Many men dream of running away to a tropical island and living
surrounded by beauty and exotic exuberance. Walter Spies did more than
dream. He actually did it. In the 1920s and 30s, Walter Spies —
ethnographer, choreographer, film maker, natural historian and painter
— transformed the perception of Bali from that of a remote island to
become the site for Western fantasies about Paradise and it underwent
an influx of foreign visitors. The rich and famous flocked to Spies’
house in Ubud and his life and work forged a link between serious
academics and the visionaries from the Golden Age of Hollywood.
Charlie Chaplin, Noel Coward, Miguel Covarrubias, Vicki Baum, Barbara
Hutton and many others sought to experience the vision Spies offered
while Margaret Mead and Gregory Bateson, the foremost anthropologists
of their day, attempted to capture the secret of this tantalizing and
enigmatic culture. Island of Demons is a fascinating historical novel,
mixing anthropology, the history of ideas and humour. It offers a
unique insight into that complex and multi-hued world that was so soon
to be swept away, exploring both its ideas and the larger than life
characters that inhabited it.
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Produktdetaljer
ISBN
9789814358316
Publisert
2016
Utgiver
Vendor
Monsoon Books Pte. Ltd.
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Digital bok
Forfatter