Overview

A journey through human festivity, told through colourful travel narratives set at some of the world's most eye-catching festivals and interweaved with insights from the fields of anthropology, history, psychology, and folklore, examining why we celebrate festivals in the ways we do. Fiesta explores the vibrant tapestry of human festivity, delving into the extraordinary lengths we undertake to express our cultures and commemorate life's milestones. From drunken pilgrimages to sacrificial funerals, national days to neo-pagan necromancy, festivals represent human culture at its most vivid and varied, and the resulting account is both a rich collection of travel writing and an anthropological exploration of the roles that festivals play in society. Through colourful characters, vibrant sights, and varied locales, Daniel Stables takes a curious, humanistic look at festivals across the globe, unravelling the universal threads which run through our diverse global celebrations. AUTHOR: Daniel Stables has been working as a travel writer for the last decade, first writing guidebooks for Rough Guides, and later writing articles for National Geographic, the BBC, and national newspapers. He has won acclaim and recognition for his work, having been shortlisted for Travel Writer of the Year at the Freelance Writing Awards in 2021, and for Travel Feature of the Year at 2023's British Guild of Travel Writers awards.

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9781837732517

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Reviews

Daniel has the rare ability to seamlessly take fascinating anthropological and psychological perspectives and weave them into exciting travel narratives. A unique insight into the human condition through the lens of gatherings of all description - thought-provoking and inspiring. * Levison Wood, author of Walking the Nile *

Daniel has the rare ability to seamlessly take fascinating anthropological and psychological perspectives and weave them into exciting travel narratives. A unique insight into the human condition through the lens of gatherings of all description - thought-provoking and inspiring. * Levison Wood, author of Walking the Nile * A fascinating and illuminating exploration of the world's most remarkable festivals, packed with vivid descriptions and perceptive insights. An engaging and original writer, Stables guides you from masquerade carnivals to Shrovetide mob football matches, Romani pilgrimages to New Age utopias with wit and flair. * Shafik Meghji, author of Small Earthquakes and Crossed Off the Map * Ranging across continents and pulsing with original, on-the-ground research, Dan Stables' debut is smart, enquiring, vivid and often joyful - shedding light on how shared experience can bind festival attendees together. * Oliver Smith, author of On This Holy Island *

Author Information

Daniel Stables has been working as a travel writer for the last decade, first writing guidebooks for Rough Guides, and later writing articles for National Geographic, the BBC, and national newspapers. He has won acclaim and recognition for his work, having received several nominations for Travel Writer of the Year. More of his work can be found at his website, danielstables.co.uk.

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