Amazon.com: Under the Dragon: A Journey through Burma: Rory MacLean, William Dalrymple: Books

Review
Praise for Stalin's Nose: 'Crazy, charming, a delight' - John Le Carre 'A minor masterpiece of comic surrealism' - The Times Praise for The Oatmeal Ark: 'So polished, so clever, so artful, so innovative; a remarkable, beguiling journey' - Michael Thompson-Noel, Financial Times 'Such a book as this rather marvellously explains why literature still lives' - John Fowles, Spectator --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

“A work of great political commitment, powered above all by the authors’ outrage at the injustices, brutalisation and mass violation of human rights that he witnessed in Burma. Yet for all its pain, Under the Dragon is a beautiful book. It remains his masterpiece; and in the light of the continuing tragedy in Burma is now more relevant than ever.” --William Dalrymple

“I cannot imagine a better book on the beauty and terror of Burma. Rory Maclean is more than a gifted writer. He is a man whose artistry is underpinned by a powerful moral sensibility. Read it. Read it. Read it.” --Fergal Keane, writer and broadcaster

“Exceptional insight and sensitivity, beautifully crafted and poignant… Maclean is a maverick among travel writers, his talent is multifaceted… Until the Burmese are free to determine their own lives then the pages of this wonderful book are as close as I will be getting to Burma.” --Sunday Times (UK)

“Shines with an almost unbearable poignancy...a beautiful insight into this unhappy land…a book which marvellously extends the conventional confines of travel writing.” --The Times (UK)

“It will make you cry and it will give you hope. It travels through modern decayed Rangoon, into the hills with warlords of their tribes, to the heart of government at its most sinister, and to the place where the best books go - inside you. It is astonishingly good.” -- Jeanette Winterson, author and journalist

“A triumphant exploration of a country brutalised by dictatorship.” --Independent

“I couldn’t put it down. It made me cry.” – Guardian

“After reading Under the Dragon, one can never again see Burma’s masses as faceless hordes. Maclean shows Burma to be a country of repression and fear, but also one of great individual kindness and passion.” -- Independent on Sunday

“This is an important book, and an essential book.” -- New Internationalist magazine

“Maclean takes the reader to the root of the problems of the country. [He] shows rather than tells his reader what it is like to live in Burma. He does it with humour and honesty. He expresses his feelings of a cowed and crushed people who can’t find words to express their sufferings.” -- Pascal Khoo-Thwe, Spectator

“Easily the travel book of the year…” – Wanderlust travel magazine

“Such an extraordinary book… a stunner.” -- Charles Foran, Far Eastern Economic Review

“This is a timely, fluent, passionate book about Burma which ought to be read by all who value the right of a courageous people to their freedom.” -- John Pilger, journalist

“A slim, beautifully written travel book.” -- Newman Noggs, Daily Telegraph

“Maclean gives an extraordinary sense of individual hopelessness and radical disorientation under a system of organised absurdity mixed with terror that is contemporary Burma.” -- John Casey, Evening Standard

“More than a travel book, this is an impassioned plea on behalf of a tragic nation… Beautifully written, with a powerful sense of involvement.” -- Sunday Express

“A sensitive portrayal of a people who must soon be allowed to emerge from the brutal and senseless repression of decades. It should be widely read.” -- Michael Tillotson, Country Life

“Immensely impressive.” -- John Boorman, Magill magazine

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Product Details

Paperback: 240 pages
Publisher: Tauris Parke Paperbacks; Reprint edition (September 16, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1845116224
ISBN-13: 978-1845116224
Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5 x 0.7 inches
Shipping Weight: 8.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)

Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)

Amazon.com Sales Rank: #401,619 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)
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#19 in Books > Travel > Asia > Myanmar

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	72% buy the item featured on this page: Under the Dragon: A Journey through Burma 3.7 out of 5 stars (3) $10.85
	10% buy The River of Lost Footsteps: A Personal History of Burma 4.5 out of 5 stars (13) $11.25
	7% buy A History of Modern Burma $16.49
	6% buy From the Land of Green Ghosts: A Burmese Odyssey 4.7 out of 5 stars (24) $11.19

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Customer Reviews

3 Reviews

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Average Customer Review

3.7 out of 5 stars (3 customer reviews)

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3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautifully written and haunting, November 29, 2003

By	"chezkelly" (Singapore) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Under the Dragon Travels In a Betrayed L (Hardcover)

I was captivated by the book from the first story to the end. Ni Ni's short life was a snapshot of the helplessness, courage and tragedy of the Burmese people under the rule of a brutal, corrupt and repressive regime. The search of an old basket weaved the stories and observations very nicely together. It was quietly powerful, a non-provocative, dignified and compassionate account of Burma. Throughout the book, I felt anger, sadness, admiration and humbleness. I was charmed by the generosity, friendliness, sincerity, warmth, hospitality, honesty, dignity and courage of the people. I wish the tourists and merchants could show more consideration and respect to Burmese people, culture, resources, environment and heritage. We would be no better than the foreigner who used Ni Ni and discarded her after use, who took without caring what he took away. The nation deserves better and this book helps us to understand its plight and hope.

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3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Quest makes frightening and alien culture accessible, March 19, 2002

By	C. Coltman (Islamabad, Pakistan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Under The Dragon: Travels in Burma (Paperback)

This evocative book has haunted me since I first read it last year.

Rory MacLean weaves the story of his search for traditional Burmese culture (in the form of an antique basket)together with the tragic and profoundly moving lives of some contemporary Burmese. His harrowing and potentially deadly experience at the work's climax, takes his story and experience of Burma far beyond traditional travel literature, as his terror, on the one hand, and frustration and sadness about the destruction of Burmese traditions, on the other, grippingly recall the fear and loss of his earlier subjects.

As he was in his earlier works, the author, is an intriguing character in this book. His uniquely personal involvement in the story and first person narration make the experience immediate and compelling, and as the reader finds herself drawn into his accessible story of the quest, so she gains rare knowledge of what might have remained unknowable: Burma and its people. The basket story not only creates suspense and unifies the book; in a small way, it brings the reader into the drama and emotion experienced by contemporary Burmese.

This book transcends its genre, and warrants reading and rereading. I highly recommend it.

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5 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Betrayed Reader, October 1, 2008

By	L. Prock (Tacoma, WA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Under the Dragon Travels In a Betrayed L (Hardcover)

I was under the impression that this was a must read from the other reviews. The quote on the cover from Fergal Keane says he cannot imagine a better book on the beauty and terror of Burma. I read to page nine and found a great descriptive of sex with the character Ni Ni. "He rose inside her, so deep that she thought she might burst".
Not my kind of book on beauty and the terror of any land.

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