A lackluster presentation of luminous source material, by an Australian expert in native religions (Letters from a Wild State, 1992). Burnt out by modern life and its ``science-based'' approach to nature, Cowan sets out to discover the ``wild and untrammeled spirit'' of traditional life. His first stop is the Torres Strait Islands, between Australia and New Guinea, where he meets a former pearl-diver, a police inspector, and other carriers of traditional values. Some bewail the loss of their ancient culture; others preserve—and relay to Cowan—fascinating myths and legends about the sea, the lore of totems, the secrets of augury with lizards and ants. Then it's on to Borneo, where Cowan encounters a self-proclaimed pagan named Reminda, who takes him upcountry to the long house of her Iban people. From this former head-hunting tribe, Cowan learns the sacred laws of the region and watches a tuai burong—a man who speaks with birds—manipulate omen sticks. Cowan's third stop is Australia, where he talks to aborigines about the loss of traditional ways and about methods of communing with spirits. On each leg of his odyssey, Cowan gathers indigenous myths, including some material never before made available. The problem is that he approaches his quest with grating naivetÇ, bursting out every so often with a sentiment like, ``I had begun to discern that a myth does not have to be comprehensible at all levels of consciousness''—these days, about as groundbreaking a revelation as declaring that the earth is round. Some of Cowan's analogies are equally maladroit, as when he finds in a legend of the rape of a fisherwoman by an octopus-god echoes of the Annunciation. Cowan cites the late Bruce Chatwin as inspiration, but there's no comparison: Chatwin was a master recorder of native ways, while Cowan comes close to stifling his material in an ill-fitting frame. Impressive on-site research, bungled in delivery. (Three maps)
Pub Date: July 2, 1993
ISBN: 0-517-88078-4
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 1993
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.
A compendium of charts, time lines, lists and illustrations to accompany study of the Bible.
This visually appealing resource provides a wide array of illustrative and textually concise references, beginning with three sets of charts covering the Bible as a whole, the Old Testament and the New Testament. These charts cover such topics as biblical weights and measures, feasts and holidays and the 12 disciples. Most of the charts use a variety of illustrative techniques to convey lessons and provide visual interest. A worthwhile example is “How We Got the Bible,” which provides a time line of translation history, comparisons of canons among faiths and portraits of important figures in biblical translation, such as Jerome and John Wycliffe. The book then presents a section of maps, followed by diagrams to conceptualize such structures as Noah’s Ark and Solomon’s Temple. Finally, a section on Christianity, cults and other religions describes key aspects of history and doctrine for certain Christian sects and other faith traditions. Overall, the authors take a traditionalist, conservative approach. For instance, they list Moses as the author of the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Hebrew Bible) without making mention of claims to the contrary. When comparing various Christian sects and world religions, the emphasis is on doctrine and orthodox theology. Some chapters, however, may not completely align with the needs of Catholic and Orthodox churches. But the authors’ leanings are muted enough and do not detract from the work’s usefulness. As a resource, it’s well organized, inviting and visually stimulating. Even the most seasoned reader will learn something while browsing.
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2005
ISBN: 978-1-5963-6022-8
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 23, 2010
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
This a book of earlier, philosophical essays concerned with the essential "absurdity" of life and the concept that- to overcome the strong tendency to suicide in every thoughtful man-one must accept life on its own terms with its values of revolt, liberty and passion. A dreary thesis- derived from and distorting the beliefs of the founders of existentialism, Jaspers, Heldegger and Kierkegaard, etc., the point of view seems peculiarly outmoded. It is based on the experience of war and the resistance, liberally laced with Andre Gide's excessive intellectualism. The younger existentialists such as Sartre and Camus, with their gift for the terse novel or intense drama, seem to have omitted from their philosophy all the deep religiosity which permeates the work of the great existentialist thinkers. This contributes to a basic lack of vitality in themselves, in these essays, and ten years after the war Camus seems unaware that the life force has healed old wounds... Largely for avant garde aesthetes and his special coterie.
Pub Date: Sept. 26, 1955
ISBN: 0679733736
Page Count: 228
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: Sept. 19, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1955
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