“Where better to write about chaotic, relentless, overpopulated Lagos than in modest, quietly industrious Zürich?” Such was the question that Nigerian-raised author Teju Cole asked himself when he was selected for a grant that would allow him to live and write in the Swiss city for 6 months.

In this essay, excerpted from his recently released book, “Known and Stranger Things,” Cole departs from his initial objective. Instead, he reflects on our definition and understanding of place, and through his photographic pursuits, attempts to comprehend Switzerland by understanding the mountains in which the country exists.