Tristes Tropiques
- London Jonathan Cape 1973
- 415p.
Newly translated the revised French edition of 1968, this is the first complete edition of the book to appear in English. It covers, in vivid and fascinating detail, various journeys to and from South America; life on board ship, particularly a refugee ship in the last war; the atmosphere of French and Brazilian intellectual circles; the Asian dis regard for human life as a warning against over-population in Europe; the differing essences of European, South American, Buddhist and Muslim cultures; and, finally, the vital years of fieldwork with the Caduveo, Bororo, Nambikwara and Tupi-Kawahib. tribes. Descriptions of the countries alternate with amusing anecdotes and careful chron icling of contrasting tribal organizations, illustrated with outstanding black-and-white photographs. To open Tristes Tropiques is to discover, not an academic, but a man and a writer. Lévi Strauss's rich collection of reminiscences leaves an enduring impression of profound humanity, great personal magnetism, and a unique grasp of the present state of world civilization in all its complexity.