In this new book written in the centenary of his birth, Nirad C. Chaudhuri brings to bear the collected wisdom of a life spent as a dispassionate scholar and a political engage, on one of his central concerns–the decline of western civilization. The book falls into three broad sections: the first part sets out his credo and his belief in reasoned faith, and in what he calls the creative and conservative energies of man, drawing on thinkers like pascal and de tocqueville. The second part traces the careers of the three horsemen of the new apocalypse, Chaudhuri’s name for individualism, nationalism and democracy, which he finds have acquired debased meanings in the contemporary world. The third is not only about decline at the core, the geographical space called Europe, but also in its penumbra, that is, all the countries once under colonial rule. With its Gibboniam resonances, this book is a highly readable and visionary mediation on the twentieth century as it draws to a close. Chaudhuri’s prescience, his measured prose, and his challenging and acerbic judgements on subjects as varied as English royalty, dress codes, nuclear weapons and American life make it an idiosyncratic, thought-provoking contribution to the history of our times. Full of astute observations, at once engaging and disturbing, this work will remain an enduring monument to a man known throughout the world as one of India’s finest and most important writers.
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