Bangladesh: Reflections on the Water.

EVEN WITHIN THE COUNTRY views of it are very varied, often polarized. But outside Bangladesh, people can characterize it ("so poor," "so vulnerable," "so hopeless") without knowing much about it. And they probably never will, because despite the tourism department's intentions, few outsiders go to Bangladesh who do not really have to go. So its reputations will live on, unqualified. Few know of its beauty, the courage and ingenuity of its people, their sense of aesthetics (embodied in the colour of their textiles, the design of their river-boats).

This brave and exceptional book stands against the indifference to the history and cultures of Bangladesh. James Novak describes life in a village and life among the elite in terms of two thousand years' history. It is exceptional because there are -- to my knowledge -- no books in English about the whole country which answer the questions of a serious traveller, introductory student, and new resident. It is brave because, while there are good markets for books about "The Italians" and "The French," the market for the "Bangladeshis" is small. And, as Novak says, few visit simply to learn about the country: "nearly everyone has an angle."

Novak's is the first in an Indiana series edited by David Steinberg about countries in Asia for the generally interested reader. Novak's angle was pharmaceuticals and (later) he was director of the Asia Foundation. His list of credits for advice and suggestions among Bangladeshis is literally a Who's Who of the cultural, political, and socioeconomic nervous system of the country. He was preceded to Dhaka by his elder brother who was murdered in rare fundamentalist agitations in 1964, and this book is partially a homage to his brother. Having been both in business and in development activities, Novak knows the people who made the country tick, and knows why.

Is it a fear of flying which keeps academics from generalizing about whole countries, even new and small countries like Bangladesh? The perils of abstraction and synthesis are high, whether we are talking about "The Bangladeshis" or "The Italians." Novak's effort is looking those perils in the eye. I do not know what Bangladeshis will make of Novak's attempt, which he poetically and wisely subtitled "reflections on the water," to catch the perceptual, mirrored quality of much of his work. But I think the book will provide just the right stimulus to people who are starting to think seriously about the country.

Novak is specially insightful about U.S.-Bangladesh relations, the evolution of the Bangla language within the country (in relation to West Bengal), the role of foreign merchants and missionaries, the organizational dynamism of Bangladeshi women, and the complexities of Muslim-Hindu relations. He mingles poetry and poets with coups and corruption. Rural Bangladeshis are described as "mystic, parochial, traditional, clannish, austere," but "not noble savages." Among the middle class Novak finds intelligence and great endurance, but also (among some) a "surly, twisted-lip self-pity" which, he says, inhibits the country's approach to the rest of the world.

I agree it is time to draw together the pictures of the country which others draw. The problem is that the country being small invites generalization, yet is also dense and complex, and so resists it. He needs to go further with his observations on internal differentiation, distinctions between districts and dialects, kinship and king-making -- all of which influence politics and political culture -- including the civil service and military.

This book is a companion to Craig Baxter and Syedur Rahman, Historical Dictionary of Bangladesh (Metuchen, NJ: Scarecrow Press, 1989).

Novak closes with an excellent bibliographic essay, advice to new investors and visitors, and with the question "Will Bangladesh survive?." His answer focusses on the strain between population and resources, and on the strategic intentions of the neighbours, including the potential overwhelming dominance of India. Given the long history of tenacity and ingenuity he describes, Novak says yes, most certainly, Bangladesh will survive.

ROBERT S. ANDERSON Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, Canada