Complete Essays: 1936-1938, Vol. 4

In this fourth volume of a projected six, Huxley registers his deep misgivings about the course of history in the late 1930s as the world moved toward a second global war. Many of his essays reflect his continuing interest in the conventions of popular culture as well as the philosophy of science and history, particularly as they inform developments in art and politics. But his larger concerns oscillate between empirical science and the particulars of social history, on the one hand, and his need for a grounding of absolute truth that would transcend both. His critique of politics and the prevailing ideologies of fascism and capitalism overlaps with his attempt to locate a foundational truth in a world of change and diversity. He embraced a form of political pacifism that intersected with an increasing attraction to religious quietism and mysticism. And he made a sustained effort to reconcile mystical experience with contemporary theories of physics and the philosophy of science. At their best, Huxley's essays stand among the finest examples of the genre in modern literature. "A remarkable publishing event...beautifully produced and authoritatively edited."—Jeffrey Hart.

The fourth of six volumes collects essays that British social critic Huxley (1894-1963) wrote during a period that witnessed Germany's Anschluss with Austria, the Sudeten crisis, intensifying violence in the Spanish Civil War, Stalin's purges, Japan's invasion of China, and Mussolini's Ethiopian war. The collection includes all his published essays, in their latest version, and a selection of shorter reviews and brief occasional pieces. Few notes are provided.

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Atlantic Monthly

An important and admirable publishing venture exceptionally edited and organized.

Aldous Huxley (1894–1963) was one of the most important novelists of the twentieth century. Robert S. Baker is professor of literature at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and author of The Dark Historic Page and Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World. James Sexton teaches English at Camosun College in British Columbia.