Island

Huxley's novel is set on the "forbidden" island of Pala, somewhere in the Indian Ocean. Some one hundred years before the novel begins, a doctor was called to Pala in an effort to cure the local King of cancer. He ended up staying permanently, and therewith influencing Pala's social evolution.As fate would have it, the good doctor was blessed with an open mind, and so the distinctly Western influences he brought to Pala were benign - in fact helpful. Between his New Age science and the King's Tantrik Buddhism, the island maintained a stunning balance between the Eastern and the Western. Everything clicked. Utopia.On the island, education is biological, spiritual, and deeply psychological. Teachers start with ecology, and gradually "bridge" to every other area of thought - even metaphysics. Although children are given all the time in the world to use their imagination, Pala's teachers "never give children a chance of imagining that anything exists in isolation. Make it plain from the very first that all living is relationship. Show them the relationships in the woods, in the fields, in the ponds and streams, in the village, in the village and the country around it. Rub it in."Religion on Pala was pantheistic and pagan in nature. Lots of references to Buddhism, Taoism, chanting, and inner spirituality. In fact, the book itself is a sort of spiritual tour de force, wherein Huxley promulgates another beautiful version of his Mind with a capital M theory.Industrialization of the island never really occurred as such. Instead, Palanesians embrace selective industrialization (no motor scooters, no Sears and Roebuck) and import certain technologies to meet daily needs - like massive refrigeration units to keep crops from rotting between seasons, and a small degree of electricity to support scientific research and whatnot.Pala's sociological structure is strange strange Huxleyan strange. A mixture of social parenting, fertility control, and religious ceremonies involving "moksha-medicine" - "the reality revealer, the truth-and-beauty pill" - "four hundred milligrams of revelation" - the best way to keep the islanders from biting into the "Tree of Consumer Goods." (Why chase the Western god of innovation when you can chase the dragon?)As one of the natives, Dr. Robert, points out, "We don't give ourselves coronaries by guzzling six times as much saturated fat as we need. We don't hypnotize ourselves into believing that two television sets will make us twice as happy as one television set. And finally we don't spend a quarter of the gross national product preparing for World War III or even World War's baby brother, Local War MMMCCCXXXIII." Instead the conduct more research on maksha, hone educational techniques, and make lots and lots war oldest enemy, love.Like any good utopia, a number of critical issues must be addressed head-on. The reality issue is one. On this note, Huxley scores a perfect ten. The book is very realistic; so much so, in point of fact, that he drags the reader to the bottomless depths of "Pure and Applied Pointlessness" and the "Essential Horror" (the omnipresence of death, the precarious of all existence) before building and bridging into Pala's social philosophy of "Pure and Applied Mahayana" Buddhism and "Pure and Applied Science" - a religious and practical science of optimism and wellbeing.It is only after diving and climbing out of these incredible depths solitude and despair that one learns to see again. "Liberate your selves from everything you know and look with complete innocence at this infinitely improbable thing before you. Look at it as though you'd never seen anything of the kind before, as though it had no name and belonged to no recognizable class. Look at it alertly but passively, receptively, without labeling or judging or comparing. And when you look it, inhale its mystery, breathe in the spirit of sense, the smell of the wisdom of the Other Shore."Nor does Huxley reconfigure human nature with a literary sleight of hand, making everyone good little boys and girls. Every society has the possibility of creating a Hitler, a Tito or a Stalin, and so does Pala. But it doesn't. The Palanesians employ therapy "on all fronts at once" with an eye toward prevention over treatment. With detection, prevention, and four hundred milligrams of revelation, all problems are curable. Not the mention the love - which this island has in spades.All told, Huxley has given us a wonder utopia and, perhaps more importantly, a thoroughgoing critique of Western Civilization. A must read for anybody who wants to discover their inner "suchness" and reach the Other Shore, where all is illuminated. "Sunsets and death; death and therefore kisses; kisses and consequently birth and then death for yet another generation of sunset watchers."

"Attention!" cries the talking bird at the end of the book when tiny Pala, the island utopia its inhabitants have tried so diligently to perfect and stay apart from the world, is finally overrun via military intervention and a sellout within. The references to the birds, probably mynas or macaws in a tropical setting, screeching this admonition occurs throughout the plot and usually occurs as part of spiritual exhortations. But it was this final exhortation that woke me up at the end of the book, at the culmination of the final chapter which is one of the most beautifully written conclusions I have ever read. It was as if Huxley was saying to the reader "wake up!!!" before our own personal island, i.e. ourselves, our souls, our identities, etc. are overtaken by a ravenous and consuming outside world.This is what I take Island to really mean: as a metaphor for the person as individual. We each are islands in the vast ocean of life; we should take very good care of ourselves and intentionally preserve and enhance our freedom, morality, spirituality and our autonomy lest we be consumed and overrun, a la Pala, by an uncaring, spirituality bankrupt and pillaging world without. Some reviews have suggested Pala as Huxley's depiction of a utopia counterposed against Brave New World. That is all well and good but, in the end, the utopia of Pala doesn't make it either. I believe Huxley was too cynical and suspicious of modern life to ever suspect a utopia could long survive en masse. What he did promote, in various forms of expression, was a profound concern for individual freedom in a world populated by tyranny, totalitarian forces in varous shapes and mass market commercialism collectively sucking all the vitality and beauty out of human existence.Huxley was a great humanist and proponent of extending human freedom and potential wherever possible and combating any force arrayed against that effort. He early on experimented with drugs as a means, I believe, of expanding human experience and expression. In many respects he was the precursor to Timothy Leary and the LSD movement, the hippie generation, the New Agers, the green movement in general and other groups concerned with the human condition arrayed against tyranny, dogmatism and capitalism run amok. Island is the literary culmination of his lifelong work and is a profound, astute and deeply mystical book. Easily one of the best I have ever read.It is little noted that Huxley, prior to his serious writing career and Brave New World, once taught French to English schoolboys. One of his students was none other than Eric Blair, aka George Orwell, the future author of 1984. It is one of the great ironies of modern life that one English classroom could have housed at one time the two great geniuses of the twentieth century, in terms of political satire, whose combined dystopias portrayed a future world so nightmarish and inhumane that it jolted humankind into thought and action, providing inestible service. Did Huxley inspire Orwell in his thought at that early stage or with Brave New World later? Who knows, nonetheless Huxley was a magnificent thinker and profoundly influential figure of the twentieth century. His Island, equal to Brave New World in my opinion, fittingly crowns his eventful life prior to his death a year later.Other reviewers have more than adequately summarized the plot. For me, the talking birds say it all.

Arrived on time in good condition

Island by Aldous Huxley is an absolute gem that transcends the boundaries of literature. This book is a symphony of ideas, beautifully composed to provoke thought and challenge the status quo.Huxley's portrayal of Pala, the idyllic island society, is nothing short of mesmerizing. The characters come to life with depth and complexity, making you empathize with their struggles and aspirations. Will Farnaby's journey of self-discovery on the island is a profound exploration of human nature and the search for meaning in a world dominated by materialism.The themes explored in Island are as relevant today as they were when the book was first published. Huxley's visionary ideas on spirituality, sustainable living, and the pursuit of happiness are both thought-provoking and inspiring.The writing itself is a testament to Huxley's brilliance. His prose is elegant and thoughtfully crafted, making every page a joy to read. Island is a book that will linger in your mind long after you've turned the final page.In a world filled with noise and distractions, Island serves as a beacon of wisdom and enlightenment. It's a must-read for anyone seeking a deeper understanding of the human condition and a vision of a more harmonious world.In short, Island by Aldous Huxley is a literary masterpiece that deserves a place on every bookshelf. It's a book that challenges, enlightens, and leaves you with a profound sense of wonder. Highly recommended!

Le tengo bastante respeto a Aldous Huxley, y quería tener este libro en mi colección, para recordar un poco sus ideas.

Couldn't finish it. So boring.

This book has become my personal favourite alongside such books as Great Gatsby, Great Expectations and Shantaram. Its a great novel and every one who consider themselves to be a truth seeker will be delighted to read this book. The philosophy is perfect.