Miguel Covarrubias wrote Island of Bali is 1939. It is to this day the best account of life in Bali in the 1930’s and Balinese culture in general. Miguel managed to lay out a very personal impression of Bali and writes in a way that relates to his readers. He doesn’t come across like a professor, coughing up boring facts and unpronounceble names, instead he speaks as though he was discovering the island for the first time.
Covarrubias was a caricature artist as well as a writer and his work can be seen at the Neka museum in Ubud. The time he moved to Bali is refered to as the Golden Age of Bali by westerners. Certainly it was for the arts scene with people such as Colin McFee, Walter Spies and Rudolf Bonet learning and adapting Balinese music and art.
Miguel Covarrubias and his wife managed to get great access to the local Balinese culture. They lived with a Balinese family and had the time to observe daily life, ceremonies and get to know people. Hey I should do this sometime! Maybe if Tenganan had wi-fi internet access and didn’t mind a bule hanging out I could learn about their particular version of Balinese culture.
Last time I rode to to Gunung Batur in the highlands it was rainy and cold riding back. While I was getting soaked my mind went to the opening passage in Island of Bali, where he talks about his arrival in Singaraja, drive to to a cold, cloudy Kintamani and cruise through Bangli to Denpasar. My route then was slighlty different, but in many ways was similar with the climate, landscape and people still doing traditional work.
If you are intersted in Balinese culture pick up a copy of Island of Bali, its worth it. You can find this book in bookshops in Bali and at the airport in soft cover for $25.
Covarrubias’s life in Bali has been written by Adrianna Williams, part I in 1991. A book launch for ‘Covarrubias in Bali’ will be held at 6:30 p.m. at Art Space, Jl. Danau Tamblingan 47, Sanur, Bali, on the grounds of the Griya Santrian Hotel.
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