 Chatwin considered the question of human restlessness to be the focus of his writing. He ultimately aspired to explore this subject in order to answer what he believed was a fundamental question about human existence. He thought humans were meant to be a migratory species but once they settled in one place, their natural urges "found outlets in violence, greed, status-seeking or a mania for the new." In his first attempt at writing a book, The Nomadic Alternative, Chatwin had tried to compose an academic exposition on nomadic culture, which he believed was unexamined and unappreciated. With this volume Chatwin had hoped to answer the question "Why do men wander rather than sit still?" In his book proposal he admitted that the interest in the subject was personal: "Why do I become restless after a month in a single place, unbearable after two?"
