. Lyaeus, his companion, quotes Jorge Manrique's medieval poetry and contemplates death with a kind of stoic grace.

Interspersed with the fictional narrative are portraits of Spain's greatest writers: Pío Baroja, Miguel de Unamuno, Vicente Blasco Ibáñez, Antonio Machado, and Jacinto Benavente. Dos Passos translates their poetry, analyzes their literary philosophies, and places them within the context of a nation grappling with industrialization, regional tensions, and the collapse of old certainties.

This is Dos Passos at his most poetic and restless: a book about the collision between tradition and modernity, the loneliness of the traveler, and the impossible quest for authenticity in a world that seems to have lost its soul. Rosinante to the Road Again is a window into the mind of a young writer who would go on to write Manhattan Transfer and the U.S.A. trilogy—and a love letter to a Spain that was about to be torn apart.

• Published in 1922, Dos Passos's first work of nonfiction following his antiwar novel Three Soldiers

• A unique blend of travel writing, literary criticism, and fictional narrative

• Features extended discussions of Spanish poets and novelists, including Antonio Machado, Pío Baroja, and Vicente Blasco Ibáñez

Available in multiple formats:

• Paperback & Hardcover: Beautifully designed print editions presenting the complete, unabridged text made to last.

• Ebook: DRM-free EPUB compatible with Kindle, Kobo, Apple Books, and all major e-readers.

• Audiobook: Professionally narrated, complete and unabridged, available on all major audiobook platforms.

A beautifully crafted edition for your shelf, your device, or your ears, or the perfect gift for anyone who knows that the longest journeys are the ones that never end.

About the Author

John Dos Passos (1896–1970) was a prominent American novelist, artist, and political thinker, best known for his U.S.A. trilogy—The 42nd Parallel, *1919*, and The Big Money—a groundbreaking work of modernist fiction that employed experimental narrative techniques to depict the complexities of early twentieth-century American life. Born in Chicago, he was educated at Harvard and served as an ambulance driver during World War I, experiences that deeply influenced his early literary themes. Rosinante to the Road Again was written after his first two novels and reflects his love affair with Spain, a country he visited repeatedly throughout his life. Dos Passos's later work grew increasingly conservative, especially after the murder of his friend José Robles during the Spanish Civil War, a turning point that led to a break with Ernest Hemingway. He died in Baltimore, Maryland, in 1970.