- Published: 14 May 2024
- ISBN: 9780241434444
- Imprint: Allen Lane
- Format: Hardback
- Pages: 464
- RRP: $65.00
The Light of Asia
A History of Western Fascination with the East
- Published: 14 May 2024
- ISBN: 9780241434444
- Imprint: Allen Lane
- Format: Hardback
- Pages: 464
- RRP: $65.00
‘This beautifully written, deeply absorbing and revelatory account … offers a fresh perspective … a judicious, far-reaching exploration of how the discovery of Eastern beliefs, customs and mores helped to shape Western ideas as much as Western advancements were in turn being taken up in the East … fascinating … makes an elegant and entertaining progress from the Ancient Greeks to the "raga rock" of the Beatles’ Norwegian Wood’
Mick Brown, Daily Telegraph
‘A rich history … Harding writes with energy and insight, wearing a tremendous amount of learning lightly’
Rana Mitter, Financial Times
‘A very interesting book … I found his history fascinating. The book is a fine complement to Edward Said’s Orientalism, as Harding fills many of the gaps in Said’s famous thesis’
Ian Buruma, Spectator
‘Well-researched, well-written’
Craig Clunas, Literary Review