The first and only full-length biography of
one of
the most charismatic spiritual innovators of the
twentieth century.
Through his widely popular books and
lectures, Alan Watts (1915-1973) did more to introduce Eastern
philosophy and religion to Western minds than any figure before
or since. Watts touched the lives of many. He was a renegade
Zen teacher, an Anglican priest, a lecturer, an academic, an
entertainer, a leader of the San Francisco renaissance, and the
author of more than thirty books, including The Way of Zen, Psychotherapy East and West and The Spirit of
Zen.
Monica Furlong followed
Watts's travels from his birthplace in England to the San
Francisco Bay Area where he ultimately settled, conducting
in-depth interviews with his family, colleagues, and intimate
friends, to provide an analysis of the intellectual, cultural,
and deeply personal influences behind this truly extraordinary
life.
"For illuminating details on how
Watts happened to be in the right place at the right time to
bring Zen to the attention of millions, this biography is a
must."
—Los Angeles Times
"Lucid, intelligent, and
compelling...inspires new respect for one of the most important
and controversial figures in twentieth-century Zen."
—Jack
Maguire, author of Waking Up: A Week Inside a Zen Monastery and Essential
Buddhism
SkyLight Lives
Reintroduces the lives and works of key
spiritual figures of our time—people who by their
teaching or examples have challenged our assumptions about
spirituality and have caused us to look at it in new ways.
