(12/17/2001)
Bali's innate and all-pervading spirituality seems destined to be shared with the world primarily by female writers. Arguably, the female psyche shares a special affinity with Bali's earthy seductive charm as evidenced, in varying degrees, by Vicki Baum's A Tale from Bali, K'tut Tantri's fanciful Revolt in Paradise, and Diana Darling's compelling The Painted Alphabet.
The latest entry in the growing list of books relating Bali from a feminine perspective is Odyle Knight's Bali Moon - A Spiritual Odyssey.
An educator and counselor, Odyle first came to Bali some fifteen years ago with stops in Java, Sumatra, Kalimantan (Borneo) and Sulawesi along the way. Captivated by the island's mystical and magical traditions, her book tells of the loves and adventures of a young Australian woman, Lia, seduced by the island and by a Balinese man living in two worlds: One, the modern world of Bali's amplified and stage-lit night spots and, the other, the deeply ritualistic world of a Bali-Hindu traditional healer.
Biographical or a complete work of fiction?
Odyle's not talking. Mysteriously, she describes the book in oxymoronic terms as a "fictional autobiography."
But, by anyone’s standards - a very good read.
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