Lives in the Shadow with J. Krishnamurti
 First edition | |
| Author | Radha Rajagopal Sloss |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Subject | Autobiography |
| Published | May 1991 by Bloomsbury Publishing (1st edition) |
| Publication place | United Kingdom |
| Media type | Print (hardcover) |
| Pages | 335 |
| ISBN | 978-0-747-50720-8 |
Lives in the Shadow with J. Krishnamurti is a 1991 memoir by Radha Rajagopal Sloss (b. 1931). It chronicles aspects of the long, intimate, and ultimately contentious relationship of the author's family with the Indian philosopher Jiddu Krishnamurti. Originally published five years after his death, the book's descriptions of facets of Krishnamurti's life generated a degree of controversy.
About the work
[edit]The author's father Rajagopalacharya Desikacharya (commonly D. Rajagopal, 1900–1993),[1] and mother Rosalind Rajagopal (1903–1996), were friends and associates of Jiddu Krishnamurti (1895–1986) for four decades; throughout this time they lived in close proximity with him in Ojai, California. While growing up, the author viewed the unconventional Indian philosopher, whom she affectionately called Krinsh, as a member of her family. Eventually, the personal and business relationships of her parents and Krishnamurti soured permanently. The acrimony culminated in drawn-out legal actions that were fully settled only after Krishnamurti's death.[2]
Radha Rajagopal Sloss covers aspects of these relationships in some detail, but the book is best known for describing facets of Krishnamurti's private life, especially his long-term extramarital affair with the author's mother. Additionally, the book contains statements about Krishnamurti's character (and certain of his actions) that have generated controversy.
Author statement
[edit]Rajagopal Sloss stated the following regarding the work:
This is not only the story of one person. It is the story of the relationships of J. Krishnamurti and people closely involved with him, especially Rosalind Williams Rajagopal and D. Rajagopal, my mother and father, and of the consequences of this involvement on their lives. Recently there have been biographies and a biographical film on Krishnamurti that have left areas, and a large span of years, in mysterious darkness. It is not in the interest of historical integrity, especially where such a personality is concerned, that there be these areas of obscurity.
— Lives in the Shadow with J. Krishnamurti, Preface[3]
Publication history
[edit]The book was originally published in May 1991 by Bloomsbury Publishing in the United Kingdom.[3] A US edition was published by Addison-Wesley in March 1993. In September 2000, Rajagopal Sloss re-released the work through iUniverse, a US self-publishing company ().
Select editions
[edit]- Rajagopal Sloss, Radha (March 1993). Lives in the shadow with J. Krishnamurti (hardcover) (1st US ed.). Reading, Massachusetts: Addison-Wesley. ISBN 978-0-201-63211-8.
- —— (September 2000). Lives in the shadow with J. Krishnamurti (paperback). Self-published. ISBN 978-0-595-12131-1 – via iUniverse.
Reception
[edit]The book has been favorably reviewed by Tim Heald in The Times (London),[4] Patricia Beer (London Review of Books),[5] and Firdaus Kanga in the Times Literary Supplement (London).[6] Rajagopal Sloss was interviewed about the book upon publication by Helen Tworkov, for Tricycle: The Buddhist Review magazine; the article incorporates a generally sympathetic review of the work.[7]
The revelations regarding the extramarital affair were met with surprise and consternation by Krishnamurti adherents,[8][9] and generated a measure of adverse publicity. A Krishnamurti biographer wrote that "history will not view Krishnamurti in quite the same light", yet the same author considered the long-term impact of the revelations doubtful.[10][11]
Several statements about Krishnamurti present in the work have been characterized as controversial, and provoked rebuttal publications by Krishnamurti associates and affiliated institutions.[12][13] An independent source has described the book as "deliberately iconoclastic".[14]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Obituaries: D. Rajagopal; Edited J. Krishnamurti's Teachings". World + Nation. Los Angeles Times. L.A. Times Archive. Times Mirror. 27 April 1993. p. 5. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved 2024-09-05.
- ^ Vernon, Roland (2001). Star in the east: Krishnamurti: the invention of a messiah (hardcover). New York: Palgrave. pp. 200–206. ISBN 978-0-312-23825-4.
- ^ a b Rajagopal Sloss, Radha (1991). Lives in the shadow with J. Krishnamurti (hardcover) (1st ed.). London: Bloomsbury Publishing. p. ix. ISBN 978-0-747-50720-8.
- ^ Heald, Tim (27 July 1991). "Turning Krinsh into Christ". Saturday Review. The Times. London. p. 20. ISSN 0140-0460.
- ^ Beer, Patricia (15 August 1991). "Getting on with it". London Review of Books. Vol. 13, no. 15. p. 22. ISSN 0260-9592. Retrieved 2019-05-06 (registration required).
- ^ Kanga, Firdaus (30 August 1991). "World(ly) Teacher". Times Literary Supplement. London. p. 8. ISSN 0307-661X.
- ^ Tworkov, Helen. (Winter 1991). "The Shadow Side of Krishnamurti". Ideas. Tricycle. Vol. 1, no. 2. New York City: Tricycle Foundation. ISSN 1055-484X. OCLC 1366341699 Retrieved 2024-04-19 (registration required) (one-time complimentary access).
- ^ Thomas, A. J. (6 November 2005). "Obsessive precision". Literary Reviews. The Hindu. Chennai: Hindu and India Information. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2021-06-30 (subscription required). Review of the autobiography of Indian author Chaman Nahal mentions the effect of Rajagopal Sloss' book on Nahal.
- ^ Statement by the Krishnamurti Foundation of America about the Radha Sloss book "Lives in the shadow with J. Krishnamurti" (pamphlet). Ojai, California: Krishnamurti Foundation of America. 1995. ISBN 978-1-888004-07-6. The affair had been known to Krishnamurti's inner circle, including trustees of Krishnamurti foundations, since the early 1970s, as it had been brought up during various legal disputes between the Rajagopals and Krishnamurti.
- ^ Vernon 2001, pp. 203–204.
- ^ Papp, Mark (director); Wells, Peter (writer) (16 October – 9 November 2004). Blue Dove (theatrical production). Music direction & arrangement by David O. Ivar Theatre, Los Angeles: Wells Productions. Archived from the original on 2016-01-10. Retrieved 2023-08-04 – via Wayback Machine. Additional pages archived on 2015-08-11: "Blue Dove: Synopsis". The relationship between Rosalind Rajagopal and Krishnamurti in the 1920s and 1930s was a central plot device of this musical, which was loosely based on Krishnamurti's early life.
- ^ Lutyens, Mary (1996). Krishnamurti and the Rajagopals (paperback). Ojai, California: Krishnamurti Foundation of America. ISBN 978-1-888-00408-3. A "personal response" to Rajagopal Sloss' book by an authorized biographer and longtime friend and associate of Krishnamurti.
- ^ Krishnamurti Foundation of America 1995.
- ^ Reid, David (1994) [originally published 1992. New York: Pantheon Books]. "The Possessed". In Reid, David (ed.). Sex, Death, and God in L.A. (paperback) (1st paperback ed.). Berkeley, California: University of California Press. pp. 175–224 [context at p. 218]. ISBN 978-0-520-08640-1.