On the Edge of a Dream: Magic and Madness in Bali [Paperback]

Michael Wiese (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 25, 1994

This quality of book is rare, as are the rich insights of the author. Wiese honors the culture and people of Bali with his writings and he honors the reader with his integrity of expression. Caroline Myss

Editorial Reviews

Review

This blend of novel/travelogue provides an intriguing story of two protagonists caught in an exotic paradise's unusual culture. What constitutes reality and what is dream in this culture, and can two Westerners really experience Balinese culture in all its mystery? -- Midwest Book Review

About the Author

Wiese is a producer/director with 22 years experience in film, television, pay TV and home video. He was formerly vice president of original programming at Vestron Video.

Product Details

• Paperback: 326 pages
• Publisher: Michael Wiese Productions; First Edition edition (January 25, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0941188191
• ISBN-13: 978-0941188197
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,806,607 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I moved my family to Cornwall England from Hollywood as I wanted to bring up my daughter in a natural setting. And that we have! We live in a tiny valley (supposedly a micro-climate and the warmest spot in England) with subtropical plants in the garden. We can hear the ocean from the house as it is only a minute walk away. When the weather is good, I stop working and walk on the cliffs.

Seven years ago I took my company "virtual" and have offices in Los Angeles and Seattle and work with a network of freelancers through the US and the UK. We publish America's leading line of "how to" filmmaking books. Occasionally I am able to make films, the most recent being THE SACRED SITES OF THE DALAI LAMAS - which I am just finishing.

I've been working for a long time to realize a feature film that I've co-written -based on a true life experience - set in Bali. I first went there in 1970 and some of those early experiences have stuck with me. Information about my films and books may be found at www.mwp.com

My daughter is growing up fast - she's 13 - and an avid violinist, swimmer and soccer player. We enjoy snorkeling off the rocks near our cottage (but have to wear wetsuits because it can get cold).

My wife gardens, makes antique bead jewelery and gave up her job as a celebrity photographer at CBS Networks to live out our dream in Cornwall. It was D. H. Lawrence and Virginia Woolf that drew her to Cornwall.

I still travel to the U.S. about 2 times a year to meet with our authors, renew my film contacts, give seminars and see friends.

This year I'll be presenting a seminar at Roger Ebert's Overlooked Film Festival in Champaign Illinois where I grew up.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars a second rate screenplay, August 31, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: On the Edge of a Dream: Magic and Madness in Bali (Paperback)

Sorry, it just seemed like a second rate screenplay. For how bad it was, it was suprisingly stonger on its coverage of Bali than you would expect, but in the end, it indulged in a tone too much like Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure.

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A must read for travelers (real and armchair) to Bali, April 3, 1997

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: On the Edge of a Dream: Magic and Madness in Bali (Paperback)

An insightful look at Bali and the Balinese people before thetourist boom. Anyone who has been to Bali or who plans to travelthere should read this book to begin to understand the culture of Bali and how the Balinese balance their their beautiful, unique culture with the demands placed on them by tourism on their island. This is a novel, yes, but anyone who reads it will recognize the realities.

3.0 out of 5 stars On time, November 30, 2011

By 

alberto (east point, GA, United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: On the Edge of a Dream: Magic and Madness in Bali (Paperback)

This is a good read for a variety of reasons.

Wisie was ahead of the curve in opening up the question as to what kind of economic models are sustainable for us to inhabit the earth positively. Implicit in this quest for meaning and purpose detailed in the novel are key questions for our time in the 21st century.

Unlike novels that point to Bali as a source of vast spiritual depth and practice yet use the Island to perpetuate romantic love as the Holy Grail of spiritual attainment this novel is broader in what the many facets of love entail. This novel registers as well what spiritual Magic, friendship, faith and respectful honoring can be about. The turmoil and challenges faced by the many characters from both the East and West are still relevant today and even more poignantly so as we collectively reconstruct the earth with new technologies and emergent spiritual paradigms of value to our age.

Surely, this is not Saramago deftly revealing personality and motivation with a handful of words yet the characters in the novel are evocative enough for the readers to infuse their own imagination into the visage of the protagonists' being. Perhaps, Murakami is the closest comparison at the moment for me yet without the poly genre complexity of the Japanese author. This is a novel more in the line of spiritual quest across cultures and time.

In the right hands this novel could translate nicely to a good film as well.

I read it in one sitting.