In Light of India

“In Light of India” is Paz’s celebration of that country and his most personal work of prose to date. As in all of his essays, he brings poetic insight and voluminous knowledge to bear on the subject; the result is a series of fascinating discourses on India’s landscape, culture, and history. “The Antipodes of Coming and Going” is a lyrical remembrance of Paz’s days in India, evoking with astonishing clarity the sights, sounds, smells, and denizens of the subcontinent. “Religions, Castes, Languages” gives a survey of Indian history and its astonishing polyglot society. “A Project of Nationhood” is an examination of modern Indian politics, comparing the respective Islamic, Hindu, and Western civilizations through the course of history. “The Full and the Empty” is a brilliant exploration into what Paz calls the soul of India – its art, literature, music, and philosophy – and an uncompromising indictment of the self-centered materialism of Western society.