Terraced rice fields in eastern Bali at dawn, with the sun rising over the volcanic peak of Gunung Lempuyang. (Photograph by David Noton Photography/Alamy Stock Photo)
Thinking about planning a trip to Bali[1] or simply hoping to bone up on your knowledge about the Indonesian island province?
Pick up one of these insightful books, recommended by travel literature expert Don George[2]:
- A House in Bali[3] (1947) is Canadian musician Colin McPhee’s classic account of Balinese music and dance and their central role in Balinese life during the 1930s; it remains one of the most penetrating and illuminating books on the island’s elusive, alluring culture.
- In Fragrant Rice: My Continuing Love Affair With Bali[4] (2004), Australian Janet De Neefe recounts how she fell in love with Bali—and with a Balinese man. De Neefe, co-founder of the Ubud Writers & Readers Festival and owner of two restaurants, a guesthouse, and a cooking school in Ubud, has been a resident of Bali since the mid-1980s, and her book–part autobiography, part cultural narrative, and part cookbook–is an insightful introduction to Balinese culture and cuisine.
- In A Little Bit One O’clock: Living With a Balinese Family[5] (1998), William Ingram, co-founder and co-director of Bali-based Threads of Life[6]–an organization dedicated to the preservation and promulgation of traditional Indonesian weaving–offers an intimate account of his own introduction to life on the Indonesian island.
- Bali Soul Journals[7] (2013), a great read written by Bali resident Clare McAlaney with photographs by Trish McNeill, presents a sumptuous exploration and evocation of the heart and soul of contemporary Bali.
Don George[8] is an editor at large at Traveler and the author of The Way of Wanderlust[9] and Lonely Planet’s Guide to Travel Writing[10]. He has also edited award-winning travel writing anthologies, including An Innocent Abroad[11]. Follow Don on Twitter @don_george[12].
> You might also like:
References
- ^ Bali (www.balitourismboard.org)
- ^ Don George (intelligenttravel.nationalgeographic.com)
- ^ Goodreads site – “A House in Bali” (www.goodreads.com)
- ^ Goodreads site – “Fragrant Ride: My Continuing Love Affair With Bali” (www.goodreads.com)
- ^ Goodreads site – “A Little Bit One O’clock: Living With a Balinese Family” (www.goodreads.com)
- ^ Threads of Life site (www.threadsoflife.com)
- ^ Bali Soul Journals site (balisouljournals.com)
- ^ Don George (travel.nationalgeographic.com)
- ^ The Way of Wanderlust (www.bookpassage.com)
- ^ Lonely Planet’s Guide to Travel Writing (shop.lonelyplanet.com)
- ^ Shop Lonely Planet site – “An Innocent Abroad” book (shop.lonelyplanet.com)
- ^ @don_george (twitter.com)
