A Savage Dreamland: Journeys in Burma

(Paperback)

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David Eimer journeys to the heart of Burma, bringing to vivid life all of its riches and complexities From 1962, the people of Burma were marooned in a paranoid military dictatorship, effectively cut off from the outside world. It was only in late 2015 that the National League for Democracy, led by Aung San Suu Kyi, won absolute majority and were able to take their seats in government. Yet the government and country are still far from stable. Nothing is straightforward in this captivating and enigmatic land. In a country where building a temple takes priority over installing traffic lights, golf courses are ploughed out alongside fields of opium poppies and fortune-tellers are consulted on a daily basis even by the government, any sepia-tinged and colonial idea of Burma is long out of date. A Vicious Wonderland reveals it in all its technicolour glory. To explore its magic and depths, David Eimer takes his narrative through history, class and geography, including areas still barred to foreigners. This is a story balanced by historical context but related by the people with whom Eimer shares his time, from granddaughters of former presidents to the squatters in Yangons shacks, from former political exiles to jade miners digging for their fortune in the far north. Layers of history are unfurled and innumerable stories are woven together to create a sensitive and revelatory portrait of this most mysterious of countries. Authoritative and ground-breaking, A Vicious Wonderland: Travels in Burma is set to be a modern classic of travel-writing.

Reviews

Praise for 'The Emperor Far Away' * - *
Eimer has colourful material A well-written adventure in far-flung places that the world needs to know more about if it is to understand China * The Times *
Eimer has forged genuinely new ground as he recounts his travels to Chinas furthest corners A fascinating picture of a part of the country rarely examined in the many books on Chinas go-go economy and fast-changing society * Daily Telegraph *

Author Bio

David Eimer is the author of the critically acclaimed The Emperor Far Away: Travels at the Edge of China. He is a former China correspondent for the Sunday Telegraph and was subsequently the South-East Asia correspondent for the Daily Telegraph, as well as a columnist and feature writer for the South China Morning Post. Eimer is currently based in Yangon.