Clove Cigarettes and Indonesian Books: An Armchair Traveler’s Pleasure
The Modern Library of Indonesia series offers unparalleled access to the cultural landscape of the world's fourth most populous country.
Opium Traces
The Noir Traveler Returns: The Evolving Sound of Alvarius B.
The Invisible Hands have given us a glimpse of Alvarius B.'s (Alan Bishop) view of the world from the center of Cairo. It's not a happy perspective, but there's a hint of hope.
‘Longing for the Past’: When the Voices of the Dead Finally Reach Us
While listening to "The Dance and Song of Laos" (1906) a haunting voice, both enticing and archaic, mingles with the crepitating noise of the antique shellac.
The Atom Bomb’s Blast Shadows
The atomic bombing of Hiroshima forever altered popular culture, and the earliest traces of that tectonic shift can be found in an obscure government report and newsreel about the event.
Invisible Factory Billionaire: The Minting of a New Post-Colonial Literary Darling Tash Aw
With the publication of his third novel, Tash Aw's celebrity status is now assured. But do the books equal the hype?
“Only God Forgives'” Weird Yet Coherent Oriental Psychedelic Noir
In Bangkok, the convulsions of violence on the street merge with scenes of surreal ritual that is possible in the West only in dreams… or drug reveries… or films.