The author of five previous books, Ian Buruma lives in London.
“Trenchant and sophisticated…. Buruma evokes a rich panorama of
East and West.”–The New York Times
“Eclectic and intimate.”–Talk
“Buruma has dizzying freewheeling powers of observation.”–Los
Angeles Times
Are the values of the Western world today being corrupted by too much individual liberty? Are conformity, group discipline, and individual repression the characteristics of a contemporary Eastern, or Asia, renaissance? These fundamental questions run through this collection of 25 essays. In examining the complex historical and cultural contrasts between East (from Ancient Babylon to modern Japan) and West (Europe and North America), journalist and author Buruma (Anglomania, LJ 4/1/99) rejects the notion that these cultures are inevitably in conflict. The West has been mystified by the East, which in turn has been confused by the West. The author explores a variety of topics, from sexuality in Japanese movies to the transfer of power in Hong Kong to the legacies of Pearl Harbor and Hiroshima to V.S. Naipaul, Benazir Bhutto, and Imelda Marcos, among others. Most of these essays have appeared previously, whether separately (mainly in the New York Review of Books) or collectively (in Britain in 1996). This highly entertaining and superbly written book is recommended for all collections.-Ali Houissa, Cornell Univ., Ithaca, NY
"Trenchant and sophisticated.... Buruma evokes a rich panorama of
East and West."-The New York Times
"Eclectic and intimate."-Talk
"Buruma has dizzying freewheeling powers of observation."-Los
Angeles Times
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