Be Specific About About Books Trail of Feathers: In Search of the Birdmen of Peru
| Title | : | Trail of Feathers: In Search of the Birdmen of Peru |
| Author | : | Tahir Shah |
| Book Format | : | Paperback |
| Book Edition | : | First Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 288 pages |
| Published | : | June 16th 2003 by Arcade Publishing (first published February 27th 2001) |
| Categories | : | Travel. Nonfiction. History |
Tahir Shah
Paperback | Pages: 288 pages Rating: 3.93 | 463 Users | 38 Reviews
Rendition In Favor Of Books Trail of Feathers: In Search of the Birdmen of Peru
A shrunken head from Peru and a feather with traces of blood are the clues that launch Tahir Shah on his latest journey. Fascinated by the recurring theme of flight in Peruvian folklore, Shah sets out to discover whether the Incas really were able to "fly like birds" over the jungle, as a Spanish monk reported. Or was their soaring drug-induced? His journey, full of surreal experiences, takes him from the Andes mountains to the desert and finally, in the company of a Vietnam vet, up the Amazon deep into the jungle to discover the secrets of the Shuar, a tribe of legendary savagery.- Travel writing at its best, at once colorful, informative, and amusing. Doris Lessing said that Shah has a "genius for surreal traveling."
- The cast of characters includes madmen and dreames, sorcerers and con men, headhunters and scholars--in short, the usual assortment for Shah.
- Features an appendix on flora-based hallucinogens of Amazonia, including ayahuasca, "the vine of the dead."
- Hardcover ISBN: 1-55970-613-9
Define Books As Trail of Feathers: In Search of the Birdmen of Peru
| Original Title: | Trail of Feathers: In Search of the Birdmen of Peru |
| ISBN: | 1559706775 (ISBN13: 9781559706773) |
| Edition Language: | English |
Rating About Books Trail of Feathers: In Search of the Birdmen of Peru
Ratings: 3.93 From 463 Users | 38 ReviewsCritique About Books Trail of Feathers: In Search of the Birdmen of Peru
Tahir Shah takes a curious rumour, turns it into a bizarre quest and creates a surreally funny adventure. He has woven more magic with this book (I have yet to read anything mediocre from him), which when I finally put it down, I was surprised to find that I had not actually been with him. Superb.One of my best books by Tahir- thrilling adventure as if I had been with them.
Tahir Shah likes to play the fool, but behind the jokes is a sharp observer of people. Trail of Feathers is actually a fascinating adventure and serious work of ethnopharmacology masquerading as yet another dumb European travelogue (as a Pakistan Brit raised in the West, I count Tahir as Western, at least compared to indigenous Amazonians). A chance encounter with a mysterious Frenchman at a London auction for shrunken heads gives Tahir the bug of an idea. The Inca flew, and he's going to find
The subject of this travelogue is one of the most fascinating I've found out there. The writing is smooth and direct, and the cast of strange characters join rank with those to be found in a Marquez novel. The author surveys the mysterious anomalies of the land and people of Peru, visiting well-documented sites such as The Nazca Lines and Machu Piccu, but shedding a perspective on them which isn't conventional to the world outside. Shah lets the reader's imagination fill the gaps he leaves open.
Tahir Shah is an amazing writer with a wonderful curiosity, intelligence and adventurous spirit. I have travelled in South America but his story of his quest to find the bird men taught me so much about the South American culture, the history, and the fascinating and heart breaking impact of Industry and Christianity on the rich tribal cultures and traditions, their spirituality and the plant life. I found myself laughing out loud at the incredible situations he found himself in. HIs
_Trail of Feathers_ by Tahir Shah began at an unusual place; at a London auction of shrunken heads. The author, who had been on the trail of shrunken heads for some time and who had sought to begin a collection, was frustrated by his lack of funds and the limited availability of tsantsas (as they are more properly called, a product of the Jivaro people of South America). However he did come across a mention of something else interesting out of Peru, a group referred to by a cryptic Frenchmen as
I checked out this book and returned it the same day.
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