Writing
Carla’s first book, The Sophisticated Savage, is now available from Inner Hearth Books. The anthropological memoir is based on Carla’s experiences getting to know Amazon-Jungle-born surfer Fredi Andy on the Galápagos Islands of Ecuador. From the back cover copy:
A Harvard student and an ex-cannibal may seem like an unlikely pair, but on a dance floor in Ecuador, their steps matched. Author Carla Seidl met Amazon-Jungle-born surfer Fredy Andi while teaching on the Galápagos Islands at age nineteen, and her life has never been the same since. Several years later, thinking that perhaps simple living was the key to happiness, Seidl returned to the islands to unearth more about Fredy’s story and see if their connection, and his seemingly carefree lifestyle, were for real. The duo ended up traveling to the Amazon Jungle to try to find Fredy’s family, and Seidl survived to tell the tale.
The Sophisticated Savage combines the best of biography, ethnology, and travel writing in an anthropological memoir with a romantic twist that will inform as well as engage. With a unique interweaving style and a refreshingly honest narrative voice, Seidl tells her own coming-of-age story and at the same time delves into the history of the infamously violent Huaorani tribe, the notion of the primitive, and the increasingly relevant topic of simplicity and its relationship to happiness.
Praise for The Sophisticated Savage:
“…Carla Seidl presents fascinating insights about the simplicity of life and happiness. “The Sophisticated Savage” is an intriguing read, highly recommended.” –Midwest Book Review
“…this merging of an academic approach with a romantic treatise….is very well done, very sophisticated and perceptive. Also very honest….well-written and thoroughly engaging.” –Creative Byline
“…intriguing and smart….” — Hannah Gordon, Foundry Literary & Media
To listen to excerpts from the book and a sample of Carla’s recordings with Fredy, please see “Cannibal Theme Park,” the related audio documentary, on the Radio section of this site, or see the slide show here. The Sophisticated Savage can be purchased online in paperback or as a digital download from Lulu.com. It is now also available from Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com.
