Asian Journals: India and Japan (The Collected Works of Joseph Campbell)

At the beginning of his career, Joseph Campbell developed a lasting  fascination with the cultures of the Far East, and explorations of  Buddhist and Hindu philosophy later became recurring motifs in his vast  body of work. However, Campbell had to wait until middle age to visit  the lands that inspired him so deeply. In 1954, he took a sabbatical  from his teaching position and embarked on a yearlong voyage through  India, Thailand, Cambodia, Burma, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and finally Japan. Asian Journals combines the two hardcover editions of Campbell’s journals, Baksheesh & Brahman and Sake & Satori,  into one paperback volume, an edited day-to-day travel diary of the  people he met and the historical places he visited on his trek through  Asia. Along the way, he enlivens the narrative with his musings on  culture, religion, myth, and politics, describing both the trivial and  the sublime. As always, Campbell’s keen intellect and boundless  curiosity shine through in his lucid prose. From these pages, Campbell  enthusiasts will come away with a deeper understanding of the man, his  work, and his enduring legacy.