Like Barbarians in India by Jean-Claude Perrier

The book describes the impact or influence of India and its culture on four French authors - Pierre Loti, Henri Michaux, André Malraux and André Gide

on Feb 24, 2023

The book ‘Like Barbarians in India’ is translated from the French original Comme des barbaresenInde by Sriparna Chatterjee and published in English by Niyogi Books.

Like Barbarians in India is a heartfelt tribute to India and to four French writers—Pierre Loti, Henri Michaux, André Malraux and André Gide—who felt a common attraction to this country of ‘ancient civilization’. The author discusses these writers and their interaction with India, as well as his love for the country. Each chapter in the book details the impact or influence that India had on these French writers individually. Pierre Loti, whose original name was Julien Viaud, discovered India in 1931 and wrote India (without the English), which describes India as if it had not been colonized. About half of Henri Michaux’s Barbarian in Asia is devoted to India. André Malraux knew Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi and had read Tagore and the Indian sacred texts. André Gide also knew Nehru and had translated Tagore and Kabir into French. The author has travelled and lived in India and was a friend of the sitar maestro Pandit Ravi Shankar. In this work he comments on India of the past and present and shares his deep love of this land, its people and culture.