The Last Wild Men of Borneo

A True Story of Death and Treasure

By: Carl Hoffman

Narrated by: Joe Barrett

Length: 9 hrs and 18 mins

Publisher's summary

Two modern adventurers sought a treasure possessed by the legendary "Wild Men of Borneo". One found riches. The other vanished forever into an endless jungle. Had he shed civilization - or lost his mind? Global headlines suspected murder. Lured by these mysteries, New York Times best-selling author Carl Hoffman journeyed to find the truth, discovering that nothing is as it seems in the world's last Eden, where the lines between sinner, saint, and myth converge.

In 1984, Swiss traveler Bruno Manser joined an expedition to the Mulu caves on Borneo, the planet's third largest island. There he slipped into the forest interior to make contact with the Penan, an indigenous tribe of peace-loving nomads living among the Dayak people, the fabled "Headhunters of Borneo." Bruno lived for years with the Penan, gaining acceptance as a member of the tribe. However, when commercial logging began devouring the Penan's homeland, Bruno led the tribe against these outside forces, earning him status as an enemy of the state, but also worldwide fame as an environmental hero. He escaped captivity under gunfire twice, but the strain took a psychological toll. Then, in 2000, Bruno disappeared without a trace. Had he become a madman, a hermit, or a martyr?

American Michael Palmieri is, in many ways, Bruno's opposite. Evading the Vietnam War, the Californian wandered the world, finally settling in Bali in the 1970s. From there, he staged expeditions into the Bornean jungle to acquire astonishing art and artifacts from the Dayaks. He would become one of the world's most successful tribal-art field collectors, supplying sacred works to prestigious museums and wealthy private collectors. And yet suspicion shadowed this self-styled buccaneer who made his living extracting the treasure of the Dayak: Was he preserving or exploiting native culture?

As Carl Hoffman unravels the deepening riddle of Bruno's disappearance and seeks answers to the questions surrounding both men, it becomes clear saint and sinner are not so easily defined, and Michael and Bruno are, in a sense, two parts of one whole: each spent his life in pursuit of the sacred fire of indigenous people. The Last Wild Men of Borneo is the product of Hoffman's extensive travels to the region, guided by Penan through jungle paths traveled by Bruno and by Palmieri himself up rivers to remote villages. Hoffman also draws on exclusive interviews with Manser's family and colleagues, and rare access to his letters and journals. Here is a peerless adventure propelled by the entwined lives of two singular, enigmatic men whose stories reveal both the grandeur and the precarious fate of the wildest place on earth.

©2018 Carl Hoffman (P)2018 HarperCollins Publishers

Summed up very well by previous reviewers

I picked this book up in an Audible sale but I would have gladly used a credit for the experience. Joe Barret is by far my favorite narrator. I have over 1,000 titles in my Audible library and this book would fall within my top rated ten percent. My favorite genres are mysteries, thrillers and outdoor adventure. The book has several excellent reviews posted here so I don't think I could add much except to say that if you like the premise you should really enjoy the book. The amazing thing is that it's all based on actual events and all occurred within my lifetime. Apparently there had been some initial plans in the past to make a movie but it never materialized. I think it would be difficult to tie both of these amazing lives into a single movie but I think the author did a great job of it here. In fact I think the contrast just added to the story. Maybe a mini series?

Art, Timber, and a Vanishing Culture

During the parallel, contemporaneous, but largely separate lives of two Westerners, Borneo emerges from the Dark Ages, where it might have been better off remaining. It’s difficult to say.

Bruno Manser, a Swiss shepherd, climber, and student of nature, made his way in 1984 to live among the Penan people of Borneo, learning their language, adopting their customs, and earning their respect and acceptance. Michael Palmieri was a California surfer kid and draft dodger when he got to the region, where he, too, absorbed the culture and language and became an expert in tribal art whose provenance spanned centuries.

The two men met only once, barely realizing it, but both their lives had a profound impact on Borneo in the late 20th century. Palmieri had a long and lucrative career as an art dealer, while Manser fought the logging companies that were systematically clearing away the forests that were the Penan people’s world.

Hoffman’s account shows that neither man could easily be defined as “good” or “bad.” Palmieri devoted his entire adult life to Borneo and Indonesia, making a profitable business of selling ancient ironwood sculptures and other artifacts to collectors and museums worldwide – but much of that art would have been lost if he hadn’t. Manser gave his all to the cause of saving the Penan’s rain forest from destruction – but he didn’t succeed, and in the end disappeared into that wilderness without a trace.

Hoffman leaves it to the reader to decide.

His most sympathetic characters are the Penan themselves, who were promised schools and modernization by the Malaysian government in exchange for their timber, but got very little. “They had everything they needed; were fabulously wealthy. The Penan had nothing, but they had everything. They and their forest were incalculably rich… Indeed, their forest had become so rare, so valuable, that rich people who could never get enough had come and taken it away.”

Impeccably read by the incomparable Joe Barrett.

Excellent

This is two great stories which tie together. Don't be afraid to relisten to the first chapter or two in order to figure it out. The narrator is a little different, but good.

adventure is my bedtime story

love love love this work. great storytelling with much to glean along art history and travel

Wow

This is an amazing tale. The book tells the story of two different men. I can see why it angered some other reviewers who thought the writer shoulder have just written two books but I'm happy to hear both stories awkwardly mashed together as one book.
Bruno's story I had never heard of before now and it draws to mind the book "Into the Wild" about Christopher McCandless. Someone renouncing the modern world to go back to a primitive existence. It also gives a good window into one of the last nomadic people on Earth right as their lifestyle in the forest is destroyed by logging companies and the government of Malaysia. It's hard to believe the story all took place in my own lifetime because it feels more like a first contact narrative from hundreds of years ago. Fascinating start to finish.
Michael P's story is more lackluster and less adventurous. He does have some adventure stories but they're told looking back on his younger days. His modern life is one of bartering for cultural art found in the forest that he rarely goes to find himself. It gives one a good sense of the art that gets saved, destroyed, collected, faked, etc. One is grateful he has saved ancient artifacts from destruction while also being mad he's selling them to the highest bidder for a profit
Overall I highly recommend the book if you're into tales of uncontacted tribes during first contact (even though the Penan aren't exactly uncontacted) or ancient traditions being lost to the modern world.