Secrets of Bali: Fresh Light on the Morning of the World

by Jonathan Copeland, Ni Wayan Murni

“In Secrets of Bali Jonathan Copeland and Ibu Murni present a wonderfully fast moving account of Bali-from the outside in and from the inside out. Secrets of Bali places Bali into the warp and weft of the rich tapestry of historical context and ever changing contemporary life. It generously offers us a feast of rare and passionate insights from a man who has so obviously fallen in love with Bali and from a woman who, in so many ways, is Bali.” Dr Rob Goodfellow Author, journalist, researcher, academic

643 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 16, 2010

About the author

Jonathan Copeland was born and went to school in Belfast, Northern Ireland before going to London to study law at University College London.

He practised law in two major law firms in the City of London for 25 years. Throughout that time he travelled to Southeast Asia on a yearly basis and developed a passion for Indonesian culture and a strong desire to understand it.

After retiring from the law he researched and photographed all aspects of Balinese culture. The fruits of that research appear in the best selling book Secrets of Bali, Fresh Light on the Morning of the World by Jonathan Copeland and Ni Wayan Murni published by Orchid Press in 2010 and in its second print run, also an ebook available from http://www.murnis.com.

Jonathan is now a freelance photographer and writer specialising in travel photography. He lives mostly in Bali, Thailand and England and travels extensively. He stays in Rye every year and has written the ebook Walking Tour of Rye, the most beautiful town in England, available from http://www.murnis.com. He has also written the ebook The Bangkok Story, an historical guide to the World's most exciting city, which is illustrated by over 400 colour photographs.

Jonathan’s photographs have been published in magazines such as Garuda Indonesia in-flight magazine, Hello Bali, Ubud Live, and Bali and Beyond and newspapers such as the Jakarta Post, Bali Advertiser and The Times, Lombok.

He has contributed photographs to books, such as the ebook Murni’s Very Personal Guide to Ubud by Ni Wayan Murni, available from http://www.murnis.com, Dancing Out of Bali by John Coast, Indonesian Food by Sri Owen, The Ethnomusicologists Cookbook edited by Sean Williams and Bali: The Ultimate Guide to the World's Most Spectacular Tropical Island by Linda Hoffman.

His photographs are on the photography web site http://www.jonathaninbali.com.

Jonathan’s videos are on You Tube: JonathaninBali (http://www.youtube.com/user/Jonathani...)

Murni and Jonathan have a joint blog http://murnisbali.wordpress.com

Reviews

[Vivienne Kruger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Secrets of Bali: Fresh Light on the Morning of the World is one of the best and most delightful (and intellectually stimulating) books ever written about the magical island of Bali. Jonathan Copeland and Ni Wayan Murni take you eight secret, seductive degrees south of the equator for a cultural feast of explanation and information, Bali-Hindu enchantment, and art-filled wonder. The reader is taken into a mystical world of gods and goddesses, exotic Balinese village cuisine, opulent religious ceremonies, the ancient wayang kulit shadow puppet theater, and extravagant, lava stone temple architecture. As you read this important contribution to the permanent literature on Bali, you can hear the gamelan orchestra play, taste pemangku-dispensed sacred holy water, watch transfixed at a fire-born trance dance, and revel in the beauty of Bali's continual cycle of intricate rice field rituals.
The smiling faces of the devout Balinese shine through on every single page--as does the incredible depth of social and historical research on the legendary island of the gods. Jonthan and Ni Wayan Murni are situated near the village of Ubud (obad means medicine)--the creative and spiritual epicenter of Bali. Surrounded by emerald rice fields, artisans, painters, Balinese dance troupes, sculptors, sacred healers and balian, yoga studios, spas, and royal palaces, they were ideally positioned to create this eye-opening, literary masterpiece (and resource) about their beloved island of Bali. Congratulations!
This review was written by Dr. Vivienne Kruger, author of Balinese Food: The Traditional Cuisine and Food Culture of Bali (Tuttle Publishing, Periplus), 2014.
www.balinesefoodtraditionalcuisine.bl...

[Rob Goodfellow · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bali is one of the world’s best-known tourism brands. However, for many people it is not just a destination, but a state of mind. Perhaps that is why the Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru once poetically called Bali, ‘The morning of the world.’

Intriguingly, the island gives visitors a glimpse of what might have been had coastal Islamic Sultanates, such as Demak, not defeated the Hindu kingdom of Majapahit, changing the character of what was then the early Dutch East Indies, and eventually, modern Indonesia. (Bali is sometimes referred to as a ‘living museum of Hindu-Buddhist Java’). However, for many, the fascination with Bali is not about the past at all; it is about the right now. For this reason, Bali can teach us many lessons in these unsettling days. One is about the value of an ancient culture that has stood the test of time—withstanding the forces of globalization and cultural homogenization.

Bali represents the hope that human diversity can survive the 21st century. For reasons not completely understood by anthropologists, Balinese culture remains vibrant, complex and colourful, both despite mass tourism and because of it. Bali has not withered into a pale brochure-like parody of itself because of the onslaught of the modern world, but instead has thrived and prospered by reinventing itself in parallel with, and not in isolation from, other influences.

Human societies are never static; they are always changing. They may be in decline like the tribal cultures of Africa, the Indian sub-continent and the Americas, or they may be in the ascendancy, like American consumer ‘Coca-Cola culture’. The point is—none stand still. Bali likewise is changing, but in ways that often surprise and delight.

In 'Secrets of Bali: Fresh Light on the Morning of the World' Jonathan Copeland and Ni Wayan Murni present a wonderfully fast-moving account of Bali from the outside in and from the inside out. The book places Bali into the warp and weft of a historical tapestry of ever-changing contemporary life. It explains, clarifies and reveals. And it generously offers the reader a feast of rare and passionate insights from a man who has so obviously fallen in love with Bali, and from a woman, who in so many ways, is Bali.

Dr Rob Goodfellow.

[Saša · Rating 2 out of 5]

Man, this book needed an editor. So much stuff is repeated over and over. And the writing reads like a draft and not a finished book. Besides that, there were a bunch of interesting information but the book could be edited to half of its size without loss of information.

[Paula Gomberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very well researched and insightful read

This book introduces and captivates with mysteries of Bali culture, way of life and philosophy. It was a pleasure to read.

[Ivo Nicolay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Een encyclopedie over Bali. Een goede introductie

[Buglight · Rating 1 out of 5]

Um ... so incredibly disjointed and poor prose.