Appalled with the corruption of his daily life, Siladri decides to live the life of an ascetic with his wife and niece, but arch-witch Daya Datu and her protegee conspire to kill Siladri and kidnap his niece

The Painted Alphabet

Literature & Fiction

Darling, Diana

United States

Houghton/Mifflin

Appalled with the coruption of his daily life, Siladri decides to live the life of an ascetic with his wife and niece, but arch-witch Daya Datu and her protegee conspire to kill Siladri and kidnap his niece

The Painted Alphabet: A Novel (Graywolf Discovery)

Graywolf Pr

Based on a Balinese epic poem, The Painted Alphabet is a tale of magic, depravity, spiritual ambition and love. Hailed by the New Yorker as "dazzling little gem of a novel," Diana Darling's novel follows the adventures of two Balinese brothers, Siladri and Made Kerti who make very different choices in life. Siladri, driven to find an explanation for his era's evil, seeks the teaching of a holy man. Made Kerti stays home. In the course of their adventures, good and evil clash all around them, identities are exchanged, lost and found, and modern and traditional cultures collide.

History & Criticism

Tuttle Pub

Bali: Ancient Rites in the Digital Age is a personal portfolio of work by the photographer Ida Bagus Putra Adnyana—offering a close view of rituals that few people have seen, often in remote villages of the island. The Hindu Balinese ceremonies described by author Diana Darling cover rites of passage and the rituals of death as well as those devoted to the gods, to the lower spirits, and the initiation of priests.  As a Balinese from a Brahmana priestly family, Adnyana brings an insider's knowledge of his subject, and he is often granted exceptional access to rare ritual ceremonies. Thus, he is able to photograph with the highest possible intimacy.

Bali, Ancient Rites in the Digital Age

Arts & Photography

Photography & Video

Bab Publishing

Magic, depravity, spiritual ambition, sensuality, and love — The Painted Alphabet binds mythic and modern time together in a rich, slyly suggestive novel based on an old Balinese poem. In a fresh and startling picture of Bali — where witches coexist with tourists and talking animals — the novel explores a kaleidoscope of vanity, desire, and the longing for goodness.

The Painted Alphabet: A Mythical Story of Bali

Genre Fiction

Didier Millet

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Darling, Diana. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Darling, Diana

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Darling, Diana. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

The Painted Alphabet

The Painted Alphabet: A Novel (Graywolf Discovery)

The Painted Alphabet

Bali, Ancient Rites in the Digital Age

The Painted Alphabet: A Mythical Story of Bali

The Painted Alphabet: A Mythical Story of Bali