Bali Today!

The "Real Bali" is not what you think it is!From his simple plank bench at Mrs. Somprong's tea stall, the ultimate egalitarian Jean Couteau casts a wry eye on everyday Balinese village life and the comings and goings of a steady stream of Balinese characters. He observes the resort island in the great tradition of, say, R. Crumb or Daumier, who noticed little things most other people missed, then magnified them. Like every Frenchman, however, Couteau is at his best when writing about matters of the heart. In over 100 insightful and delightfully irreverent essays, Couteau shines his torch lovingly on Balinese courtship rituals, his favorite subject, and comes up with stories like the "The God of Love Stare." He then goes on to ponder, like a true philosopher, "Is cosmic love today giving way to global sex?"Illustrated with hilarious drawings by Wayan Sadha, one of Bali's most beloved cartoonists, and introduced by two leading writers on Indonesia, this book is "must-read" for anyone wanting to know what everyday life on the Island of the Gods is truly like!