{"product_id":"a-savage-dreamland-9781408883815","title":"A Savage Dreamland","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe first of its kind: an exploration of one of the most mysterious countries in the world, as told by one of the first outsiders to access the country in its entirety\u003c\/b\u003eFor almost fifty years Burma was ruled by a paranoid military dictatorship and isolated from the outside world. A historic 2015 election swept an Aung San Suu Kyi-led civilian government to power and was supposed to usher in a new golden era of democracy and progress, but Burma remains unstable and undeveloped, a little-understood country.  Nothing is straightforward in this captivating land that is home to a combustible mix of races, religions and resources. \u003ci\u003eA Savage Dreamland: Journeys in Burma\u003c\/i\u003e reveals a country where temples take priority over infrastructure, fortune tellers thrive and golf courses are carved out of war zones. Setting out from Yangon, the old capital, David Eimer travels throughout this enigmatic nation, from the tropical south to the Burmese Himalayas in the far north, via the Buddhist-c\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eEimer’s journey takes him to all these trouble spots, including many not reported in the West. It’s a remarkable achievement because most are off limits to tourists and especially westerners … The result of Eimer’s intrepid endeavours is a revelatory and moving book, enriched by vivid descriptive colour and an incredible cast of characters -- James Holland * The Times *\u003cbr\u003e[Eimer] has served up something refreshingly different: an old-fashioned travelogue, and an excellent one at that … A rich and enjoyable mix of history, amateur psychology and personal reflection, with a few dabs of investigative journalism too … [Eimer's] sharp, always well-informed observations help to create a persuasive portrait of a country that remains beguilingly oblivious to Western notions of progress -- Richard Crockett * Literary Review *\u003cbr\u003eEimer’s powerful account reveals a country plundered and brutalised during the colonial era and decades of autocratic rule, while struggling to come to terms with the reality of its present ethnic and religious diversity -- PD Smith * Guardian *\u003cbr\u003e[Eimer] proves to be an able guide, and \u003ci\u003eA Savage Dreamland\u003c\/i\u003e explores the beauty but also the troubling realities of Myanmar, offering a vivid portrait of a country struggling to overcome its past, but where things may get worse before they get better -- Kit Gillet * South China Morning Post *\u003cbr\u003e[Eimer] is one of the best travel writers to focus on politics and current affairs … During his researches, he interviewed a large cross-section of Burmese and visited areas normally off-limits, including war zones … Eimer’s wide-ranging portrait of a country in straits as dire as they’re prolonged is both fascinating and troubling * Spectator *\u003cbr\u003eExplains wonderfully well why Burma today is both compelling and combustible … [Eimer’s] book is a good primer on history, culture and modern-day politics, and on the power wielded by the Buddhist hierarchy … If Orwell could read \u003ci\u003eA Savage Dreamland\u003c\/i\u003e, he would be impressed by this choral-voiced account of a country where so many, for so long, have been silenced -- Michael Kerr * Daily Telegraph *\u003cbr\u003e[Eimer] is an intrepid reporter … He goes to places where tourists, and many journalists, fear to tread … Eimer's book takes readers closer to his fascinating subject * Economist *\u003cbr\u003eA luminous journey into the haunted, heartbreaking, dark fringes of the betrayed, golden land -- Rory MacLean\u003cbr\u003eEimer’s informed peregrinations make \u003ci\u003eA Savage Dreamland \u003c\/i\u003ea fascinating and revelatory read * Irish Times *\u003cbr\u003eEimer is a meticulous, fair-minded and empathetic observer, he takes interest in people of all kinds and from all walks of life, and is adventurous and curious enough to go off the beaten track -- Peter Gordon * Asian Review of Books *\u003cbr\u003eA chilling travelogue through modern Burma intertwined with helpful historical context ... Riveting -- Tom Freston * Airmail *\u003cbr\u003eEssential reading for anyone with an interest in Myanmar * Mekong Review *","brand":"Bloomsbury Publishing PLC","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":49408022282583,"sku":"9781408883815","price":11.69,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9781408883815.jpg?v=1730501299","url":"https:\/\/bookcurl.com\/products\/a-savage-dreamland-9781408883815","provider":"Book Curl","version":"1.0","type":"link"}