Set in the first decade of the 20th century, this moving book shares
the tragic reality of the Dutch invasion of Bali and the mass suicides
that ensued.
In Love and Death in Bali, renowned author Vicki Baum skillfully
intermeshes several different narratives that all culminate in the
infamous puputan (the "ending"), the slaughter and mass suicides that
brought the old Bali to an end in 1906. Written within living memory of
these bloody events, the book tells the story of the passionate and
deeply spiritual people who defy Dutch imperial forces through an act
that brings them certain death--and certain rebirth.
The looting of a Chinese trading ship gives the Dutch colonial forces
the perfect excuse to intervene in island affairs, but they encounter
astonishing resistance. In the battle of Badung, wave upon wave of
Balinese clothed in white ceremonial garb charge into the blazing Dutch
guns, kris daggers in hand, prepared to die. Who among them will
survive, and how will their lives be forever changed?
Love and Death in Bali, first published in German in 1937, is
considered by many to be the finest novel ever written about this island
paradise where everyone, regardless of caste or position, is woven into
the fabric of an ancient culture, connected by customs and, above all,
by strong religious beliefs. In this edition, anthropologist and
award-winning author Nigel Barkley's introduction provides excellent
context for the complex, dramatic tale that follows.
