The Missionary and the Libertine: Love and War in East and West

by Ian Buruma

From Naipaul’s India to the last days of Hong Kong, and from the ghosts of Pearl Harbor to Benazir Bhutto, Buruma delivers an engaging and incisive look at the ways East and West understand–and misunderstand–each other.

At home in both worlds, Buruma traverses the realms of journalism, literary criticism, and political analysis, to examine the dialogue of fact and fantasy that affects our perception of far-away lands. Whether deconstructing the films of Satyajit Ray or the novels of Yoshimoto Banana, Buruma offers a splendid counterbalance to fashionable theories of clashing civilizations and uniquely Asian values. In twenty-five illuminating, often humorous essays, The Missionary and the Libertine shows us why Buruma’s reputation for writing the most compelling commentary on the faultlines of the East-West divide is so secure.

Genres: Japan, Asia, Nonfiction, History, Essays, Literature, Cultural Studies

348 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1996

About the author

Ian Buruma is a British-Dutch writer and academic, much of whose work focuses on the culture of Asia, particularly that of 20th-century Japan, where he lived and worked for many years.

Reviews

[Stephen Rowland · Rating 4 out of 5]

I must admit, I skipped about 1/3 of this book, namely the second part, as I currently have little to no interest in India or Pakistan or the Middle East. But Buruma's essays about Japan, though now a bit dated, are spectacular, and I tore through them as I would a fascinating novel.

[Ross · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easy to read collection of essays with good humour throughout. Some look forward to The Wages of Guilt and Occidentalism, some look back to A Japanese Mirror or Baden-Powell, and some give insight to contemporary events like the Philippine Peoples Power revolution and the last days of Hong Kong. Always in a human dimension.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Buruma is one of those authors who writes so fluently and convincingly on subjects about which I know relatively little that I just have to hope that he's telling it like it is. Reading these essays, I had the same feeling I sometimes get when reading Richard Dawkins or Steven Pinker at their most eloquent. There's that sense of awe at just how well, and how persuasively, they can turn a phrase and marshal an argument. Combined with the hope that the razzle-dazzle is not covering over an intellectually slippery argument.

All of which sounds unduly paranoid. What I am really trying to say is that these essays are fascinating, brilliantly written gems.

[Liam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actually 3½ stars, because, among other things, it has aged surprisingly well. It almost got four. Some of these essays were really good, some not, but most of them were at least worth reading. It is sometimes easy to forget how much the world has changed in the past thirty years, and this book was a good antidote for that...

[Eli]

The book is odd in places and sometimes refers to things which someone without a strong background in Asian Studies might not understand, but still manages to provide insight into the relationship between what is deigned "East" and "West." Its take on the Bhuttos is highly relevant.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant. Well told and i could never have hoped to learn so much about eastern literature and cinema in one sitting... and the great influence of western culture and the evolution. Also, great materials about many places that was both a learning experience and vibrant in its narrative - almost to a story telling level; i felt transported sometimes.

[Joel Gn · Rating 5 out of 5]

No one should underestimate this subtle collection of essays on the ironies and contradictions of the 'East-West' debate. Buruma's unique combination of erudition and wit made this an absolute page-turner for me. If only the majority of cultural critics were half as engaging!

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really good book! Buruma is insightful and funny. I'm surprised it hasn't been banned in Singapore.

[KNK · Rating 5 out of 5]

love these essays - have gone back to read them in my well-thumbed copy more than once!