Monday, December 09, 2013

For a small-town boy with no exposure to western philosophy, he opened the doors to this new animal called existentialism. My later love for Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Schopenhauer and all the various philosophies had their beginning with that one book – The Outsider. And thus began a path of discovery and self-discovery.
My continuing love for the occult, the esoteric arts and magik, began all those years ago, when as a impressionable young man, I discovered Aleister Crowley, Blavatsky, Gurdjieff and Jung, all and more which were contained in that one book – The Occult. Thus began a lasting fascination and exploration of all these arcane subjects.

Pseudohistory, alternate history and lost civilisation, whole new world, or rather completely lost worlds were laid open by that one book – From Atlantis to the Sphinx. All the tomes and books I have read and own today on the subject are a direct result of the spark provided by that one book. And all written by that one man, the ‘Angry Young Men’ – Colin Wilson.

I couldn’t even begin to list out the other books of his which provided further direction to my reading habits and to subjects I could delve into deeper. From sex crimes and criminal histories to de Sade and sci-fi, horror and alternate realities. Yes, I have read much better books on each of these topics, but for a newbie these provided interesting enough to know further. And for that, Colin Wilson, thank you. And…
…to the only writer who has a shelf all his own in my library, R.I.P.

7 comments:

hawa said...

I wanted to thank you for this great read!! I definitely enjoying every little you post.

Shibili said...

Sorry. Found the post quite late. I tried reading Aleister Crowley a bit. But didn't really get it all the time. And at times I felt he is contradicting himself. I think I might need a proper introduction, and I am hoping The Occult will do the job. BTW, where did you get the book from?

Shenoy said...

Hey. yeah, Crowley out of context can be a little tedious. The Occult in that sense is a good start for its background and other players and concepts in the western occult scene. I picked it up the fountain pavement in bombay. But it think i've seen a second hand copy in Bookworm. Drop your number, will keep a lookout and let you know if/when it's available. Or you can borrow my copy if you want.

also, Colin Wilosn's written a bio about the man, 'Aleister Crowley: The Nature of the Beast'. harder to find, i read a borrowed copy myself, but worth the read.

And to round the Crowley book list, i also have with me 2 books written by him, his philosophy disguised as fiction - Diary of a Drug Fiend, and Moonchild. lemme know if you'd want to have a read.

Scott Wood said...

Hi I help run the London Fortean Society and we're doing a Colin Wilson event on his birthday this year. Can we use the picture of your bookshelf to promote the event?

Shenoy said...

Hi Scott, yes, you are most welcome to use the picture as you see fit. I'm glad it can be of some help. And because it's for Charles Fort, that makes me gladder.

do le me know if you want the original image (with better resolution) and I can mail it to you if you give me your id.

Scott Wood said...

That'd be great, thanks. We'll credit your shelf. Can you email it to forteansociety@live.co.uk ?

Many thanks!

Scott Wood said...
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