The Spears of Twilight
“A massive classic of modern anthropology . . . that reads better than most fiction” (The Guardian) and a Choice Outstanding Academic Book
“Philippe Descola writes in the tradition of Tristes Tropiques . . . [with] a similar ambitious intellect and elegance of style. . . . [However], Descola diverges from the global pessimism of Tristes Tropiques and recognizes a more ambivalent process of cultural invention as well as loss.” —The New York Times Book Review
The Spears of Twilight chronicles the extraordinary experiences of Philippe Descola, Student of Claude Lévi-Strauss, among the legendary Achuar Indians of South America. Combining ethnographic observation, travelogue, and personal meditation, The Spears of Twilight is an engrossing account of the resilient and complex Achuar people, as well as an intimate and often poetic account of Descola’s experiences among them.
