Chronicle of the Guayaki Indians - by Pierre Clastres (Paperback)

About the Book

The late French anthropologist Pierre Clastres describes in novelistic detail his encounter with a now vanished Paraguayan tribe.

Book Synopsis

Chronicle of the Guayaki Indians is Pierre Clastres's account of his 1963-64 encounter with this small Paraguayan tribe, a precise and detailed recording of the history, ritual, myths, and culture of this remarkably unique, and now vanished, people. "Determined not to let the slightest detail" escape him or to leave unanswered the many questions prompted by his personal experiences, Clastres follows the Guayaki in their everyday lives.

Now available for the first time in a stunningly beautiful translation by Paul Auster, Chronicle of the Guayaki Indians radically alters not only the Western academic conventions in which other cultures are thought but also the discipline of political anthropology itself.

Chronicle of the Guayaki Indians was awarded the Alta Prize in nonfiction by the American Literary Translators Association.

Review Quotes

"Ethnographer Clastres's chronicle is genuine, flowing, compassionate and lacking professional jargon. And Auster's translation makes every sentence a flawless work of the heart."-- "Publishers Weekly"

"Winner of the ALTA Prize in Nonfiction, American Literary Translators Association"

About the Author

Daniel C. Esty, formerly a top official with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, is Professor of Environmental Law and Policy at Yale University and Associate Dean of the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies.