A Famed Travel Writer Lists His Remote Island Retreat in Maine for $1.3 Million

Around 23 years ago, Paul Theroux picked up a private retreat off the coast of Maine. Now the Hawaii-based travel writer and prolific novelist of more than 50 books—among them The Mosquito Coast, which was adapted into a 1980s movie, as well as a more recent TV series starring his nephew Justin Theroux—has decided to part ways with his longtime Calf Island home, hoisting the place on the market for a relatively affordable $1.275 million.

Tucked away on a seven-acre parcel offering sweeping coastline views paired with more than 3,000 feet of waterfront footage on Wheeler Bay, the property features a post-and-beam main home and separate guesthouse that were handcrafted in the late 1970s by late contemporary artist and furniture-maker Duane Paluska. In addition to a combined four bedrooms and two baths in a little more than 1,700 square feet of living space, there are also pathways meandering through serene spruce-lined meadows, a mix of sand and pebble beaches, and a ramp leading down to a floating dock with a row boat.

Highlights of the primary dwelling include a window-lined living room displaying rustic hardwood floors and a vaulted wood-beam ceiling, along with a simple, “functional” kitchen that has an accompanying dining area warmed by a wood-burning stove. Per the listing, which is held by Joseph Sortwell of Christie’s International Real Estate, a large open room upstairs also has plenty of space for a bedroom and a living area.

Elsewhere is the wood-shingled guesthouse, which has two bedrooms, a bath, and an open living room sporting a loft and another wood-burning stove, plus its own porch. A small shed and boathouse also can be found on the premises.

“Being a coastal New Englander really shaped my life,” the 83-year-old Maine native once told National Geographic. “I would find it almost impossible to live in an inland city or town. I simply can’t do it. I need to live where there’s the smell of the sea, where there’s water.

“I also like the idea of forest next to a sea—like the Maine coast or the California or Oregon coasts,” Theroux added. “Where there’s sea and forest going up to the sea. That’s heaven to me.”

Click here for more photos of Paul Theroux’s private island retreat.