Set in the war-torn world of Mughal India and first published in the gathering darkness of the 1930s, The Root and the Flower is an epic story of intrigue, murder, and romance; of Tantric abandonment and Buddhist renunciation; of emotional delirium and spiritual adventure. The cast of characters includes Hari, a reckless and passionate warrior; Sita, in love with both Hari and her husband Amar, a prince who wishes to forsake the world but is increasingly drawn into a bloody ...
Set in the war-torn world of Mughal India and first published in the gathering darkness of the 1930s, The Root and the Flower is an epic story of intrigue, murder, and romance; of Tantric abandonment and Buddhist renunciation; of emotional delirium and spiritual adventure.
The cast of characters includes Hari, a reckless and passionate warrior; Sita, in love with both Hari and her husband Amar, a prince who wishes to forsake the world but is increasingly drawn into a bloody political struggle; and Sita and Amar’s son Jali, whose precocious encounters with sex and violence threaten him with madness.
At once a dream of India and a vision of a world riven by political, ethnic, and religious conflicts, The Root and the Flower is a work of great range and singular poetic beauty. It is, in Penelope Fitzgerald’s words, a “strange masterpiece,” and one of the unsung glories of modern literature.
The Root and the Flower, British writer L.H. Myers's strange, mystical historical trilogy, was first published in the 1930s, and will now be reissued in one volume with an introduction by Penelope Fitzgerald. Set in a dreamlike version of Moghal India, it follows the adventures of a prince, his wife and their son Jali, each struggling separately with temptation and spiritual malaise. Lyrically written and exquisitely imagined, it is a haunting minor classic. ( Apr. 19) Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.
Publishers Weekly
The Root and the Flower, British writer L.H. Myers's strange, mystical historical trilogy, was first published in the 1930s, and will now be reissued in one volume with an introduction by Penelope Fitzgerald. Set in a dreamlike version of Moghal India, it follows the adventures of a prince, his wife and their son Jali, each struggling separately with temptation and spiritual malaise. Lyrically written and exquisitely imagined, it is a haunting minor classic. (Apr. 19) Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.
Library Journal
Myers's epic of India was originally published as three novels between 1929 and 1935. Large in scope, the novel covers political, religious, and ethnic conflicts that have ravaged that country for years. This edition includes an introduction by Penelope Fitzgerald. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.
L.H. Myers (1881–1944) was the son F.W.H. Myers, an essayist and investigator into parapsychology, and Evelyn Tennant, an accomplished amateur photographer and famous Victorian beauty. Myers attended Eton and Trinity College, Cambridge, traveled, underwent a transforming mystical experience in a Chicago hotel room, and fell in love with Elsie Palmer, a general’s daughter from Glen Eyrie, Colorado, whom he later married. His first novel, The Orissers (1922), was followed by The Clio (1925), Strange Glory (1936), and The Root and the Flower (originally issued as three separate books between 1929 and 1935). A final novel, The Pool of Vishnu (1940), revisits the Indian setting and some of the characters of The Root and the Flower while also reflecting Myers’s newfound commitment to communism. Increasingly unhappy in his later years, Myers struggled to write an auto-biography, but remained unsatisfied with the work, which he finally destroyed. He committed suicide in 1944.
Our reader reviews allow you to share your comments on titles you liked,
or didn't, with others. By submitting an online review, you are representing to
Barnes & Noble.com that all information contained in your review is original
and accurate in all respects, and that the submission of such content by you
and the posting of such content by Barnes & Noble.com does not and will not
violate the rights of any third party. Please follow the rules below to help
ensure that your review can be posted.
Reviews by Our Customers Under the Age of 13
We highly value and respect everyone's opinion concerning the titles we offer.
However, we cannot allow persons under the age of 13 to have accounts at BN.com or
to post customer reviews. Please see our Terms of Use for more details.
What to exclude from your review:
Please do not write about reviews, commentary, or information posted on the product page. If you see any errors in the
information on the product page, please send us an email.
Reviews should not contain any of the following:
- HTML tags, profanity, obscenities, vulgarities, or comments that defame anyone
- Time-sensitive information such as tour dates, signings, lectures, etc.
- Single-word reviews. Other people will read your review to discover why you liked or didn't like the title. Be descriptive.
- Comments focusing on the author or that may ruin the ending for others
- Phone numbers, addresses, URLs
- Pricing and availability information or alternative ordering information
- Advertisements or commercial solicitation
Reminder:
- By submitting a review, you grant to Barnes & Noble.com and its
sublicensees the royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable right and license to use the
review in accordance with the Barnes & Noble.com Terms of Use.
- Barnes & Noble.com reserves the right not to post any review -- particularly
those that do not follow the terms and conditions of these Rules. Barnes & Noble.com
also reserves the right to remove any review at any time without notice.
- See Terms of Use for other conditions and disclaimers.
Search for Products You'd Like to Recommend
Create a Pen Name
Welcome, penname
You have successfully created your Pen Name. Start enjoying the benefits of the BN.com Community today.
If you find inappropriate content, please report it to Barnes & Noble
Overview
The cast of characters includes Hari, a reckless and passionate warrior; Sita, in love with both Hari and her husband Amar, a prince who wishes to forsake the world but is increasingly drawn into a bloody ...