Asian Journals: Collected Works of Joseph Campbell

Joseph Campbell was one of the foremost interpreters of myth in our time. Yet when he traveled to Asia for the first time he was nearly fifty and at the crossroads of his life and career. This edition of both of his Asian journals -- Baksheesh & Brahman, about his transformative six months in India and Sake and Satori, detailing his time in Japan and East Asia -- are as close as Campbell ever came to writing autobiography. Previously published in two cloth editions, they are now available in one paperback.

After ten years' intense study of Indian art and philosophy, Joseph Campbell embarked on this long postponed journey. Searching for the transcendent (Brahman) -- the exotic mystery of the India in his books -- he found instead stark realities: growing nationalism, cultural and religious rivalry, poverty, the impact of foreign aid, and a prevalent culture of what he called "baksheesh," or alms. His carefully kept journal chronicles the disillusionment and revelation that would change the course of his life and studies. It is at once a diary of his adventures, a forum in which he develops his revolutionary ideas and clarifies his future pursuits, and a record of his insightful discussions of art, philosophy, and transcendent realities with Indians from every level of society.

After nearly seven months in Indian, Campbell traveled through Ceylon, Thailand, Cambodia, Burma, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and finally coming to rest, for a full five months, in Japan. Sake & Satori is his journal of these travels and is a unique snapshot of Asia and its post-colonial struggles and Cold War tensions. The narrative is fueled by Campbell's knack for cultural and mythological comparison. Yet it also shows the fresh enthusiasm of a remarkably erudite teacher on his first trip to the Asia he has studied for most of his life. Campbell relates his experiences with a culturally intact Japan, where Noh drama, Kabuki theater, and Geisha houses are still common. He grapples with his self-discovered prejudices and opinions about how Asia is absorbing and resisting Western notions of gender, pluralism, and wealth. He relates revealing conversations with other travelers, as well as with Japanese from all walks of life, from geishas to scholars. Along the way, he allows passing asides to develop into wide-ranging philosophical explorations, augmented with his photos and drawings.

Campbell's life was at a turning point during his travels and many of the seeds of his transition from professor to cultural icon were planted during this Asian journey. These Asian journals impart unique and entertaining insights into both the man who wrote them and the cultures he described.