The Story of a Marriage : The Letters of Bronislaw Malinowski and Elsie Masson (Volume 1, 1916-20) [Paperback]

Helena Wayne (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 14, 1995 | ISBN-10: 0415120764 | ISBN-13: 978-0415120760 | Edition: 1

While much has been written about the work of Malinowski, little is known about his personal life. These letters, available for the first time, offer an insight of the man not just as teacher and scientist but as a husband, father and friend.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Malinowski was one of the founders of 20th-century social anthropology, a prolific writer, and an influential intellectual in both Europe and the United States. The first volume of these letters (thoughtfully edited by his daughter) comprises the correspondence between him and his then-fiancee (later his wife) during his original field research in Papua New Guinea's Trobriand Islands. Because this research may well be the most celebrated in anthropological history, it is of particular interest to anyone concerned with the social sciences. Malinowski's A Diary in the Strict Sense of the Term (1967) overlaps with these letters. The second volume tells us a good deal about how Malinowski painstakingly built his career. With publication of these letters, we now have a fuller portrait of this pioneer's outlook, feelings, and motivations. For academic and larger public libraries.?Glenn Petersen, Baruch Coll. & Graduate Ctr., CUNY
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

An intensely personal chronicle of the courtship and married life of an influential figure in the development of anthropological fieldwork....The correspondence, while not exactly passionate, is set against epic backdrops and radiates a tenderness and intense longing that seem impossible in this age of cellular phones and commuter flights....Essential reading for romantics, anthropologists, and history buffs.
–Kirkus Reviews

In presenting this chronicle of her parents' relationship-as it is revealed in their voluminous correspondence-the youngest daughter carries on the the noble traditions of her ancestors......As well as vividly portraying a marriage, the two books comprise a 19-year literary encounter between two articulate partners capable of deeply felt emotions.
–Booklist

Anyone interested in the life and work of one of the most influential and striking anthropological personalities of the 20th century will find much of interest in these two volumes.
–American Anthropologist --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 216 pages
• Publisher: Routledge; 1 edition (March 14, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0415120764
• ISBN-13: 978-0415120760
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,248,732 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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