Bali reading · Reading in Bali
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Reading in Bali
Reading in Bali
With its truly unique culture, Bali has inevitably been the subject of much attention from anthropologists, both amateur and professional. At a more informal level, much has been written about the island by interested visitors and artists in particular, some of whom made Bali their home. The following is a short list of such reading that would benefit any visitor before and during their visit to the island.
Island of Bali (Periplus Classics Series), Miguel Covarrubias (author), Adrian Vickers (editor). When the Mexican artist Miguel Covarrubias wrote his outsider's impression of Balinese life and culture in 1937, he surely could not have imagined that well into the next century his work would still be considered the most authoritative text on the subject. Absolutely vital reading, and it is astounding how little has changed in Bali since the time this book was written. More on Covarrubias' time in Bali, including his wonderful paintings, can be found in the coffee table book Covarrubias in Bali (EDM Books) by Adrian Williams and Yu-Chee Chong.
A Short History of Bali: Indonesia's Hindu Realm (A Short History of Asia series), Robert Pringle. The history of Bali from pre-Bronze Age times to the start of the current millennium, and an examination of Bali's importance and relevance to modern-day Indonesia.
A Little Bit One O'clock: Living with a Balinese Family (Ersania Books), William Ingram. A whimsical, insightful, and at times very touching account of an expatriate American living with a Balinese family in the 1990s.
The House of Our Ancestors (KITLV press), Thomas Reuter. Probably the most thorough (and readable) study of the Bali Aga, the pre-Majapahit indigenous Balinese.
A House in Bali (Tuttle), Colin McPhee. A classically trained musician who was spellbound when he heard a recording of Balinese gamelan music, McPhee traveled to Bali in the 1930s and wrote this superb insight into local music, life and culture. Still very relevant reading.
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Bali Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.