Bali in the early 1930s, set down by a Mexican painter who lived there for months at a stretch and drew everything he saw: temples, dancers, markets, and the long quiet hours in between.
Island of Bali is Miguel Covarrubias's account of Balinese life as he found it - the co-operative village and the calendar that runs it, caste and the two levels of speech that go with it, the rice fields and the water that feeds them, birth, marriage and cremation, and the gamelan orchestras and dance dramas that seemed to involve the whole population.
Years later it is still the first title recommended to anyone reading seriously about the island, praised by Balinese and foreign scholars alike for catching a whole way of living just before mass tourism reached it.
This edition features:The complete text, long regarded as the fullest single account of Balinese culture ever written
Twelve chapters covering village organisation, caste, farming, family life, craft, drama and belief
Detailed treatment of temple festivals, offerings, witchcraft and the great cremation ceremonies
A close record of gamelan music, the legong and baris dances, and the wayang kulit shadow play
Essential background for travellers to Indonesia and for students of its religion, art and history