{"product_id":"9781805263104","title":"The Nirvana Express","description":"Author: Mick Brown\u003cbr\u003eISBN: 9781805263104\u003cbr\u003ePublisher: Hurst Publishers\u003cbr\u003eYear first published: 01 Nov 2025\u003cbr\u003ePages: 536\u003cbr\u003eFormat: Paperback \/ softback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe captivating story of the West's love affair with Indian spirituality  from the orientalism of the British Empire to modern counterculture.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn 1897, an Indian yogi exhibited himself at London's Westminster Aquarium, demonstrating yoga positions to a bemused audience. Four years earlier, Hindu philosopher Swami Vivekananda spoke at the first World Parliament of Religions in Chicago, where Annie Besant extolled the 'exquisite beauty' of his spiritual message.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe Victorians were fascinated by, yet suspicious of, Indian religious beliefs and practices. But within two generations, legions of young Westerners were following the 'hippie trail' to the subcontinent, the Beatles meditating at the feet of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. Journalist Mick Brown's vivid account charts this eccentric history of Western obsessions with Indian faith, through a curious cast of scholars, seekers, charlatans and saints.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFrom bestselling epic poems on the Buddha to murder plots, magic and the occult,\u003ci\u003e The Nirvana Express\u003c\/i\u003e is an exhilarating, sometimes troubling journey through the West's search for enlightenment.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e'A work of compelling, stylish social anthropology... Brown has managed to compose a sober and wryly intelligent account of westerners in the east and easterners in the west.'  \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Brown has a light touch, like that of a beguiling baba himself...effortlessly encompassing anecdotal and intellectual history. He is a wicked portraitist, which is to say he is playing to his strengths in this pornographic prosopography of snake-oil spiritualists.'  \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eTLS\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e'[An] entertaining history of the West's fascination with Indian spirituality.'  \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Telegraph\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Excellent...a drily amusing book on a subject that would make many writers nervous. It describes some startling stupidity as well as some very sharp behaviour without forcing the point, and includes fierce assertions by followers on both sides.'  \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Spectator\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e'In a lively narrative, delivered with wit and warmth, Brown shows how Eastern mysticism went from being suspect to venerable, and back again to a subject of scepticism. Along the way, he delivers an outrageous cast of characters  film stars, novelists, heiresses and heretics  and shows how soothing swamis and dodgy charlatans left their mark on Western ways.' \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e The Daily Mail\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e'[A] fascinating tale of the West's love affair with spiritualism... Brown balances reports of the prejudices and racism of the British view of the Indian holy man (gurus were described as \"pantomime\" figures) with an account that offers rich insights into the appeal of hunting \"a spiritual Eldorado\"... such a masterful, compelling piece of history.' \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e The Independent\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e, 'September Books of the Month'\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e'An enlightening new book...Fantastic stories  packed with unlikely figures, strange twists of fate and even the occasional act of mind-reading  bring readers of \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Nirvana Express \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003eon an enjoyable journey.'  \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Economist\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Brown... has synthesised a small Himalaya of material into a clear and well-told narrative. His subject is not so much India as the uses and abuses of subcontinental religions in the West in the 20th century.'  \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eLiterary Review\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e'An engrossing account.'  \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Wire\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Eminently readable.'  \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Federal News\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Engaging [...] Brown is very funny and an excellent writer.'  \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNova Religio\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e'A sober but fascinating account.' \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e Global Intellectual History\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e'A captivating history.'  \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e Asian Affairs\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e'An absolutely fascinating and absorbing study of an under-explored subject. Written with great verve, insight and clear-eyed authority  a definitive and enduring book.'  William Boyd\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e'An enthralling read.'  Edward Stourton, \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eBBC Radio 4\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Ships in 10 to 15 days","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46857105539230,"sku":"ADS-9781805263104","price":34.78,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0400\/9043\/5742\/files\/9781805263104.jpg?v=1779154520","url":"https:\/\/classicbargains.com.au\/products\/9781805263104","provider":"Classic Bargains Australia","version":"1.0","type":"link"}