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The first and only full-length biography of one of
the most charismatic spiritual innovators of the twentieth century.
Through his widely popular books and lectures, Alan Watts (1915-1973) did more to introduce Eastern philosophy and religion to Western minds than any figure before or since. Watts touched the lives of many. He was a renegade Zen teacher, an Anglican priest, a lecturer, an academic, an entertainer, a leader of the San Francisco renaissance, and the author of more than thirty books, including The Way of Zen, Psychotherapy East and West and The Spirit of Zen.
Monica Furlong followed Watts's travels from his birthplace in England to the San Francisco Bay Area where he ultimately settled, conducting in-depth interviews with his family, colleagues, and intimate friends, to provide an analysis of the intellectual, cultural, and deeply personal influences behind this truly extraordinary life.
"For illuminating details on how Watts happened to be in the right place at the right time to bring Zen to the attention of millions, this biography is a must."
—Los Angeles Times
"Lucid, intelligent, and compelling...inspires ne
—Jack Maguire, author of Waking Up: A Week Inside a Zen Monastery and Essential Buddhism
Foreword to the SkyLight Lives Edition
Acknowledgments
Introduction
1. The Paradise Garden, 1915–1920
2. The Education of a Brahmin, 1920–1932
3. Christmas Zen, 1932–1938
4. The Towers of Manhattan, 1938–1941
5. Colored Christian, 1941–1947
6. Correspondence, 1947–1950
7. A Priest Inhibited, 1950–1951
8. The Wisdom of Insecurity, 1951–1960
9. Counterculture, 1960–1968
10. The Home Behind Home, 1969–1973
Notes
Books by Alan Watts
Index