James Hamilton-Paterson spends a third of each year on an otherwise uninhabited Philippine island, spear-fishing for survival. Playing with Water tells us why he does. Beyond that, it gives an account of life in that class-bound country as a whole. For it is in places like this rather than Manila of the international news reports that the underlying political and cultural reality of the Philippines may be seen.
Playing with Water
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About the Author
James Hamilton-Paterson is generally known as a commentator on the Philippines, where he has lived on and off since 1979. He is one of the most reclusive of British literary exiles, sharing his time between Austria, where he moved recently from Italy, and the Philippines. His work defies accurate definition, containing elements of travel writing, autobiography, fiction and science. Hamilton-Paterson was born on November 6, 1941 in London, England. He was educated at Windlesham House, Sussex, Bickley Hall, Kent, King's School, Canterbury, and Exeter College, Oxford. Some of his other books include A very personal war: the story of Cornelius Hawkridge (1971), The View from Mount Dog (1987), and Gerontius (1989).
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
The places a writer writes are always somewhere else. Read the first page
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is a beautifully written story; Hamilton-Paterson writes about the complexities of the supposedly simple paradise of a tropical island, bringing the environment above and below the water, and the characters and character, of The Philippines to life.
Alongside the salt encrusted humidity of his tropical life, we learn about New Elizabethan England; finding ourselves in tunnels at school, blowing up water butts and recalling some of the moments in childhood that become so important in later life.
A great introduction to Hamilton-Paterson's wonderful writing.
Alongside the salt encrusted humidity of his tropical life, we learn about New Elizabethan England; finding ourselves in tunnels at school, blowing up water butts and recalling some of the moments in childhood that become so important in later life.
A great introduction to Hamilton-Paterson's wonderful writing.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By Mr. N. Foale
Format:Paperback
Which is the real world? Is it above or under the water? With home-made spear gun the author feeds himself while exploring among the corals off of the Philippine island where he lives alone. He describes the rhythms of the sea and of the fishing village life across on the mainland.
Memorably the colourful undersea world is mirrored in the New Year's sky with a typical Filipino cacophony of rockets and home-made fireworks over his usually peaceful island. We learn too of the practical use of explosives, with discussions of the hard economics (and expertise) of dynamite fishing. Normally though the tropical island lifestyle is meditative, and the author reflects on his parents and schooldays. There is however a contrasting aside on clamorous Manila.
The author rigs a swing from a tree branch overhanging a cliff edge, and likes to swing out over the water. The reader too gets that weightless feeling of aquatic pursuits.
Memorably the colourful undersea world is mirrored in the New Year's sky with a typical Filipino cacophony of rockets and home-made fireworks over his usually peaceful island. We learn too of the practical use of explosives, with discussions of the hard economics (and expertise) of dynamite fishing. Normally though the tropical island lifestyle is meditative, and the author reflects on his parents and schooldays. There is however a contrasting aside on clamorous Manila.
The author rigs a swing from a tree branch overhanging a cliff edge, and likes to swing out over the water. The reader too gets that weightless feeling of aquatic pursuits.
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
If you're inspired to go to tropical places after watching "The Beach", then this story might make you think again! It's full of the complex struggle to survive on a tropical island and reveals some of the home-sickness you might expect when so far from everything you know best. The author's spirit of adventure and survival is both realistic and at times esoteric. It shows how thoroughly inventive you need to be and also goes back in time to an interesting middle-class upbringing in 1950's London. Altogether a very interesting and enjoyable account.
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