Parallel Worlds: An Anthropologist and a Writer Encounter Africa

From Publishers Weekly
In 1979 and 1980, anthropologist Gottlieb and her husband, Graham, a fiction writer, lived among the Beng people in a remote rain forest in the Ivory Coast. Alternating perspectives from each author, this sensitive, suspenseful and delicately textured narrative is a "candid memoir of the couple's pain and joy." As Gottlieb queries villagers from her anthropologist's perspective, Graham sees a metaphor for their new life: "a novel of manners written in a foreign language." But gaining the villagers' trust is difficult for Gottlieb; only after she fires her recalcitrant translator does she learn that the villagers had resolved not to reveal important matters. Ultimately, she finds a confidante, gains entree into Beng society and confronts unimagined rituals. Graham likens the village intrigues to the work of Garcia Marquez and even to the dynamics of American small towns; in retrospect he considers himself "an ethnographer of my own imagination." Gottlieb and Graham teach, respectively, anthropology and creative writing at the University of Illinois. Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Library Journal
In the West African rain forest of the Ivory Coast, the two authors studied the complex social life and traditional animist religion of Kosangbe and Asagbe, two small Beng villages of the M'Bahiakro region. During their 15-month research project (1979-81), Gottlieb and Graham had to overcome both disease and rejection by the villagers, thus experiencing the problems as well as the rewards of ethnographic fieldwork. Armenan, their helpful informant, agreed to disclose the secret meanings behind the thoughts and rituals of the suspicious and argumentative villagers. The authors consider such issues as kinship, language, divination, trials, sacrifices, childbirths, weddings, and funerals. They also pay special attention to taboos, witchcraft, sorcery, and the pervasive influence of spirits from an invisible world. A book of unusual candor, Parallel Worlds offers a unique introduction to Africa. Recommended for all anthropology collections.- H. James Birx, Canisius Coll., Buffalo, N.Y.Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Kirkus Reviews
An all-too-familiar memoir of cultural clash, misperceptions, and Western gall, told by a husband-and-wife team. Looking for a tribe to study for her dissertation, Gottlieb (Anthropology/University of Illinois) lighted on the Beng of the Ivory Coast rain forest. Despite their small numbers, the Beng offered everything that Gottlieb required: anonymity, animist religion, and isolation from the westernizing influence of the large West African cities where French is spoken and locals snack on baguettes instead of yams. Financed by the usual grants, equipped with the usual plethora of academic and tropical gear, and enduring the usual delays in acquiring permits, Gottlieb and Graham (Creative Writing/University of Illinois) finally arrived in the small village of Kosangb‚. They were to spend a year there, Gottlieb gathering material for her dissertation and Graham writing--he'd already published stories, including one in The New Yorker. In alternating sections here, the two record their experiences of settling into a village understandably hostile to their constant questions and very presence; of learning a new language and way of life; of dealing with emergencies as big as the near-fatal snakebite of a small child and as minor as the breaking of a taboo by sniffing the contents of cooking pots; and of coming to appreciate the intense belief in a hidden spirit world that inexorably shaped the villagers' daily lives. This is the ``invisible world'' that, Graham says, makes artists, as well as the villagers, experience ``parallel'' lives. But the couple finally understand that, despite their best intentions, inevitably infused with Western naivet‚, there would always be ``some invisible border that prevented full citizenship in the Beng circle.'' Graham's words add a refreshing sensitivity to Gottlieb's more precise narrative, but neither author offers surprises, just the usual trials and tribulations of fieldwork. Still, for fans of the genre, a satisfying read. -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.


Book Description
This suspenseful and moving memoir of Africa recounts the experiences of Alma Gottlieb, an anthropologist, and Philip Graham, a fiction writer, as they lived in two remote villages in the rain forest of Cote d'Ivoire. With an unusual coupling of first-person narratives, their alternate voices tell a story imbued with sweeping narrative power, humility, and gentle humor. Parallel Worlds is a unique look at Africa, anthropological fieldwork, and the artistic process.

"A remarkable look at a remote society [and] an engaging memoir that testifies to a loving partnership . . . compelling."--James Idema, Chicago Tribune




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In the West African rain forest of the Ivory Coast, the two authors studied the complex social life and traditional animist religion of Kosangbe and Asagbe, two small Beng villages of the M'Bahiakro region. During their 15-month research project (1979-81), Gottlieb and Graham had to overcome both disease and rejection by the villagers, thus experiencing the problems as well as the rewards of ethnographic fieldwork. Armenan, their helpful informant, agreed to disclose the secret meanings behind the thoughts and rituals of the suspicious and argumentative villagers. The authors consider such issues as kinship, language, divination, trials, sacrifices, childbirths, weddings, and funerals. They also pay special attention to taboos, witchcraft, sorcery, and the pervasive influence of spirits from an invisible world. A book of unusual candor, Parallel Worlds offers a unique introduction to Africa. Recommended for all anthropology collections.-- H. James Birx, Canisius Coll., Buffalo, N.Y.


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