Indonesia Etc.: Exploring the Improbable Nation - Hardcover

Elizabeth Pisani

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1847086543 ISBN 13: 9781847086549

Publisher: Granta Books, 2014

Synopsis

Where on earth can you take tea with a corpse, go hunting for whales, bunk down in a sulphurous volcano and incur the wrath of a crocodile whisperer? For encounters with the unexpected, look to Indonesia. In 1945, Indonesia's declaration of independence promised: 'the details of the transfer of power etc. will be worked out as soon as possible.' Still working on the 'etc.' seven decades later, the world's fourth most populous nation is now enthusiastically democratic and riotously diverse. Over 65 million Indonesians use Facebook, though 80 million live without electricity. It is one of the richest and most enchanting countries on earth, but is riddled, too, with ineptitude and corruption. Elizabeth Pisani, who first worked in Indonesia 25 years ago as a foreign correspondent and came back a decade later as a medical researcher, set out in 2011 to rediscover its enduring attraction, and to find the links which bind together this impossibly disparate nation. She travelled for over a year, covering 13,000 miles by land and sea, dropping in on local potentates and staying with farmers and fishermen, and nomads and nurses, often on islands too small to appear on a map. In Indonesia Etc., Pisani weaves together the stories of Indonesians encountered on her journey with a considered analysis of Indonesia's recent history, corrupt political system, ethnic and religious identities, stifling bureaucracy and traditional 'sticky' cultures. Fearless and funny, she gives a compelling and sharply perceptive account of a captivating nation.

About this title

About the Author:

ELIZABETH PISANI was Indonesia correspondent for Reuters and the Economist from 1988 to 1991. She worked with Indonesia's Ministry of Health from 2001 to 2005 as an epidemiologist, and spent 2011-2012 travelling the archipelago. Pisani is the author of The Wisdom of Whores (Granta, 2008), an exploration of the HIV industry. She has degrees in Classical Chinese, Medical Demography and Infectious Disease Epidemiology and speaks several languages, including Indonesian.

Review:

“This perfect chronicle not only depicts [Indonesia’s] bewildering multiplicity of languages, ethnicities, religions and political beliefs but also answers such questions as why there is no Indonesian diaspora and whether Islamic militancy poses a deep threat to the country.”
- Wall Street Journal

“Intrepid and passionate, Elizabeth Pisani takes readers on board a hilarious series of jury-rigged forms of transportation, from bustling, insane Djakarta to the smallest and remotest islands and country villages of Indonesia. By the end, exhausted, dusty, thirsty, and laughing, we feel we know this idiosyncratic country in all its moving complexity. Profound, lasting, a masterpiece of its genre―and so much fun!”
- Amy Wilentz, author of The Rainy Season and Farewell, Fred Voodoo

“Pisani not only travels a dizzying amalgam of the 13,500 islands that comprise Indonesia, but she also follows their history from the seventh century forward with fluidity and ease. There are few other books―or authors―to attempt such a daunting task.”
- Eliza Griswold, author of The Tenth Parallel

“A clear-eyed and smart look at a rising Asian giant that has defied all conventional wisdom... A good read not only for those interested in Indonesia, but everyone who is thinking about how other developing countries too could rise above their internal problems to be improbable success stories.”
- Vali Nasr, author of The Dispensable Nation, and The Rise of Islamic Capitalism

“It's hard to imagine the energy, tenacity and intimate background knowledge needed to write this book. Luckily, Elizabeth Pisani has these qualities in droves. Read it, even if you don't think you're interested in Indonesia―it’s inspiring on so many levels, from the boundless curiosity and warmth of the author to the country’s spectacular miracle of geo-political confidence and experimentation.”
- Emma Larkin, author of Everything is Broken and Secret Histories

“One of the year’s most engrossing and edifying travelogues... Pisani’s book will stir up wonder and wanderlust in even the most experienced travelers.”
- Jim Gladstone, Passport

“As close as we may come to a feet-on-the-street, impassioned and amusing understanding of the fourth-largest-populated country in the world.”
- Bruce Jacobs, Shelf Awareness

“Pisani is a force of nature... A treasure of a volume.”
- Simon Winchester, Wall Street Journal

“Fills a much-needed gap on literature about Indonesia...an intimate portrait.”
- Lydia Tomkiw, Christian Science Monitor

“Beautifully written [and] richly entertaining.”
- The Economist

“Exuberant and wise... Pisani is an exceptionally resourceful observer of the ongoing battle to define Indonesia.”
- Pankj Mishra, The New Yorker

About this edition

• Publisher: Granta Books
• Publication date: 2014
• ISBN 10: 1847086543
• ISBN 13: 9781847086549
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1