And despite this difficulty I found the book to be completely engrossing. His work has progressed from stories about travel in his native india to a novel (The Romantics), but his new book about key figures in Asia's transition from colonial conquests to modern nations is one of the most informative books i've encountered in a long time. Very interesting. This state of affairs continued till the fifteenth century when Europe at last caught up with Renaissance and overtook it two centuries later with Enlightenment. Please try againSorry, we failed to record your vote. The annihilation of the Russian fleet by Japan in 1905 showed that Europeans were not invincible, and led to serious questioning of the West's colonising ways.
Maybe I spend too much time under my rock, but I think he should be much more widely known for his broad knowledge of history and deep understanding of the interaction between western and eastern philosophy and religion and the perspective he brings to it of someone who grew up struggling with both worlds.Outstanding. Commenting on a nineteenth-century revolt in Egypt, The Times wrote, with typical English understatement, that "a native opinion exists... and is not to be entirely ignored. Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read. The author has done his research and worked hard to present a very readable version of what is a library of sources.
The temporal focus is on the 19th and 20th centuries. i read it out of an interest in Asian history, but frankly, i think i learned more about the dynamics of contemporary global politics from the process. The biographies that are the focus of the book are generally ordered around the religious context of the three areas: the Middle East, South Asia, and China/Japan/Korea. This book is a book on the specific world view and historical mindset of the educated Asian (east and south) and middle eastern middles classes and their perceptitough book to review, at first and to be honest I am still quite skeptical but I do believe this book is one of those I will remember for a long time. This is a must read for any history buff. One has to dig down into the details and the truth may never reveal itself. Prime members enjoy FREE Delivery and exclusive access to music, movies, TV shows, original audio series, and Kindle books.
But thank goodness for Pankaj Mishra, who gives us history like nothing Americans are likely to encounter in school: history from the point of view of majority non-white nations around the time of the first global upheaval, at the turn of the last century and the First World War. Free delivery on qualified orders. Maybe I spend too much time under my rock, but I think he should be much more widely known for his broad knowledge of history and deep understanding of the interaction between western and eastern philosophy and religion and the perspective he brings to it of someone who grew up struggling with both worlds.Pankaj Mishra is a journalist and novelist with an articulate prose style. But thank goodness for Pankaj Mishra, who gives us history like nothing Americans are likely to encounter in school: history from the point of view of majority non-white nations around the time of the fiA little history is a dangerous thing. Instead, Mishra pays more attention to Europe's economic subjugation of Asia and the Middle East throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. Technically, the prose is not really as good as you might expect from an accomplished novellist and based on Mishra's excellent polemic essays - for example his exchange with Niall Ferguson.Complex book to review, but when it all comes down - disappointing. Steeped in a cultAsia is the cradle of all civilizations and religions now extant in the world. it took that u-turn and became something completely different. Review of “From the Ruins of Empire” by Pankaj Mishra. One has to dig down into the details and the truth may never reveal itself. It's a necessary corrective. Asians watched their masters and responded in various ways to challenge them.
A lot of history, including recent developments, is illuminated by this book. I really enjoyed this book! Mishra himself admits at the end of the book that when he started out he was surprised by "how much he didn't know." i read it out of an interest in Asian history, but frankly, i think i learned more about the dynamics of contemporary global politics from the process. Far from being an anti-imperial rant, it is a careful compilation of the writings of three observers of European expansion into the east, chiefly British, French, Dutch and US. Too bad the first 300 pages aren't as coherent as the epilogue.Good concept, rocky execution. This can perhaps be excused because of the immensely complex subject.