Lynn N. (lynnn1112) reviewed The Missionary and the Libertine : Love and War in East and West on + 51 more book reviews
A little dated but reviews culture from the entire Asian area, including Japan, Philippines, etc.
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The Missionary and the Libertine : Love and War in East and West
The Missionary and the Libertine Love and War in East and West
Author:
For centuries Westerners have projected fan-tasies of a decadent, voluptuous East in contrast to the puritanism of their own cultures. A Japanese theatrical troupe performing in his native Holland in 1971 exposed the young Ian Buruma to these temptations, and soon he was off to Tokyo, a would-be libertine. The essays collected in The Missiona... more » chronicle Buruma's sobering discovery that Asians often have equally distorted visions of the West.
In these humorous and enlightening essays, Buruma describes the last days of Hong Kong, the showbiz politics of the Philippines, the chauvinism of the Seoul Olympics, the sinister genius of Lee Kuan Yew, the intricacies of Japanese sexuality, and much more. His portraits of Benazir Bhutto, Imelda Marcos, Satyajit Ray, and Corazón Aquino are classics of the journalist's art.
Buruma shows that the cultural gap between East and West is not as wide as either missionaries or libertines, in East or West, might think. At home in both worlds, he has provided a splendid counterblast to fashionable theories of clashing civilizations and uniquely Asian values. By stripping away our fantasies, Buruma reveals a world that is all too recognizably human.
Author:
For centuries Westerners have projected fan-tasies of a decadent, voluptuous East in contrast to the puritanism of their own cultures. A Japanese theatrical troupe performing in his native Holland in 1971 exposed the young Ian Buruma to these temptations, and soon he was off to Tokyo, a would-be libertine. The essays collected in The Missiona... more » chronicle Buruma's sobering discovery that Asians often have equally distorted visions of the West.
In these humorous and enlightening essays, Buruma describes the last days of Hong Kong, the showbiz politics of the Philippines, the chauvinism of the Seoul Olympics, the sinister genius of Lee Kuan Yew, the intricacies of Japanese sexuality, and much more. His portraits of Benazir Bhutto, Imelda Marcos, Satyajit Ray, and Corazón Aquino are classics of the journalist's art.
Buruma shows that the cultural gap between East and West is not as wide as either missionaries or libertines, in East or West, might think. At home in both worlds, he has provided a splendid counterblast to fashionable theories of clashing civilizations and uniquely Asian values. By stripping away our fantasies, Buruma reveals a world that is all too recognizably human.
ISBN-13: 9780375502224
ISBN-10: 037550222X
Publication Date: 8/8/2000
Pages: 352
Rating: ?
ISBN-10: 037550222X
Publication Date: 8/8/2000
Pages: 352
Rating: ?
0 stars, based on 0 rating
Publisher: Random House
Book Type: Hardcover
Other Versions: Paperback
Members Wishing: 0
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review
Book Type: Hardcover
Other Versions: Paperback
Members Wishing: 0
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review
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Lynn N. (lynnn1112) reviewed The Missionary and the Libertine : Love and War in East and West on + 51 more book reviews Genres:
