- Hardcover: 208 pages
- Publisher: HarperCollins Canada / Trade (Aug 20 1998)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0002570130
- ISBN-13: 978-0002570138
- Product Dimensions: 23.4 x 15.6 x 2.8 cm
- Shipping Weight: 399 g
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #845,779 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
Review
Praise for Stalin's Nose: 'Crazy, charming, a delight' - John Le Carre 'A minor masterpiece of comic surrealism' - The Times Praise for The Oatmeal Ark: 'So polished, so clever, so artful, so innovative; a remarkable, beguiling journey' - Michael Thompson-Noel, Financial Times 'Such a book as this rather marvellously explains why literature still lives' - John Fowles, Spectator
Book Description
An evocation of contemporary Burma from the author of STALIN'S NOSE and THE OATMEAL ARK. Through his intense studies of the lives of the individual Burmese he encounters, MacLean reveals their patient endurance, fragility and charm, and makes us feel the weight of the oppressive military regime under which they labour.
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Customer Reviews
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Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Beautifully written and haunting,
By Kelly "chezkelly" (Singapore) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Under the Dragon Travels in a Betrayed Land (Hardcover)
I was captivated by the book from the first story to the end. Ni Ni's short life was a snapshot of the helplessness, courage and tragedy of the Burmese people under the rule of a brutal, corrupt and repressive regime. The search of an old basket weaved the stories and observations very nicely together. It was quietly powerful, a non-provocative, dignified and compassionate account of Burma. Throughout the book, I felt anger, sadness, admiration and humbleness. I was charmed by the generosity, friendliness, sincerity, warmth, hospitality, honesty, dignity and courage of the people. I wish the tourists and merchants could show more consideration and respect to Burmese people, culture, resources, environment and heritage. We would be no better than the foreigner who used Ni Ni and discarded her after use, who took without caring what he took away. The nation deserves better and this book helps us to understand its plight and hope.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Quest makes frightening and alien culture accessible,
By C. Coltman (Islamabad, Pakistan) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Under the Dragon: Travels in a Betrayed Land (Paperback)
This evocative book has haunted me since I first read it last year. Rory MacLean weaves the story of his search for traditional Burmese culture (in the form of an antique basket)together with the tragic and profoundly moving lives of some contemporary Burmese. His harrowing and potentially deadly experience at the work's climax, takes his story and experience of Burma far beyond traditional travel literature, as his terror, on the one hand, and frustration and sadness about the destruction of Burmese traditions, on the other, grippingly recall the fear and loss of his earlier subjects. As he was in his earlier works, the author, is an intriguing character in this book. His uniquely personal involvement in the story and first person narration make the experience immediate and compelling, and as the reader finds herself drawn into his accessible story of the quest, so she gains rare knowledge of what might have remained unknowable: Burma and its people. The basket story not only creates suspense and unifies the book; in a small way, it brings the reader into the drama and emotion experienced by contemporary Burmese. This book transcends its genre, and warrants reading and rereading. I highly recommend it.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
3.5 out of 5 stars (6 customer reviews) 9 of 10 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Beautifully written and haunting,
By Kelly "chezkelly" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Under the Dragon Travels in a Betrayed Land (Hardcover)
I was captivated by the book from the first story to the end. Ni Ni's short life was a snapshot of the helplessness, courage and tragedy of the Burmese people under the rule of a brutal, corrupt and repressive regime. The search of an old basket weaved the stories and observations very nicely together. It was quietly powerful, a non-provocative, dignified and compassionate account of Burma. Throughout the book, I felt anger, sadness, admiration and humbleness. I was charmed by the generosity, friendliness, sincerity, warmth, hospitality, honesty, dignity and courage of the people. I wish the tourists and merchants could show more consideration and respect to Burmese people, culture, resources, environment and heritage. We would be no better than the foreigner who used Ni Ni and discarded her after use, who took without caring what he took away. The nation deserves better and this book helps us to understand its plight and hope.
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Quest makes frightening and alien culture accessible,
By C. Coltman - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Under the Dragon: Travels in a Betrayed Land (Paperback)
This evocative book has haunted me since I first read it last year. Rory MacLean weaves the story of his search for traditional Burmese culture (in the form of an antique basket)together with the tragic and profoundly moving lives of some contemporary Burmese. His harrowing and potentially deadly experience at the work's climax, takes his story and experience of Burma far beyond traditional travel literature, as his terror, on the one hand, and frustration and sadness about the destruction of Burmese traditions, on the other, grippingly recall the fear and loss of his earlier subjects. As he was in his earlier works, the author, is an intriguing character in this book. His uniquely personal involvement in the story and first person narration make the experience immediate and compelling, and as the reader finds herself drawn into his accessible story of the quest, so she gains rare knowledge of what might have remained unknowable: Burma and its people. The basket story not only creates suspense and unifies the book; in a small way, it brings the reader into the drama and emotion experienced by contemporary Burmese. This book transcends its genre, and warrants reading and rereading. I highly recommend it. 1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars
Well written, uninteresting, uninformative,
By Paul S "Paul" - Published on Amazon.com
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Under the Dragon: A Journey through Burma (Paperback)
This book is indisputably well written. But it taught me nothing about Burma I didn't already know and it was rather dull in much of the book. The author uses small stories about different characters to tell the story of Burma's recent history and repressive practices, but the stories just aren't that interesting in many cases. Captivating this book is not. I didn't find it to be travel literature or politically informative, and as fiction it was concise but lackluster.Paul |
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