The Half Known Life: In Search of Paradise

Wonderful to travel around sitting in your house Pico exceptionally talented writer with a keen sense of culture

Pico Iyer takes his readers to aguided tour of Iran,Ladakh, Sri Lanka, Japan and Varanasi . He also makes us meet Dalai Lama ,Thomas Merton and a few other good people. A book full of insights and spiritual observations.

Iyer has been noted as the cerebral travel writer , who had something profound to say about the places he had visited. In this book , he is on a search to find the truth behind the places on the planet known as paradises or utopias , for their natural beauty or religious association .This quest takes him inevitably to places far-flung like Belfast , Jerusalem , Mashhad ( Iran ) , Kandy ,Kashmir , Varanasi etc and he is bemused by the link he discovers between holy sites , faith , and conflict. The half-known life for him is the unfathomable aspects of life ( ' a life beyond our grasp ' ). When confronted with the unpleasant riddles of life , Iyer is more comfortable with the teachings of Buddha , gleaned from his mentor , the Dalai Lama and the writings of the Christian monk , Thomas Merton . He holds long discussions with the people he comes across at the places visited , from lowly drivers and guides to highly placed religious teachers and scholars . He does not come up with any satisfactory conclusions , but the book deserves to be read for his musings and profound observations on the world and its conundrums. He finds solace in certain findings such as ' to find a paradise within thee , happier far ' ( Milton ) , the fact that nothing lasts forever is the reason why everything matters , the thought that we must die is the reason we must live well and so on. The book is also another example of Iyer's skills as a writer when he recreates the places he visits with such vivid images and then rises above these with his philosophical and erudite insights. The chapters on Jerusalem ( 'The Holy City ' ) and Sri Lanka ( ' A Lotus in Mud ' ) are outstanding illustrations of this aspect.

Binding quality is poor.Pages 224-25 were already detached/separated from the binding.There is a spelling error too on the dust jacket!Least expected from Penguin!

The Half known Life: In Search of Paradise is a book that gripped me only after I read a couple chapters, I found it obscure and disjointed initially and was almost on the verge of giving up. Happy to say that I did not put the book away and read some more to discover it’s intent.Pico Iyer has penned a book that serves as a travelogue-cum-memoir, of sorts. A journey across the world and exploration of different versions of a “paradise” by people of different countries and faiths highlight the irony of the reality and the consequential “paradise”.Iran, North Korea, Jerusalem, Kashmir, Northern Ireland are a few places from those mentioned in this book, these political hotspots of chaos and unrest. While sharing the diversity the author maintains a sense of tranquility even though one reads multiple ironies in actions done to achieve a single goal. The writing grows on the reader’s mind over the pages of the book creating a sublime reading experience.Read this book if you are looking for an unusual yet insightful collection of experiences.

In an era where literature is often dominated by the tumultuous discourse of modernity, Pico Iyer's "The Half Known Life: In Search of Paradise" emerges as a shimmering oasis of contemplative elegance, weaving profound narratives that dance between physical and spiritual landscapes.From the very onset, Iyer establishes himself not just as a master storyteller but as a sage, a guide, leading us through the labyrinthine pathways of life in search of greater meanings. What's immediately palpable is his transcendent prose, as rich and layered as the destinations he describes, compelling readers to step into the pages, feeling the cool mist of the Shires or the warm sands of Iran beneath their feet.But more than a mere travelogue, "The Half Known Life" is a deeply philosophical tome that taps into the universal wanderlust that resides in each of us. Iyer employs travel as a metaphor for spiritual awakening, a choice both brilliant and timeless. He posits that just as we traverse unfamiliar terrains and navigate foreign cultures, we must also journey within ourselves, confronting our own complexities and unfamiliar territories. This interplay is not merely a suggestion but a passionate plea, an urging to recognize the value of every step taken, every chance encounter, every moment of stillness.The metaphor of travel for spiritual awakening is not novel, but in Iyer's hands, it's transformed. He underscores that it is not the destination but the journey that enlightens, not the lands we set foot on but the vistas we open within our souls. In doing so, Iyer masterfully turns the act of travel into a potent tool for introspection, urging readers to consider each trip as an opportunity to unearth deeper truths about themselves.A particular highlight of the book is its seamless blend of the personal with the universal. Iyer's anecdotes, rich in detail and emotion, are relatable touchstones. They serve as reminders that our quests, no matter how varied, are united in their purpose: the search for meaning, connection, and a higher plane of existence.To read "The Half Known Life" is to embark on a journey with Iyer as your co-passenger, reveling in the beauty of the unknown, and embracing the transformative power of travel. It's a clarion call to recognize the divinity in the mundane, the sacred in the everyday, and the paradise that exists not beyond the horizon but deep within our souls.In conclusion, Pico Iyer's "The Half Known Life: In Search of Paradise" is more than just a literary masterpiece; it's a luminous beacon for all those adrift in the vast ocean of existence, guiding them towards shores of enlightenment and transcendence. The work is an exquisite tapestry of travel and spirituality, urging us to recognize the interconnectedness of our external and internal journeys. It is, without a doubt, a magnum opus that will be cherished for generations to come.

The edition of the book that I received has a printing error, with some pages of another book included. It’s very confusing at first as he is writing about Australia and then the book switched to commentary about making the film sequel to the Karate Kid.I enjoy Pico Iyer’s descriptions and travel narratives.

Pico Iyer's works now run well into double figures, of books ranging from reflective travel writing all the way to a biography of the Dalai Lama and beyond. His prose is always a delight, with a striking ability to relocate a discussion to a parallel a thousand miles away without pause to draw breath."The Half Known Life" is a charming set of reflections on what kind of a paradise is really possible here on earth. Iyer's hugely-travelled and long-reflected view is that it is up to each of us to create our own. He has a wonderful capacity to head into spaces of "retreat" - a Californian monastery, the temples in Japan, the cemetery on Sri Lanka - and draw positives from the asceticism. Somehow he conjures up the expression of complete incredulity in a putative interaction between Novak Djokovic and a monk above Gokurabashi who roars "Wrong!" at him for misplacing his tennis shoe one step too high. All the time he makes the reader think again about their presuppositions. It is a joy to read, and a pleasure to meet the inner mind of one of our most talented and lateral-thinking writers.

Very well-written and interesting travels in a number of “sacred” or spiritual places. The author delicately analyzes subtle undercurrents and behaviors in these various places. It is informative and i learned a lot. At times, it’s a little lengthy and could have been tightened or distilled, but with travel, sometimes the unedited immediacy is the richest in flavor.

…..good in parts. There are quite a few interesting moments, but I wonder who edited the ms. In my opinion, whoever it was did not do a good job, not least in terms of punctuation — although I read the Kindle version, so perhaps that’s not a fair comment.However, a good deal of tidying would have made for easier reading : jumping abruptly from here to there and back again is not a good idea. Stream-of-consciousness is one thing ; sloppy narrative is something else entirely.Pico Iyer seems to be widely revered, so on the off-chance that this book represents a sort of literary hiccup, I’m about to embark on an exploration of ‘The Art of Stillness.’ Fingers crossed.