Tristes tropiques

Tristes Tropiques is a memoir that combines travelogue and anthropological study, focusing primarily on Lévi-Strauss's experiences in Brazil among the Caduveo, Bororo, Nambikwara, and Tupi-Kawahib peoples.

The book also includes his reflections on his escape from France to New York during World War II and his observations in India and Pakistan.

It is characterized by its poetic and elegiac tone, lamenting the loss of pristine cultures and the impact of modern civilization on indigenous societies.

The work is highly reflexive, critiquing the author's own role as an anthropologist and the broader implications of cultural contact and development.