The astonishing autobiographical story of a young man’s upbringing in a remote tribal village in Burma and his subsequent journey from his strife-torn country to the tranquil quads of Cambridge.
In lyrical prose, Pascal Khoo-thwe describes his childhood and early days as a member of the Padaung hill tribe, where ancestor worship and communion with spirits blended with the tribe’s recent conversion to Christianity. In the 1930s, Pascal’s grandfather (and head of the clan) captured an Italian Jesuit, mistaking him for a giant or a wild beast; the Jesuit in turn converted the tribe. (The Padaung are famous for their ‘giraffe women’ – so-called because their necks are ritually elongated with ornamental copper rings. Pascal’s grandmother had been exhibited in a touring Bertram Mills Circus in England as a ‘freak’.)
Paschal developed a love of the English language through listening with his father to the BBC World Service, and it was while earning money as a waiter in a restaurant in Mandalay to pay for his studies that he met the Cambridge don, John Casey, who was to prove his saviour. The brutal military regime of General Ne Win cracked down on ‘dissidents’ in the late 1980s.
Pascal’s girlfriend was raped and murdered by soldiers, and Pascal, by now a student leader, took to the jungle along with an army of students. How he was eventually rescued with Casey’s help is a dramatic part of the story, which ends when Pascal is admitted to Cambridge to study his great love – English literature.
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
Pascal Khoo-thwe was born in 1968 in a remote part of Burma. How he developed a passion for English literature (specifically, James Joyce), became involved in the student resistance to savage military repression, escaped to Thailand and won an English degree at Cambridge University is the story of this remarkable book.
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
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Book Description Trade Paperback. 1st Paperback Edition. Octavo Size [approx 15.5 x 22.8cm]. Very Good condition in Very Good Dustjacket. DJ protected in purpose-made plastic sleeve. A nice copy. Illustrated with Black and White plates. xvi, 304 pages. Unforgettably evokes the realities of life in modern Burma. Robust, professional packaging and tracking provided for all parcels. Seller Inventory # 318594
Book Description Soft cover. Condition: Near Fine. 1st Edition. xvi+304pp., Pictorial colour illustrated covers with a hint of corner wear and tanning to edge of textblock & outer edge of pages, illust. title-page, illust. map, foreword by John Casey, b/w plts. & text illust., epilogue, index. From the Land of Green Ghosts is the autobiographical tale of a remarkable triumph over despair, and of an encounter between two very different worlds. Hauntingly and poetically written, it unforgettably evokes the realities of life in modern-day Burma, and one young man's long journey to freedom despite almost unimaginable odds. Size: Octavo. Book. Seller Inventory # 004629
Book Description Trade Paperback. Condition: Near Fine. First Edition. Size: Octavo (standard book size). 304 pages. Text body is clean, and free from previous owner annotation, underlining and highlighting. Binding is tight, covers and spine fully intact. Pages lightly tanned throughout. All edges clean, neat and free of foxing. A fine unread copy. This book is available and ready to be shipped. The autobiographical story of a young man's upbringing in a remote tribal village in Burma and his subsequent journey from his strife-torn country to the tranquil quads of Cambridge. Pascal Khoo Thwe describes his childhood and early days as a member of the Padaung hill tribe, where ancestor worship and communion with spirits blended with the tribe's recent conversion to Christianity. In the 1930s, Pascal's grandfather (and head of the clan) captured an Italian Jesuit, mistaking him for a giant or a wild beast; the Jesuit in turn converted the tribe. Quantity Available: 1. Shipped Weight: Under 1 kilogram. Category: Biography & Autobiography; Myanmar; 1980s; History. ISBN: 0007142269. ISBN/EAN: 9780007142262. Pictures of this item not already displayed here available upon request. Inventory No: 8361. Seller Inventory # 8361