Product Description

This comprehensive and balanced selection of Gandhi's writings, taken from his letters, articles, and books, represents the complete cross-section of his thought, from his early years as a young barrister freshly called to the London bar, to his final days as sage and counsel to newly independent India. The selection not only reveals the growth of Gandhi's ideas but also their essential internal integrity and consistency. Similarly, it illustrates the full facets of his personality: both acerbic and melancholic, gentle and forcefully intellectual, humourous and intensely demanding of his followers. Most of all, it reveals the deep humanity of the man and his rich vein of genuine spirituality. The Essential Writings shows Gandhi to have been both a contemplative ascetic mystic, as well as a man of action, revealing aspects of his thought and character that have previously been obscured, even to those who think they already know the Mahatma.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #153165 in Books
• Published on: 1993-05-20
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 464 pages

Review
'... a judicious mix of excerpts from Gandhi's letters, articles, and books which come together to provide a useful introduction to his political theory. The selected passages, together with Iyer's introduction, present a definitive picture of Gandhi. ... the organisation of the material makes the book easy to use without totally neglecting significant historical details. ... political theorists seeking a broad understanding of the way Gandhi perceived the world will find this selection more that adequate to their needs. Certainly, this is the best single-volume selectin known to me.' Mark Bevir. University of Newcastle upon Tyne. The Journal of Commonwealth and Comparative Politics

About the Author
Raghavan Iyer is at University of California, Santa Barbara.