Wild Man from Borneo: A Cultural History of the Orangutan by Robert Cribb, Helen Gilbert and Helen Tiffin

JUDGES' COMMENTS

Wild Man from Borneo is a pioneering study of encounters between humans and the apes of the forests of Borneo and Sumatra. The orangutan is a species that has long prompted questions about where the boundaries between human and animal lie. The authors explain that while scientists saw the apes as distinct from humans, philosophers and writers considered the extent to which they had human characteristics.

The book spans several centuries, from early modern European explorers to twentieth-century film and spectacle. The authors are particularly concerned with ways in which orangutans were represented in aspects of western culture such as exhibitions, circuses and films. They also discuss the decline of the orangutan population and efforts to save them from extinction. Wild Man from Borneo comprehensively explores the changing ways in which scientists, writers, entertainers and others tried to grapple with both the differences and similarities between orangutans and humans. The book is a collaboration between a historian of Asia, and scholars of literature, theatre, and cultural studies. Wild Man from Borneo crosses borders between different kinds of knowledge, as well as ranging over space and time.