Expatriot Issues

L’Expatriote en français

Philippe Billé has translated a large portion of these texts into French, complete with indices of persons and places mentioned.

Travel Photos

    2004

  • Central Asia (September). Includes photos and movies of Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan
  • Budapest (May)

Addendum

John Heck, the editor’s long-time art collaborator, contributed his cultural observations gleaned from living in Prague for some ten years. Heck’s text was run under the Expatriot graphic, and is therefore included here as Expatriot no. 7.

  • No. 7: Making the Money Which One Merely Looks At by John Heck, waiter

See also

 Cafe Phylloxera, Bordeaux, France

The author (left) and his host, Philippe Billé, at the Café Phylloxera in Bordeaux, France in the spring of 1995 (photo by Patrick Rabiller).

About this Site

The Expatriot was (1994-1995) a monthly travel journal kept by Lloyd Dunn during the nine months he spent living in Europe with friends and family. Most of his time was spent in Bordeaux, France with his host Philippe Billé. Other significant portions of time were spent with his sister, Connie Vandercreek, and her family in El Puerto de Santa Maria, Spain and with collaborator John Heck in Prague.

Dunn and Billé had a shared interest in self-published small periodicals that offered unique views of culture and art. They began corresponding and trading ’zines in the mid-’80s. Dunn sent Billé copies of his PhotoStatic Magazine, and in exchange Billé anted up his Bizaar and Lettres Documentaires. They met briefly in Bordeaux for the first time in 1989, while Dunn was in Europe attending the Festival of Plagiarism in Glasgow, Scotland.

At some point, Billé made Dunn the generous offer of a place to stay in France if he wanted it. Dunn accepted, and in the fall of 1994, they became roommates. Dunn’s account describes his living situation — a third-floor walk-up apartment with no flush toilet in a busy shopping district of Bordeaux — as well as numerous day trips spent driving or riding in trains in southern France.

The narrative upon occasion also attempts to be a non-serious cultural study, describing Dunn’s self-exploration as he comes to terms with being a foreigner for the first extended period in his life.

A springtime journey to Prague is also covered. I was so charmed by this city that I extended my return date on my roundtrip coach ticket no less than three times. The city’s ongoing capitalist naissance can be a palpably felt energy as you walk the streets. Side trips to Český Krumlov and Olomouc are also covered.

The series is abruptly cut off just as I begin a side trip to Budapest. A week in Berlin with Florian Cramer is also not covered, due to the fact that the project was never completed. I simply ran out of money, forcing my return to the U.S. My motivation to complete the narrative apparently decided to remain in Europe. At this late date, my memory of these events is sufficiently dim so as to make rehashing them difficult.

Nonetheless, the feedback I received from these texts was sufficiently positive for me to seek a wider audience for them in these web pages.