Theater in a Crowded Fire: Ritual and Spirituality at Burning Man [With DVD] (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9780520260887)

Every summer, thousands gather from around the world in the blistering heat of Nevada's Black Rock Desert for the seven-day celebration of art, community, and fire known as Burning Man. Culminating in the spectacular incineration of a wooden effigy, this festival is grand-scale theater for self-expression, personal transformation, eclectic spirituality, communal bonding, and cultural renewal. In this engrossing ethnography of the Burning Man phenomenon, Lee Gilmore explores why "burners" come in vast numbers to transform a temporary gathering of strangers into an enduring community. Accompanied by a DVD, which provides panoramic views of events, individuals, artworks, and, of course, the climactic final night, the book delves into the varieties of spirituality, ritual, and performance conducted within the festival space.

Author: Lee Gilmore
ISBN-10: 0520260880
ISBN-13: 9780520260887
Publisher: University of California Press
Language: English
Published: 06/08/2010
Pages: 256
Format: Paperback
Weight: 0.80lbs
Size: 8.90h x 5.90w x 0.70d

Review Citation(s):
Choice 12/01/2010
Reference and Research Bk News 11/01/2010 pg. 263