From the Land of Green Ghosts: A Burmese Odyssey (Paperback)
Description
In 1988, Dr. John Casey, a professor visiting Burma, meets a waiter in Mandalay with a passion for the works of James Joyce, and the encounter changes both their lives.
Pascal, a member of the Kayan Padaung tribe, was the first member of his community to study English at a university. Within months of his meeting with Dr. Casey, Pascal's world lay in ruins. Burma's military dictatorship forces him to sacrifice his studies, and the regime's brutal armed forces murder his lover. Fleeing to the jungle, he becomes a guerrilla fighter in the life-or-death struggle against the government. In desperation, he writes a letter to the Englishman he met in Mandalay.
Miraculously reaching its destination, the letter leads to Pascal's rescue and his enrollment in Cambridge University, where he is the first Burmese tribesman ever to attend.
From the Land of Green Ghosts unforgettably evokes the realities of life in modern-day Burma and one man's long journey to freedom despite almost unimaginable odds.
About the Author
Pascal Khoo Thwe was born in 1967 in a remote part of Burma's Shan States. In 1989 he left for England and studied English at Cambridge University. He now lives in London. This is his first book.
Praise for From the Land of Green Ghosts: A Burmese Odyssey…
“A magical story, full of richness and subtlety, told with the instinctive touch of a true writer.”
-Mail on Sunday
“[A] writer of uncommon elegance and sensitivity.”
-New York Times Book Review
“Rich, vivid and never..cloying...a marvelous book, full of pity, yearning and wisdom.”
-Sunday Telegraph
“The best memoir you will read this year.”
-San Francisco Chronicle
“A heartbreaking tale, told with lyricism, affection and insight.”
-Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“Unique as much for the riveting story it tells as for the sublime way it is told.“
-Seattle Times
“A distinguished accomplishment that radiates both intelligence and spiritual awareness.”
-Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
“A political statement as well as a poetic lament, the book is a true work of art.”
-Financial Times
“A page-turner…deeply moving, beautifully written, and most inspiring. My heart was filled with joy and gratitude.”
-Nien Chang, author of Life and Death in Shanghai
