jeremy's review
Island by Aldous Huxley
Published in 1962, the year before his death (which occurred on the same day JFK was assassinated), Island is the antithesis of his earlier-acclaimed Brave New World. Whereas Brave New World describes the epitome of a dystopian future, Island is a richly imagined utopian realm.
Pala, a fictional island, is home to an undisturbed and prospering society — that is, until a skeptical journalist named Will Farnaby is shipwrecked upon its shores. As much a philosophical exposition as it is a novel, Island further expounds upon many of the themes Huxley explored throughout his illustrious career: democracy, modernization, industrialization, overpopulation, ecology, consciousness, psychedelic drugs, and mysticism.
Island's allegorical tale, sadly, seems as relevant today as when it was written nearly a half-century ago. With his trademark wisdom and unyielding insight, Huxley has crafted a hopeful story that should appeal to all who seek a b...more
Pala, a fictional island, is home to an undisturbed and prospering society — that is, until a skeptical journalist named Will Farnaby is shipwrecked upon its shores. As much a philosophical exposition as it is a novel, Island further expounds upon many of the themes Huxley explored throughout his illustrious career: democracy, modernization, industrialization, overpopulation, ecology, consciousness, psychedelic drugs, and mysticism.
Island's allegorical tale, sadly, seems as relevant today as when it was written nearly a half-century ago. With his trademark wisdom and unyielding insight, Huxley has crafted a hopeful story that should appeal to all who seek a b...more
Your mention of Huxley's death on the same day as JFK (so fitting, his wife wrote in her memoir, THIS TIMELESS MOMENT, because it was as if he wanted the attention to be focused elsewhere so he could just "slip away...")prompts me to recommend Laura Archera Huxley's [aforementioned:] book. Yes, she was his second wife, and it's partly her telling of their "love story," but it's worth reading for the inside story of Huxley's experimentation with LSD (including her administering it--at his request--in his final days/hours) and an amazing epilogue that describes a psychic's visit and resulting "messages" from Huxley after his death. When I first read this book (decades ago: I lived down the street from the house on Del Playa where Huxley wrote ISLAND) this was perhaps the first account I'd ever read that purported to be a firsthand "occult" experience. I recommend it, even if you're skeptical about such things...
