Smile as they bow -

Nu Nu Yi

Hachette Books

2008

146 páginas

4h 52m

ISBN-13: 9781401395704

As the weeklong Taungbyon Festival draws near, thousands of villagers from all regions of Burma descend upon a tiny hamlet near Mandalay to pay respect to the spirits, known as nats, which are central to Burmese tradition. At the heart of these festivities is Daisy Bond, a gay, transvestite spiritual medium in his fifties. With his sharp tongue and vivid performances, he has long been revered as one of the festival's most illustrious natkadaws. At his side is Min Min, his young assistant and lover, who endures unyielding taunts and abuse from his fiery boss. But when a young beggar girl named Pan Nyo threatens to steal Min Min's heart, the outrageous Daisy finds himself face-to-face with his worst fears. Written in lyrical, intoxicating prose, Smile as They Bow is, like the works of Arundhati Roy and Ha Jin, an unexpectedly whimsical, illuminating, and above all revealing portrayal of a culture few Westerners have ever witnessed.

Resenhas (2)

1 (Ruim)

narrativa ruim, história interessante

O livro fala sobre a tradicional celebração do festival Taungbyon no Myanmar (Birmânia) e centra nas histórias dos personagens Daisy Bond e Mi Mi. Daisy é um transexual que incorpora os nats, os espíritos que cerceiam a crença local. Daisy participa da celebração principalmente porque é uma das poucas oportunidades que ela tem de poder vestir-se como mulher sem qualquer repressão. O livro traz ainda histórias paralelas relacionadas ao festival, entretanto, embora o tema seja extremamente interessante, que foge do lugar comum, a narrativa é fragmentada e desinteressante.