Complete Essays
Aldous Huxley, 1936-1938, Volume IV
Published on 5. November 2001
Book
Hardback
416 pages
978-1-56663-394-9 (ISBN)
Description
In this fourth volume of a projected six, Huxley registers his deep misgivings about the course of history in the late 1930s as the world moved toward a second global war. Many of his essays reflect his continuing interest in the conventions of popular culture as well as the philosophy of science and history, particularly as they inform developments in art and politics. But his larger concerns oscillate between empirical science and the particulars of social history, on the one hand, and his need for a grounding of absolute truth that would transcend both. His critique of politics and the prevailing ideologies of fascism and capitalism overlaps with his attempt to locate a foundational truth in a world of change and diversity. He embraced a form of political pacifism that intersected with an increasing attraction to religious quietism and mysticism. And he made a sustained effort to reconcile mystical experience with contemporary theories of physics and the philosophy of science. At their best, Huxley's essays stand among the finest examples of the genre in modern literature. "A remarkable publishing event...beautifully produced and authoritatively edited."-Jeffrey Hart.
Reviews / Votes
Perusing Volume One, I was struck by the sensitivity and the unerring perception in these unknown reviews, ultimately my most enjoyable reading of the year. -- Robert Kraft, conductor and writer on music * Times Literary Supplement * An important and admirable publishing event. * Atlantic Monthly * The editors have done their job with commendable thoroughness. -- P.N. Furbank * Times Literary Supplement * Huxley's political writing is often deliberately perverse. -- Leo Carey * The New Yorker * Much to enjoy in these volumes...they are important as a document and a window on to the stage in the evolution of his mind. * Economist * He writes with an easy assurance and a command of classical and modern cross-references. -- Christopher Hitchens * Los Angeles Times *More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Chicago
United States
Product notice
sewn/stitched
Cloth over boards
With dust jacket
Dimensions
Height: 235 mm
Width: 157 mm
Thickness: 32 mm
Weight
916 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-56663-394-9 (9781566633949)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Aldous Huxley (1894-1963) was one of the most important novelists of the twentieth century. Robert S. Baker is professor of literature at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and author of The Dark Historic Page and Aldous Huxley's Brave New World. James Sexton teaches English at Camosun College in British Columbia.