The Myth of India in Western Culture 1808-2017. On the Paths of Enlightenment

With the publication of On the Language and Wisdom of India by Friedrich Schlegel in 1808 there emerged in the West a new and increased curiosity for India and its extraordinary civilization. Starting from Schopenhauer's reflections on Hinduism and Buddhism followed in the early 20th century by the literary works of Hermann Hesse and the anthropological analyses of Carl Gustav Jung, India, with its millenary traditions and spirituality, seduced countless Western intellectuals and artists who in this country identified one of the most important cradles of human civilization. This gave rise to the creation of the myth in which India captured the imagination of young generations worldwide in the 1960s and the 1970s. This volume retraces the history of the West's Indian fascination by way of extensive iconography and contributions by various authors who examine the manifold spheres in which this allure expressed itself, from art to literature, music, religion, the history of customs and even psychology. The result is a very singular publication, covering the last two centuries of Western culture and including Schopenhauer, Kipling, Salgari, Redon, Gustave Moreau, Mata Hari, Kirchner, Hesse, Jung, Cartier Bresson, Le Corbusier, Ginsberg, Pasolini, Sottsass, The Beatles, Rauschenberg, Luigi Ontani and Francesco Clemente.