Lament for Democracy and Other Essays

The essays in this volume are, at first sight, a curiously varied assortment. Written solely for personal pleasure, without intention or expectation of publication, many have long lain forgotten, gathering digital dust over many years. Except for those covering aspects of Balinese culture and history, they possess no unifying theme to justify inclusion. They range from the semi-academic to the frivolous, from the serious to the trivial. One essay explores an unexpected connection between narcissism and travel, another considers possibilities of life in the hereafter. Art and Disability is discussed next to atomic weapons, high crimes and nuclear misdemeanors. A comic village dispute in the depths of rural France is juxtaposed against the dramatic discovery of a new-found family uncovered by untangling threads of DNA. It is manifestly a strange collection, offered without excuse or apology in the hope that readers may perhaps find something to interest or amuse.