Ian Buruma Biography

Ian Buruma

With an English mother, Dutch father, and Japanese wife, Buruma considers himself an ideal observer of cultural and ethnic identity in conflict with modern technology. He writes political and cultural commentary on Asia for several western publications; his work focuses on Japan, Korea, Myanmar, and the Philippines. Among his non-fiction works are God's Dust: A Modern Asian Journey (1989), Behind the Mask: On Sexual Demons, Sacred Mothers, Transvestites, Gangsters, Drifters, and Other Japanese Cultural Heroes (1984), and The Wages of Guilt: Memories of War in Germany and Japan (1994). He has also written a novel, Playing the Game (1991).