Indonesia Etc.: Exploring the Improbable Nation [Lingua Inglese] - Rilegato

Elizabeth Pisani

Rilegato

ISBN 10: 1847086543 ISBN 13: 9781847086549

Casa editrice: Granta, 2014

Riassunto

Where on earth can you take tea with a corpse, go hunting for whales, bunk down in a sulphurous volcano and incur the wrath of a crocodile whisperer? For encounters with the unexpected, look to Indonesia. In 1945, Indonesia's declaration of independence promised: 'the details of the transfer of power etc. will be worked out as soon as possible.' Still working on the 'etc.' seven decades later, the world's fourth most populous nation is now enthusiastically democratic and riotously diverse. Over 65 million Indonesians use Facebook, though 80 million live without electricity. It is one of the richest and most enchanting countries on earth, but is riddled, too, with ineptitude and corruption. Elizabeth Pisani, who first worked in Indonesia 25 years ago as a foreign correspondent and came back a decade later as a medical researcher, set out in 2011 to rediscover its enduring attraction, and to find the links which bind together this impossibly disparate nation. She travelled for over a year, covering 13,000 miles by land and sea, dropping in on local potentates and staying with farmers and fishermen, and nomads and nurses, often on islands too small to appear on a map. In Indonesia Etc., Pisani weaves together the stories of Indonesians encountered on her journey with a considered analysis of Indonesia's recent history, corrupt political system, ethnic and religious identities, stifling bureaucracy and traditional 'sticky' cultures. Fearless and funny, she gives a compelling and sharply perceptive account of a captivating nation.

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Recensione:

It's hard to imagine the energy, tenacity and intimate background knowledge needed to write this book. Luckily, Elizabeth Pisani has these qualities in droves. Read it, even if you don't think you're interested in Indonesia it s inspiring on so many levels, from the boundless curiosity and warmth of the author to the country s spectacular miracle of geo-political confidence and experimentation. --Emma Larkin, author of Everything is Broken and Secret Histories"

'Indonesia is a pretty bewildering area to wrangle comprehensively into one book, but Elizabeth Pisani does a great job. The former foreign correspondent's extensive travels through her old patch find her dealing with the more colourful aspects of modern Indonesia and the corruption that blights it' --Wanderlust

'Sharp, enjoyable and well-organised... Pisani writes well and has an outsider's eye for the extraordinary and the idiosyncratic' --Literary Review

'This book, part travelogue and part history, is a lively condensation of some of her encounters with a country that is as disparate in its politics as it is in its geography and people' --'NS Recommends', New Statesman

'Engaging... Pisani is an erudite and adventurous travelling companion. This is a humane, intelligent travelogue that makes an initially daunting subject come gloriously alive' --Sunday Business Post

'An affectionate portrait of a diverse, dynamic and eccentric country' --'Top Summer Reads', Financial Times

'Meticulous, colourful and often funny... Indonesia Etc. gives a vivid sense of what Indonesia feels, smells, and tastes like. Pisani is relentlessly curious and her ability to pitch up anywhere and grasp the essence of the place is truly impressive. For anyone about to visit the place, her book is an essential companion' --Guardian

'Indonesia Etc is an absorbing 13,000-mile ramble around this sprawling, little-known archipelago' --Independent

'Accessible and entertaining... The characters that populate Indonesia Etc are diverse and vividly described. Certain themes - Indonesian identity; corruption - are common themes, but Pisani examines them sensitively and from multiple angles' --Geographical Magazine

'Indonesia Etc is an absorbing 13,000-mile ramble around this sprawling, little-known archipelago' --Independent

'A warm and punchy travelogue' --'Travel book of the year', The Times

'A richly entertaining account' --'Book of the year', Economist

'Pisani's perceptiveness is as honed as her wit is wise' --Travel book of the year chosen by Tom Adair, Scotsman

'A richly entertaining account'

'...the author moves between the separate worlds of men and women, talks to young and old, rich and poor, [and] brings multiple perspectives to the issues she raises. Indonesians come alive to us in all their contradictions and humanity: Elizabeth Pisani persuades us that Indonesia is indeed an improbable nation.'Jean Gelman-Taylor, TLS --'Book of the year', Economist

L'autore:

ELIZABETH PISANI studied Chinese at Oxford before working as a foreign correspondent for Reuters, the Economist and the Asia Times. She has an MSc in Medical Demography and a PHD in Infectious Disease Epidemiology. She is the author of The Wisdom of Whores (Granta, 2008).

Su questa edizione

• Editore: Granta
• Data di pubblicazione: 2014
• ISBN 10: 1847086543
• ISBN 13: 9781847086549
• Rilegatura: Copertina rigida
• Numero edizione: 1
• Numero di pagine: 336