The Long Path to Wisdom: Tales From Burma

Description

Jan-Philipp Sendker has visited Myanmar (Burma) for over twenty years and, while doing research for his novels The Art of Hearing Heartbeats and A Well-Tempered Heart, he encountered numerous folktales and fables. These stories reveal the rich mythology and spirituality of the diverse peoples of Burma, and the profound social impact of Buddhist thought. Reminiscent of the Brothers Grimm and Hans Christian Andersen, this collection illustrates how all cultures draw on a universal wisdom to create their myths. The Long Path to Wisdom's evocative stories are sure to delight fans of The Art of Hearing Heartbeats as well as readers new to the magic and emotion of Sendker's writing.

Jan-Philipp Sendker, born in Hamburg in 1960, was the American correspondent for Stern from 1990 to 1995, and its Asian correspondent from 1995 to 1999. He has travelled extensively in China and Burma and has an in-depth knowledge of the people and culture. In 2000 he published Cracks in the Great Wall, a non-fiction book about China. Global bestseller The Art of Hearing Heartbeats was his first novel.

'a love poem to country that is not one's own' * Bookanista * 'The folk tales [present] Burma as seen by her own people down the ages. For all the magic that naturally occurs in such tales, they are rooted in the everyday. Some of the stories will feel very familiar' * The Bookbag *