An Empire of the East

From Sumatra to East Timor and beyond, An Empire of the East is a fascinating look at a rapidly changing island nation

In An Empire of the East, renowned travel essayist Norman Lewis takes readers to Indonesia, where some thirteen thousand islands in the South Pacific are each colored with their own unique cultures and histories. With more than three hundred ethnic groups speaking two hundred fifty languages, the warmth and generosity of the island people is matched only by the country's complicated political and social landscape. Lewis's account tells of a country whose remarkable cultures--as well as its flora and fauna--are increasingly shaped by the waves of modernity and global tourism.