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Cover of Tristes Tropiques by Claude Lévi-Strauss

Tristes Tropiques

  • 416 pages · about 7 hours
  • First published 1955
  • 84 editions
  • Free to read

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1 About this book

Tristes Tropiques (the French title translates literally as "Sad Tropics") is a memoir, first published in France in 1955, by the anthropologist and structuralist Claude Lévi-Strauss. It documents his travels and anthropological work, focusing principally on Brazil, though it refers to many other places, such as the Caribbean and India.

Although ostensibly a travelogue, the work is infused with philosophical reflections and ideas linking many academic disciplines, such as sociology, geology, music, history and literature. The book was first translated into English by John Russell as A World on the Wane.

Summary adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Good for readers who want: history, travel writing, and a book they can read free online.

  • Anthropology
  • Indigenous peoples
  • History
  • Indigenous peoples of South America
  • Description and travel
  • Social life and customs
  • Travel
  • Underground movements

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