Mahatma Gandhi, through his indomitable will and selfless determination transformed himself into a model of courage and integrity for India's people to emulate in their non-violent struggle for political power. More than half a century after his death, Gandhi continues to inspire millions throughout the world. Yet modern India seems to have abandoned much of his non-violent vision, joining the nuclear arms race. Inspired by recent events in India, Stanley Wolpert offers this subtle and profound biography of India's 'Great Soul'. Wolpert compellingly chronicles the life of Mahatma Gandhi from his early days as a child of privilege to his humble rise to power and his assassination at the hands of a man of his own faith. This trajectory, like that of Christ, was the result of Gandhi's passion: his conscious courting of suffering as the means of reaching divine truth. From his early campaigns to end discrimination in South Africa to his leadership of a people's revolution to end the British imperial domination of India, Gandhi emerges as a man of inner conflicts conquered by his political genius and moral vision. Early influenced by nonviolent teachings in Hinduism, Christianity, and Buddhism, he came to insist on the primacy of love for one's adversary in any conflict as the invincible power for change. He fearlessly courted suffering and imprisonment in pursuit of his moral vision. The sweet reasonableness of his 'Great Soul', combined with the steel of his unyielding opposition to intolerance and oppression, would inspire India like no leader since the Buddha - creating a legacy that would encourage Martin Luther King, Jr, Nelson Mandela, and other global leaders to demand a better world through peaceful civil disobedience. Gandhi's Passion is a remarkable tribute by a historian at the height of his narrative and analytical powers. Wolpert boldly considers Gandhi the man, rather than the living god depicted by his disciples. He thus provides an unprecedented representation of Gandhi's passionate personality and the profound complexities that compelled his actions and brought freedom to India.

About the Author
Stanley Wolpert is Distinguished Professor of South Asian History at the University of California, Los Angeles. He has published twenty books on South Asia, including Nehru: A Tryst with Destiny, A New History of India, and Jinnah of Pakistan. He lives in Los Angeles.

Reviews
"The fruit of more than 50 years of reflection by a distinguished Asian scholar, Wolpert's biography cuts through the misconceptions surrounding the father of modern India, untangling the complex relationship between his personal spirituality and his public influence."--Booklist "A dense, comprehensive survey of the events of Gandhi's life, tracing his metamorphosis from pampered child to 'great soul'....A clear-eyed chronicle of an exemplary life....Appropriately complex biography, deftly maintaining a balance of sophistication and explication."--Kirkus Reviews "In reminding us of the details of his extraordinary life, Stanley Wolpert has done the Mahatma--and all of us--a signal service."--The Washinton Post Book World "There have been many books about Gandhi, including those by the subject himself. What has always been needed is a full, literate account by someone closely familiar with India and Indian history who is also an accomplished writer and historian. This, we now have. Henceforth no one can claim knowledge of one of the greatest and most enigmatic figures of the last century who hasn't read it. And, I might add, no one will read it without interest and approval."--John Kenneth Galbraith "An excellent introduction to the work of the most compelling of 20th century leaders."--The Christian Century "[Wolpert] presents what many other biographers have failed to supply: a rationale for the indisputably great leader's seeming inconsistencies."--The Associated Press



Book Information
ISBN 9780195156348
Author Stanley Wolpert
Format Paperback
Page Count 336
Imprint Oxford University Press
Publisher Oxford University Press
Weight(grams) 485g
Dimensions(mm) 237mm * 154mm * 25mm