The Hundred Thousand Fools of God

Reviews / Votes

"This erudite, absorbing volume chronicles the travels of ethnomusicologist Theodore Levin through urban and rural Transoxania ... He writes in evocative, imaginative, personalized prose that vividly captures the flavor of his everyday experiences, providing plush visual detail, trenchant character profiles, attention to perplexing local hospitality codes and the shaping hand of gender, throughout." Slavic Review "... extremely informative, using music as a platform for a much wider discussion of cultural and political issues." Times Literary Supplement, London "The subject is music, but Levin uses it to cast a wider light, revealing places of considerable sorrow long hidden in the shadows of Soviet power, and to create a travelogue with wide potential appeal... Candor about his own uncertainties and personal struggles helps make this a personal as well as a scholarly adventure." Publishers Weekly (starred review) "Not to be missed by those interested in music and world culture ... " Library Journal "... may be destined to become the definitive work on the music of this newly accessed region." Dirty Linen