Lives in the Shadow with J. Krishnamurti

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Lives in the Shadow with J. Krishnamurti
ISBN
978-0-747-50720-8

Lives in the Shadow with J. Krishnamurti is a 1991 memoir by Radha Rajagopal Sloss (b. 1931). It chronicles aspects of the long, intimate, and ultimately contentious relationship of the author's family with the Indian philosopher Jiddu Krishnamurti. Published a few years after his death, the author's descriptions of facets of his private life generated a degree of controversy.

About the work

The author's father Rajagopalacharya Desikacharya (commonly D. Rajagopal, 1900–1993),[1] and mother Rosalind Rajagopal (1903–1996), were friends and associates of Jiddu Krishnamurti (1895–1986) for four decades; throughout this time they lived in close proximity with him in Ojai, California. While growing up, the author viewed the unconventional Indian philosopher, whom she affectionately called Krinsh, as a member of her family. Eventually, the personal and business relationships of her parents and Krishnamurti soured permanently. The acrimony culminated in drawn-out legal actions that were fully settled only after Krishnamurti's death.[2]

Radha Rajagopal Sloss covers aspects of these relationships in some detail, but the book is best known for describing facets of Krishnamurti's private life, especially his long-term extramarital affair with the author's mother. Additionally, the book contains statements about Krishnamurti's character (and certain of his actions) that have generated controversy.

Author statement

Rajagopal Sloss stated the following regarding the work:

This is not only the story of one person. It is the story of the relationships of J. Krishnamurti and people closely involved with him, especially Rosalind Williams Rajagopal and D. Rajagopal, my mother and father, and of the consequences of this involvement on their lives. Recently there have been biographies and a biographical film on Krishnamurti that have left areas, and a large span of years, in mysterious darkness. It is not in the interest of historical integrity, especially where such a personality is concerned, that there be these areas of obscurity.

— Lives in the Shadow with J. Krishnamurti, Preface[3]

Publication history

The book was originally published in May 1991 by Bloomsbury Publishing in the United Kingdom.[3] A US edition was published by Addison-Wesley in March 1993. In September 2000, Rajagopal Sloss re-released the work through iUniverse, a US self-publishing company (see § Select editions, below).

Select editions

Reception

The book has been favorably reviewed by

Times Literary Supplement (London).[6] Rajagopal Sloss was interviewed about the book upon publication by Helen Tworkov, for Tricycle: The Buddhist Review magazine; the artcle incorporates a generally sympathetic review of the work.[7]

The revelations regarding the extramarital affair were met with surprise and consternation by Krishnamurti adherents,[8][9] and generated a measure of adverse publicity. A Krishnamurti biographer wrote that "history will not view Krishnamurti in quite the same light", yet the same author considered the long-term impact of the revelations doubtful.[10][11]

Several statements about Krishnamurti present in the work have been characterized as controversial, and provoked rebuttal publications by Krishnamurti associates and affiliated institutions.[12][13] An independent source has described the book as "deliberately iconoclastic".[14]

See also

References

  1. ISSN 0458-3035. Archived from the original on 2012-01-21. Retrieved 2021-06-30 – via Wayback Machine
    .
  2. ISBN 978-0-312-23825-4
    .
  3. ^
    ISBN 978-0-747-50720-8
    .
  4. ISSN 0140-0460
    .
  5. ISSN 0260-9592
    . Retrieved 2019-05-06 (registration required).
  6. ISSN 0307-661X
    .
  7. OCLC 1366341699
    Retrieved 2024-04-19 (registration required) (one-time complimentary access).
  8. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2021-06-30 (subscription required). Review of the autobiography of Indian author Chaman Nahal
    mentions the effect of Rajagopal Sloss' book on Nahal.
  9. ISBN 978-1-888004-07-6
    . The affair had been known to Krishnamurti's inner circle, including trustees of Krishnamurti foundations, since the early 1970s, as it had been brought up during various legal disputes between the Rajagopals and Krishnamurti.
  10. ^ Vernon 2001, pp. 203–204.
  11. ^ Papp, Mark (director); Wells, Peter (writer) (16 October – 9 November 2004). Blue Dove (theatrical production). Music direction & arrangement by David O. Ivar Theatre, Los Angeles: Wells Productions. Archived from the original on 2016-01-10. Retrieved 2023-08-04 – via Wayback Machine. Additional pages archived on 2015-08-11: "Blue Dove: Synopsis". The relationship between Rosalind Rajagopal and Krishnamurti in the 1920s and 1930s was a central plot device of this musical, which was loosely based on Krishnamurti's early life.
  12. ISBN 978-1-888-00408-3
    . A "personal response" to Rajagopal Sloss' book by an authorized biographer and longtime friend and associate of Krishnamurti.
  13. ^ Krishnamurti Foundation of America 1995.
  14. ISBN 978-0-520-08640-1
    .
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