A Times, Spectator, TLS and BBC Music Magazine Book of the Year

'Fascinating.' Guardian

'Superlative.' The Times

'Definitive.' Observer

As an icon of India, Ravi Shankar ranks not far below Gandhi or the Taj Mahal. He was one of the twentieth century's most important musicians, the breadth of his impact reflected in those he influenced: George Harrison, John Coltrane, Philip Glass and Yehudi Menuhin, to name a few.

In this first biography of Ravi Shankar, Oliver Craske presents a full portrait of the man and the artist, painting a vivid picture of the public and private faces of a captivating, restless workaholic who lived an intense and extraordinary life across ninety-two years.

'A masterly chronicle of a life teeming with all-too-human incident but heavenly inspiration.' The Times

The first full biography of Ravi Shankar, India's most important cultural figure of the past century.

About the Author
Alongside a career as a publisher of books on music and art, Oliver Craske has pursued a longstanding interest in Indian music, and was appointed to work with Ravi Shankar as the ghostwriter of his autobiography Raga Mala(1997), carrying out over 30 hours of interviews, and forming a close bond for the last eighteen years of his life. Shankar encouraged him to write his full story after his death. He is curatorial consultant to London's Southbank Centre for their exhibition on Ravi Shankar, which will run from January to June 2020. He has visited India frequently over the past two decades, and is a student of North Indian classical vocal music under Chandrima Misra at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan in London.


Book Information
ISBN 9780571350865
Author Oliver Craske
Format Paperback
Page Count 672
Imprint Faber & Faber
Publisher Faber & Faber
Weight(grams) 530g
Dimensions(mm) 198mm * 129mm * 37mm