The Light of Asia

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 * The Telegraph *A rich history … Harding writes with energy and insight, wearing a tremendous amount of learning lightly – Rana Mitter * Financial Times *A work of remarkable breadth and erudition, that is immensely readable and filled with brilliant insights into ‘the intense, even salvific allure of Asian philosophy and spirituality’ – PD Smith * The Guardian *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 * The Spectator *Well-researched, well-written – Craig Clunas * Literary Review *

Christopher Harding is the author of Japan Story, The Japanese and The Light of Asia. Harding teaches at the University of Edinburgh and frequently broadcasts on Radio 3 and Radio 4. He also writes the IlluminAsia blog, about Asia’s influence on Western life.