The Songlines by Bruce Chatwin
'Songlines' or 'Dreaming Tracks' are what all Europeans call the labyrinth of invisible pathways that meander all over Australia. To Aboriginals, they are the 'Footprints of the Ancestors'; they are both intricate sources of personal identity and territorial markers.
From such ancient line, Bruce Chatwin has been able to trace a great deal about an Aboriginal culture as complex as it is different from our own. The conflict between the two ways of life mirrors that within 'civilised' man himself. Disputes over the right to excavate land that is sacred to wandering tribes highlight the importance of myth and instinct in the human psyche.
What might in other hands seem theatrically picaresque, Bruce Chatwin transforms into something approaching the scale of Greek tragedy. . .
About the Author
Bruce Chatwin reinvented British travel writing with his first book, IN PATAGONIA, and followed it with four other books, each unique and extraordinary. He died in 1989.
Format: Paperback | 304 pages
Dimensions (cm): 19.8 x 12.9 x 2.2 | 220g
Publication Date: 2005
Publisher: Random House
Imprint: Vintage Books
Publication City/Country: London, United Kingdom
Language: English
Edition Number: 1
ISBN10: 0099769913
ISBN13: 9780099769910
Condition: Good
A vintage book that has been read but is in good condition. Some obvious damage to the cover including scuff marks and creasing, and a tiny puncture (it's more of a dent as it has not gone all the way through) on the back cover that's also punctured (dented) the last 4 pages in the book, but no other holes or tears. The majority of pages are undamaged with creasing, but no tearing. No pencil underlining of text, no highlighting of text and no writing in margins. No missing pages.