Dominic Green (2) (1970–)

A historical exploration from 1848 to 1898 considering the many socio-political, philosophical, scientific, and spiritualist figures whose exploits help define spirituality to this day.

The author begins with Emerson and Marx and life and spirituality in the industrial age. The narrative moves on toward Ruskin in Italy and Thoreau in America and their resistance to such industrialism. The constant churn of Paris with Baudelaire and Levi and the occult are considered. Then it is time for Darwin and Huxley, Whitman, and Wagner, and all the social theories and poetry that attend to them.

The next phase, 1871-1898, will see Blavatsky and her Theosophism along with Nietzsche and his prognostications predominate. The narrative will follow Blavatsky and all her journeys West and East with Olcott and their engagement with Buddhism, Hinduism, and what would become modern Islam. We meet Gandhi and his early life experiences and what would form and shape him. We see the origins of the Indian and Jewish freedom movements with Vivekananda and Herzl. And throughout we are "treated" to Nietzsche's ruminations. The epilogue considers the psychopathology which was coming about with Freud et al.

There's a lot of historical narrative here but not much explanation attempting to tie it all together. It is left for the reader to discern how even the early twenty first century remains haunted by these figures and their spiritual prognostications: the discontent with Christianity; confidence in humanity and its frustration; the line between profound wisdom and hucksterism; spirituality and liberation; the "death of God"; the appeal of Eastern wisdom; etc.

But if you're interested in seeing how thoroughly interconnected the world of the late nineteenth century was, and how all these various "luminaries" tie in to one another, behold.

Very interesting reading.

**-galley received as part of early review program… (més)

This was one of those books that seems to overlap with lots of others I've read (history of the Suez Canal, history of the European exploration of the Nile, history of Sudan etc), but somehow it doesn't manage to add anything new or memorable. I am surprised because I selected the book expecting to get new insights into the characters involved in the origins of modern Egypt and Sudan. However, the author relies on fairly tired standard sources. Worse, there isn't much critical examination of the relative reliability of those sources, so a variety of old chestnuts get tossed out without any collaborating evidence. Not a bad book, just not anything new or engaging if you've already done any reading on the area and probably not enough narrative coherence if it's new material to the reader.
… (més)

The double life of Doctor Lopez by Dominic Green 330 lit 22/9/12
They always asked the question of how Shakespeare wrote the Merchant of Venice when there were no Jews in England at the time. This book gives the answer.
This book explains aspects of Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice as well as the situation of Morrano Jews in England and other countries that they had fled to. This was a period when England was at war with Spain and Jews were prepared to spy on Spain for her enemies. Francis Drake had information and was able to destroy the Spanish Armada because of Jewish agents in Spain.
There were many plays that the Merchant of Venice was based on including Marlowe's Jew of Malta. Shakespeare adapted this to the times.
Shakespeare's play has a trial in it and references to the wolf (latin lupus). Dr Lopez was a morrano who fled Spain and Portugal and supported Don Antonio who was pretender to the Portuguese throne and had asylum in England he had Jewish relatives and mixed in those circles.
Dr. Lopez made money off the Spanish king by acting as a double agent as if he would organize peace arrangement encouraged secretly by the Cecils
The Cecils and Lord Essex were competing for positions under the queen and when Lopez's scandal came out he was a hot potato as he appeared to be in the pay of the King of Spain. He was accused of planning the poison Elizabeth 1.… (més)