ASHOKA THE GREAT

Wytze Keuning (Author) was a Schoolteacher and Headmaster of a primary school in the Netherlands since 1897, when, in1937, he decided to dedicate his further career to writing the historical biography of Ashoka.The three-volume biography was published between 1941 and 1948. He died in 1957.Elisabeth Steur (Translator) worked as a Child Psychologist between 1962 and 1995 and was fascinated by Keuning’s book and her experiences in the surroundings of one of India’s great spiritual masters in the late eighties. She took upon herself the task to make these forgotten books available to the Indian reader by taking care of the translation after her retirement.

Ashoka The Great chronicles the life of Emperor Ashoka. It is fictional biography and more accurately can be called historical fiction. The original Dutch version was a trilogy, published separately in three volumes. The trilogy was written between1937-1947 by a Dutch scholar Wytze Keuning in Groningen in the Netherlands. These three volumes – Ashoka: The Wild Prince, Book I, Ashoka: The Wise Ruler, Book II and Ashoka: The World’s Great Teacher, Book III – are now brought together and presented in this single volume Ashoka The Great. The book is an exhilarating, spiritually edifying and deeply Moving story of one of India’s greatest emperors. It recreates the life and times of the Mauryas with an authenticity that is remarkable. The book presents a plausible vision of the past balanced by captivating story. It is said that a great book if it is to endure cannot do without profound ideas. Keuning perfectly fuses facts and thoughts, Mauryan customs and mores, life and reflection on the meaning of life as seen through the vision of Ashoka’sgurus and the history of personal influences upon Ashoka that marked his rule and legacy. This and more makes it a rare and distinguished book.

ISBN: 9788129117328
Author: Wytze Keuning
Published by: Rupa & Co
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