Christian W Brix

Christian W Brix - Adventure travel idiot, reluctant political activist and author. Born in the USA, but raised in the UK, Christian Brix has been 'on the road' most of his life. The son of a Pan Am flight attendant, Christian was exposed to the world from a very young age and grew up as an outernationalist, which he remains. Learning from different cultures and places led him to a degree in Philosophy and Politics, specialising in radical politics, political conflict, political philosophy and in particular the work of Karl Marx and Frederick Nietzsche. In 2016 – 17, Christian completed a 30-thousand-mile journey across Africa & Asia by motorbike. He wrote about it in two books, the first of which, The Unseen Walls, covered his time in Africa, and chronicled how this trip of a lifetime did not go to plan. Not as much from what he discovered in Africa, but due to the things he had hoped to leave at home, namely his mental health. This book is about traveling overland across Africa solo, confronting fear and learning from it. The second book East to Zero covers his time in Asia, where he takes these lessons on fear forward to realise that human reasoning is corrupt and unable to solve the world’s problems. Partly inspired by Pol Pot’s radical political philosophy, Christian puts forth the idea of zeroing to reset human reasoning and returning to the natural world to escape the human condition. As an introvert, who often travels solo, this influences his experiences and writing with a unique twist. His writing chronicles how new landscapes can open up new ways of thinking and have been described as geophilosophical. He lives in London, still travels a lot, takes part in motorcycle rallies with his beloved motorbike 'Glory', and occasionally does talks about his travels. On the Unseen Walls: “The bravery of solo travel is often mentioned by others. The myth of a courageous attitude is something few overlanders work hard to dispel, but similarly very few are prepared to discuss what can be the psychological reality of solo adventure through alien cultures. Living through the visual medium of Facebook and Instagram, where everyone’s life seems to be a stream of excitement and happy selfies, you’d be forgiven for thinking that’s the reality of travel. The truth of course can be very different and as humans we flow through cycles of contentment and confidence where each wax and wane. It’s very well written, but some of the content may scare you, because it’s real. This book shines a light on the problems and fears that we comfortable Westerners can face, and on the real state of the developing world, or rather, the rest of the world.” OVERLAND MAGAZINE “He’s wonderfully honest, sometimes shocking, is insightful, questioning and humble. It’s this mix that had me page turning so fast I had to re-read it. He shares how he prepared for the journey through Africa, and then how the continent had him feeling as if he had found himself standing in front of a cultural freight train. His level of preparation, even over-preparation in some instances, absolutely did not make him ready for what he was going to find.” Sam Manicom – Renowned Motorbike Adventure Travel Author