An all-too-familiar memoir of cultural clash, misperceptions, and
Western gall, told by a husband-and-wife team. Looking for a tribe
to study for her dissertation, Gottlieb (Anthropology/University of
Illinois) lighted on the Beng of the Ivory Coast rain forest.
Despite their small numbers, the Beng offered everything that
Gottlieb required: anonymity, animist religion, and isolation from
the westernizing influence of the large West African cities where
French is spoken and locals snack on baguettes instead of yams.
Financed by the usual grants, equipped with the usual plethora of
academic and tropical gear, and enduring the usual delays in
acquiring permits, Gottlieb and Graham (Creative Writing/University
of Illinois) finally arrived in the small village of Kosangbe. They
were to spend a year there, Gottlieb gathering material for her
dissertation and Graham writing - he'd already published stories,
including one in The New Yorker. In alternating sections here, the
two record their experiences of settling into a village
understandably hostile to their constant questions and very
presence; of learning a new language and way of life; of dealing
with emergencies as big as the near-fatal snakebite of a small
child and as minor as the breaking of a taboo by sniffing the
contents of cooking pots; and of coming to appreciate the intense
belief in a hidden spirit world that inexorably shaped the
villagers' daily lives. This is the "invisible world" that, Graham
rays, makes artists, as well as the villagers, experience
"parallel" lives. But the couple finally understand that, despite
their beat intentions, inevitably infused with Western naivete,
there would always be "some invisible border that prevented full
citizenship in the Beng circle." Graham's words add a refreshing
sensitivity to Gottlieb's more precise narrative, but neither
author offers surprises, just the usual trials and tribulations of
fieldwork. Still, for fans of the genre, a satisfying read. (Kirkus
Reviews)
This suspenseful and moving memoir of Africa recounts the
experiences of Alma Gottlieb, an anthropologist, and Philip Graham,
a fiction writer, as they lived in two remote villages in the rain
forest of Cote d'Ivoire. With an unusual coupling of first-person
narratives, their alternate voices tell a story imbued with
sweeping narrative power, humility, and gentle humor. Parallel
Worlds is a unique look at Africa, anthropological fieldwork, and
the artistic process.
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