Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Fred B. Eiseman Jr
Bali: Sekala and Niskala Vols 1 and 2
. Seminal, essential, wide-ranging
anthologies of cultural and anthropological essays by an American expat.
David J. Fox
Once a Century: Pura Besakih and the Eka Dasa Rudra Festival
(Penerbit Sin-
ar Harapan, Citra, Indonesia). Fabulous pictures and a readable text make this an excellent
introduction to Besakih. Also includes accounts of the 1963 Eka Dasa Rudra festival and the
eruption of Gunung Agung.
A.J. Bernet Kempers
Monumental Bali: Introduction to Balinese Archaeology and Guide to
the Monuments
. A fairly highbrow analysis of Bali's oldest temples and ruins.
Gregor Krause
Bali 1912
(January Books, New Zealand). Reprinted edition of the original
black-and-white photographs that inspired the first generation of arty expats to visit Bali. The
pictures were taken by a young German doctor and give unrivalled insight into Balinese life
in the early twentieth century.
Jeff Lewis and Belinda Lewis
Bali's Silent Crisis: Desire, Tragedy, and Transition
. Stimu-
lating academic work that's especially interesting on the unresolved trauma of the 1965 mas-
sacres and Bali's troubled relationship with the greater Indonesian state.
Anna Mathews
The Night of Purnama
(o/p). Moving description of village life focusing on
events in the Iseh area in the 1960s, including the eruption of Gunung Agung. Written with a
keen realization of the gap between West and East.
Michel Picard
Bali: Cultural Tourism and Touristic Culture
. Fascinating, readable but ulti-
mately depressing analysis of the effects of tourism upon the people of Bali.
Robert Pringle
A Short History of Bali
. An incisive history from the prehistorical era to
the 2002 bomb, focusing on society, culture and the environment.
K'tut Tantri
Revolt in Paradise
. The extraordinary, if embellished, story of British-born
Muriel Pearson, who became an active member of the Indonesian independence movement
between 1932 and 1947, for which she was tortured by the Japanese.
Adrian Vickers
Bali: A Paradise Created
. Detailed, intelligent and highly readable account
of the outside world's perception of Bali, the development of tourism, and how events inside
and outside the country have shaped the Balinese view of themselves as well as outsiders'
view of them.
ART, CRAFTS AND MUSIC
Edward Frey
The Kris: Mystic Weapon of the Malay World
. Small but well-illustrated book
outlining the history and making of the
kris
, along with some of the myths associated with
this magical weapon.
