Net of Magic: Wonders and Deceptions in India
Vast like the subcontinent itself and teeming with outrageous and exotic characters, Net of Magic is an enthralling voyage through the netherworld of Indian magic. Lee Siegel, scholar and magician, uncovers the age-old practices of magic in sacred rites and rituals and unveils the contemporary world of Indian magic of street and stage entertainers.\ Siegel's journeys take him from ancient Sanskrit texts to the slums of New Delhi to find remnants of a remarkable magical tradition. In the...
Search in google:
Vast like the subcontinent itself and teeming with outrageous and exotic characters, Net of Magic is an enthralling voyage through the netherworld of Indian magic. Lee Siegel, scholar and magician, uncovers the age-old practices of magic in sacred rites and rituals and unveils the contemporary world of Indian magic of street and stage entertainers. Siegel's journeys take him from ancient Sanskrit texts to the slums of New Delhi to find remnants of a remarkable magical tradition. In the squalid settlement of Shadipur, he is initiated into a band of Muslim street conjurers and performs as their shill while they tutor him in their con and craft. Siegel also becomes acquainted with Hindu theatrical magicians, who claim descent from court illusionists and now dress as maharajahs to perform a repertoire of tricks full of poignant kitsch and glitz. Masterfully using a panoply of narrative sleights to recreate the magical world of India, Net of Magic intersperses travelogue, history, ethnography, and fiction. Siegel's vivid, often comic tale is crowded with shills and stooges, tourists and pickpockets, snake charmers and fakirs. Among the cast of characters are Naseeb, a poor Muslim street magician who guides Siegel into the closed circle of itinerant performers; the Industrial Magician, paid by a bank, who convinces his audience to buy traveler's checks by making twenty-rupee notes disappear; the Government Magician, who does a trick with condoms to encourage family planning; P. C. Sorcar, Jr., the most celebrated Indian stage magician; and the fictive Professor M. T. Bannerji, the world's greatest magician, who assumes various guises over a millennium of Indian history and finally arrives in the conjuring capital of the world—Las Vegas. Like Indra's net—the web of illusion in which Indian performers ensnare their audience—Net of Magic captures the reader in a seductive portrayal of a world where deception is celebrated and lies are transformed into compelling and universal truths. Booknews Siegal (religion, U. of Hawaii), a member of the International Brotherhood of Magicians, intersperses travelogue, history, ethnography, and fiction in a fascinating account of both traditional magic in sacred rites and rituals, and contemporary street magic and stage entertainers. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
The Code: Elements of Magic On the Street Now: Birds and Fire Scene One: Diving Duck Traveler's Journal 1: Delhi Scene Two: Soaring Pigeon Traveler's Journal 2: Kashmir On the Street Then: Ropes and Air Scene Three: Knots Historian's Notebook 1: Wandering Magicians Scene Four: Cut-and-Restored Historian's Notebook 2: The Indian Rope Trick On the Stage Now: Mirrors and Water Scene Five: East/Spring: The Reflections of Professor M. T. Bannerji Traveler's Journal 3: North/Summer Scene Six: West/Fall: The Reflections of Professor M. T. Bannerji Traveler's Journal 4: South/Winter On the Stage Then: Bones and Earth Scene Seven: The Skull of Vishvasiddhi Historian's Notebook 3: Magicians at Court Scene Eight: indrajalasutra: A Skeleton of Magic Historian's Notebook 4: Field Notes on Magic The Coda: Words and Ether Bibliography List of Illustrations Acknowledgments
\ BooknewsSiegal (religion, U. of Hawaii), a member of the International Brotherhood of Magicians, intersperses travelogue, history, ethnography, and fiction in a fascinating account of both traditional magic in sacred rites and rituals, and contemporary street magic and stage entertainers. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)\ \
