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Glimpses of World History
On New Year's Day, 1931, Jawaharlal Nehru began a remarkable series of letters on the history of the world to his daughter, Indira, then, thirteen years old. Over the next thirty months, Nehru wrote nearly two hundred letters in this series, which were later published as Glimpses of World History.
With its panoramic sweep and its gripping narrative flow, all the more remarkable for being written in prison where Nehru had no recourse to reference books or a library, Glimpses of World History covers the rise and fall of empires and civilizations from Greece and Rome to China and West Asia; great figures such as Ashoka and Genghis Khan, Gandhi and Lenin; wars and revolutions, democracies and dictatorships.
Glimpses of World History is a broad coverage of the history of humankind through Nehru's eyes.
With its panoramic sweep and its gripping narrative flow, all the more remarkable for being written in prison where Nehru had no recourse to reference books or a library, Glimpses of World History covers the rise and fall of empires and civilizations from Greece and Rome to China and West Asia; great figures such as Ashoka and Genghis Khan, Gandhi and Lenin; wars and revolutions, democracies and dictatorships.
Glimpses of World History is a broad coverage of the history of humankind through Nehru's eyes.
1193 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1934
About the author
Jawaharlal Nehru
207 books408 followersFirst prime minister of independent India (1947 – 64), Nehru was educated at home and in Britain and became a lawyer in 1912. More interested in politics than law, he was impressed by Mohandas K. Gandhi's approach to Indian independence. His close association with the Indian National Congress began in 1919; in 1929 he became its president, presiding over the historic Lahore session that proclaimed complete independence (rather than dominion status) as India's political goal. He was imprisoned nine times between 1921 and 1945 for his political activity. When India was granted limited self-government in 1935, the Congress Party under Nehru refused to form coalition governments with the Muslim League in some provinces; the hardening of relations between Hindus and Muslims that followed ultimately led to the partition of India and the creation of Pakistan. Shortly before Gandhi's assassination in 1948, Nehru became the first prime minister of independent India. He attempted a foreign policy of nonalignment during the Cold War, drawing harsh criticism if he appeared to favour either camp. During his tenure, India clashed with Pakistan over the Kashmir region and with China over the Brahmaputra River valley. He wrested Goa from the Portuguese. Domestically, he promoted democracy, socialism, secularism, and unity, adapting modern values to Indian conditions. His daughter, Indira Gandhi, became prime minister two years after his death.
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November 18, 2021
Glimpses of World History, Jawaharlal Nehru
Glimpses of World History, a book published by Jawaharlal Nehru in 1942, is a panoramic sweep of the history of humankind.
It is a collection of 196 letters on world history written from various prisons in British India between 1930–1933.
The letters were written to his young daughter Indira, and were meant to introduce her to world history.
تاریخ نخستین خوانش برگردان فارسی جناب «محمود تفضلی»: یکی از روزهای سال1974میلادی
عنوان: نگاهی به تاریخ جهان - تاریخ جهان برای برای نوجوانان؛ نویسنده: جواهر لعل نهرو؛ مترجم: محمود تفضلی؛ تهران، امیرکبیر، چاپ نخست سال1338؛ در سه جلد در2049ص؛ چاپ دوم فروردین سال1343؛ چاپ سوم سال1346؛ چاپ ششم سال1355؛ چاپ هفتم سال1361؛ چاپ هشتم سال1366؛ چاپ یازدهم سال1382، چاپ دوازدهم سال1383، چاپ سیزدهم سال1386؛ چاپ چهاردهم سال1387، چاپ پانزدهم سال1388؛ چاپ بیستم سال1394 در1904 ص؛ شابک دوره سه جلدی978964000225؛ موضوع: تاریخ تمدن - نگاهی به تاریخ جهان از نویسندگان هنوستان - سده 20م
جناب آقای «مهرداد مهرین» نیز خلاصه ای از: نگاهی به تاریخ جهان «نهرو» را که «سال کاسیل پادوور» آن را کوتاه کرده، در400ص ترجمه، و در تهران نشر نیما، در سال1367 آنرا با شابک9646655165 منتشر کرده است
دوره ای سه جلدی و نگاهی به تاریخ جهان و نامه هایی هستند که روانشاد «جواهر لعل نهرو» از زندان، درباره ی تاریخ جهان، رخدادها، و مبارزات مردمان «هند»، برای دخترش «ایندیرا گاندی»، مینویسند، برای آنها که تاریخ گذشتگان را دوست میدارند، بسیار خواندنی است
آقای «محمود تفضلی» عزیز: سفیر کبیر ما در «تهران»، یک نسخه از ترجمه ی فارسی کتاب «نگاهی به تاریخ جهان» را، که شما ترجمه کرده بودید را، برایم فرستاده است؛ از شما سپاسگزارم، و آن را تقدیر می‌کنم؛ چون زبان فارسی نمی‌دانم، شاید نتوانم دربارهٔ این ترجمه، قضاوت کنم، اما شنیده ام که این کتاب در «ایران»، موقعیت خوبی کسب کرده است، و استقبال شایانی از جانب دانشجویان، و عموم مردم، از آن شده است؛ امیدوارم این کتاب سبب تفاهم بیشتر، میان «ایران و هند» بشود؛ با احساسات صمیمانه؛ ارادتمند؛ جواهر لعل نهرو
تاریخ بهنگام رسانی 21/09/1399هجری خورشیدی؛ 26/08/1400هجری خورشیدی�� ا. شربیانی
Glimpses of World History, a book published by Jawaharlal Nehru in 1942, is a panoramic sweep of the history of humankind.
It is a collection of 196 letters on world history written from various prisons in British India between 1930–1933.
The letters were written to his young daughter Indira, and were meant to introduce her to world history.
تاریخ نخستین خوانش برگردان فارسی جناب «محمود تفضلی»: یکی از روزهای سال1974میلادی
عنوان: نگاهی به تاریخ جهان - تاریخ جهان برای برای نوجوانان؛ نویسنده: جواهر لعل نهرو؛ مترجم: محمود تفضلی؛ تهران، امیرکبیر، چاپ نخست سال1338؛ در سه جلد در2049ص؛ چاپ دوم فروردین سال1343؛ چاپ سوم سال1346؛ چاپ ششم سال1355؛ چاپ هفتم سال1361؛ چاپ هشتم سال1366؛ چاپ یازدهم سال1382، چاپ دوازدهم سال1383، چاپ سیزدهم سال1386؛ چاپ چهاردهم سال1387، چاپ پانزدهم سال1388؛ چاپ بیستم سال1394 در1904 ص؛ شابک دوره سه جلدی978964000225؛ موضوع: تاریخ تمدن - نگاهی به تاریخ جهان از نویسندگان هنوستان - سده 20م
جناب آقای «مهرداد مهرین» نیز خلاصه ای از: نگاهی به تاریخ جهان «نهرو» را که «سال کاسیل پادوور» آن را کوتاه کرده، در400ص ترجمه، و در تهران نشر نیما، در سال1367 آنرا با شابک9646655165 منتشر کرده است
دوره ای سه جلدی و نگاهی به تاریخ جهان و نامه هایی هستند که روانشاد «جواهر لعل نهرو» از زندان، درباره ی تاریخ جهان، رخدادها، و مبارزات مردمان «هند»، برای دخترش «ایندیرا گاندی»، مینویسند، برای آنها که تاریخ گذشتگان را دوست میدارند، بسیار خواندنی است
آقای «محمود تفضلی» عزیز: سفیر کبیر ما در «تهران»، یک نسخه از ترجمه ی فارسی کتاب «نگاهی به تاریخ جهان» را، که شما ترجمه کرده بودید را، برایم فرستاده است؛ از شما سپاسگزارم، و آن را تقدیر می‌کنم؛ چون زبان فارسی نمی‌دانم، شاید نتوانم دربارهٔ این ترجمه، قضاوت کنم، اما شنیده ام که این کتاب در «ایران»، موقعیت خوبی کسب کرده است، و استقبال شایانی از جانب دانشجویان، و عموم مردم، از آن شده است؛ امیدوارم این کتاب سبب تفاهم بیشتر، میان «ایران و هند» بشود؛ با احساسات صمیمانه؛ ارادتمند؛ جواهر لعل نهرو
تاریخ بهنگام رسانی 21/09/1399هجری خورشیدی؛ 26/08/1400هجری خورشیدی�� ا. شربیانی
December 28, 2012
I really debated with myself on whether to give this 5 stars. Which is strange, considering I never touch non fiction. This huge book was a birthday gift from my mom many years back, and all this time it lay in the back of some shelf, collecting dust and turning yellow because I simply could not gather enough interest to pick it up.
I could not be any happier to be proven wrong when I did get around to reading this though. It was incredible to know anyway, that this around 1000 page beast is simply a collection of letters written by Jawaharlal Nehru to his daughter Indira, within a span of three years while he was in. In some way, that brought a sense of awe and admiration before even reading the first page.
Now about the book. Nehru's knowledge, intellect and prose deserve the utmost praise. If only modern Indian writers could take a page or two out of Nehru's book. Nehru manages to hold your entire attention as he narrates the history of almost everything. From the Indus valley civilization to the Egyptians and the Greeks and Romans and Turks and the Persians and the Chinese, Nehru takes us on a journey spanning centuries and millennia and does this in a way far more interesting than any history textbook you could find. Nowhere does taking in so much information feel laborious or like an unpleasant chore, since Nehru always remembers that his young daughter is reading this letter and is always careful to tell it like any father telling a story to his child. Alongside this sea of information, he offers his own opinions and insights on various world events and personalities. Nehru's analysis is impeccable and this book makes us know about him almost as much as he makes us know about world history. If you are interested to read and learn more about India's first Prime Minister, I would strongly suggest reading this book instead of reading a biography.
I am deducting one star only because it didn't evoke the emotions in me that a well written fiction does, but don't let that deter you. This is a very very impressive book and deserves to be read and appreciated.
4.0 stars. Recommended.
I could not be any happier to be proven wrong when I did get around to reading this though. It was incredible to know anyway, that this around 1000 page beast is simply a collection of letters written by Jawaharlal Nehru to his daughter Indira, within a span of three years while he was in. In some way, that brought a sense of awe and admiration before even reading the first page.
Now about the book. Nehru's knowledge, intellect and prose deserve the utmost praise. If only modern Indian writers could take a page or two out of Nehru's book. Nehru manages to hold your entire attention as he narrates the history of almost everything. From the Indus valley civilization to the Egyptians and the Greeks and Romans and Turks and the Persians and the Chinese, Nehru takes us on a journey spanning centuries and millennia and does this in a way far more interesting than any history textbook you could find. Nowhere does taking in so much information feel laborious or like an unpleasant chore, since Nehru always remembers that his young daughter is reading this letter and is always careful to tell it like any father telling a story to his child. Alongside this sea of information, he offers his own opinions and insights on various world events and personalities. Nehru's analysis is impeccable and this book makes us know about him almost as much as he makes us know about world history. If you are interested to read and learn more about India's first Prime Minister, I would strongly suggest reading this book instead of reading a biography.
I am deducting one star only because it didn't evoke the emotions in me that a well written fiction does, but don't let that deter you. This is a very very impressive book and deserves to be read and appreciated.
4.0 stars. Recommended.
October 4, 2019
২০১৬ সাল। বিশ্ববিদ্যালয়ের প্রথম বর্ষে পড়ি। ক্লাসে স্যার বললেন, বুক রিভিউয়ের জন্য সব্বাইকে বইয়ের নাম দিতে। এই ঘটনার কিছুদিন আগে নীলক্ষেতের ম্যাগাজিন গলি থেকে মোটামুটি সস্তায় ১ হাজার+ পাতার ঢাউস গ্রন্থটি বাগিয়েছি৷ আসল প্রিন্ট। ফূর্তিই আলাদা। বলে দিলাম নেহেরুর 'Glimpses Of World History' এর রিভিউ লিখব। আল্লাহর নাম নিয়ে কেতাবখান ধরলাম।
নিজের সন্তানকে যতটা সময় দেওয়া একজন আদর্শ পিতার কর্তব্য, ততটা সান্নিধ্য দিতে পারেন নি জওহরলাল নেহেরু। রাজনীতি, জেল-জুলুম সইতে সইতে বেশিরভাগ সময় চলে যায়। অক্সফোর্ডের গ্রাজুয়েট নেহেরু জেলে বসেই সিদ্ধান্ত নিলেন কন্যাকে চিঠিতে চিঠিতে শেখাবেন বিশ্বইতিহাস। কন্যা ইন্দিরা গান্ধিকে লেখা পত্রগুলোই 'Glimpses Of World History' এরমতো সুখপাঠ্য বইয়ের জন্মকথা।
তিনবছর আগে বইটি পড়েছিলাম। অনেক সময় নিয়ে৷ ধীরেসুস্থে। নেহেরু খুব সাজিয়ে গুছিয়ে লিখেছেন বিশ্বইতিহাস৷ একেবারে গোড়া থেকে শুরু করেছিলেন।
ইতিহাস মানেই কাঠখোট্টা। ন্যূনতম আনন্দ নেই। সন-তারিখের দাপটে পড়তে গেলে ঘুম চলে আসে কিংবা আগ্রহ হারিয়ে যায় - এমন অভিযোগ নতুন নয়৷ ইতিহাস নিয়ে অনাগ্রহী পাঠকের জন্য এ কথা চিরন্তন সত্য বৈ কি। কিন্তু ইতিহাসবিষয়ক পুস্তকের রীতির ব্যত্যয় হলো 'Glimpses Of The World History'। কারাবন্দি নেহেরু ইতিহাসের ঝাঁপি খুলে দিয়েছেন তার কিশোরী কন্যার জন্য। অর্থাৎ পাঠকের বয়স অল্প। তাই নেহেরুও যতটা সম্ভব সহজ-সরল ভাষায় পুরো পৃথিবীর ইতিবৃত্ত লিখেছেন৷ লোকে ইংরেজি বইয়ের বিগিনার পাঠকদের চেতু, কোয়েলহো কিংবা শেলডন পড়লে পরামর্শ দেন৷ কেন এই বইটির কথা বলেন না জানি না। খুবই সহজ ভাষায় লেখা।
নেহেরুর ইতিহাসবর্ণন পদ্ধতির সাথে মার্কসবাদী ঐতিহাসিকদের মিল পাওয়া যায়। তারা যেমন যুক্তবাদিতা, জনতার দৃষ্টিকোণ থেকে দেখেন৷ ধর্মীয় গোঁড়ামি পরিহার করে অর্থনীতি ও মানবতাবাদকে বিশেষ গুরুত্ব দেন, তেমনি নেহেরুও তাই করেছেন৷ উল্লেখ্য, এখনও স্মরণ হয় এই বই পড়তে গিয়ে আমি ঠিক কংগ্রেসের রাজনীতিবিদ হিসেবে নেহেরুকে মানতে পারছিলাম না৷ তাকে অনেকটাই মার্ক্সবাদী দৃষ্টিভঙ্গির এক উদারবাদী রাজনৈতিক মনে হচ্ছিল।বড্ড বামঘেঁষা মনে হচ্ছিল! ভাবতেই পারছিলাম না এই মানুষটিই ভারতের দণ্ডমুণ্ডের কর্তা হয়ে একটি কমিউনিস্ট সরকারকে উৎখাত করবে ( সে অবশ্য বহু পরের কথা, তদ্দিনে বহু জল গড়িয়েছে)। জাতপাত আর ধর্মীয় গোঁড়ামি বিরুদ্ধে তার সোচ্চার মনোভাব ও ক্ষোভ তিনি এই বইতে গোপন করেন নি৷ লুকাতে চাননি সাম্রাজ্যবাদের প্রতি তার ঘৃণা এবং সোভিয়েট মতাদর্শ জন্য বিশেষ প্রীতি৷
পুরো বিশ্বরাজনীতি সম্পর্কে পড়াশোনা করতে চাইলে এই বই হতে পারে 'ফার্স্ট হ্যান্ডবুক'। যদিও তিরিশের দশক পর্যন্ত সীমাবদ্ধ।
জওহরলাল নেহেরু আমৃত্যু কংগ্রেসের রাজনীতি করেছেন৷ দলীয় মতাদর্শ ধারণ না করলে নিশ্চয়ই সাফল্যের চূড়ায় আরোহণ করতে পারতেন না৷ যখনই এদেশের রাজনীতির প্রসঙ্গ উঠেছে, তখনই তিনি তুলনামূলক 'বায়াসড' হয়ে গেছেন - এটা যে কেউ বুঝতে পারবে। এটুকু বাদে 'Glimpses Of World History' এরমতো সহজবোধ্য এবং চমৎকার বইয়ের অকুণ্ঠ প্রশংসা করতেই হয়৷ হাজার পাতার বেশি। অথচ নেহেরুর অনবদ্য লেখনীর গুণে মনেই হয়নি বইটি এত বড়৷
নিজের সন্তানকে যতটা সময় দেওয়া একজন আদর্শ পিতার কর্তব্য, ততটা সান্নিধ্য দিতে পারেন নি জওহরলাল নেহেরু। রাজনীতি, জেল-জুলুম সইতে সইতে বেশিরভাগ সময় চলে যায়। অক্সফোর্ডের গ্রাজুয়েট নেহেরু জেলে বসেই সিদ্ধান্ত নিলেন কন্যাকে চিঠিতে চিঠিতে শেখাবেন বিশ্বইতিহাস। কন্যা ইন্দিরা গান্ধিকে লেখা পত্রগুলোই 'Glimpses Of World History' এরমতো সুখপাঠ্য বইয়ের জন্মকথা।
তিনবছর আগে বইটি পড়েছিলাম। অনেক সময় নিয়ে৷ ধীরেসুস্থে। নেহেরু খুব সাজিয়ে গুছিয়ে লিখেছেন বিশ্বইতিহাস৷ একেবারে গোড়া থেকে শুরু করেছিলেন।
ইতিহাস মানেই কাঠখোট্টা। ন্যূনতম আনন্দ নেই। সন-তারিখের দাপটে পড়তে গেলে ঘুম চলে আসে কিংবা আগ্রহ হারিয়ে যায় - এমন অভিযোগ নতুন নয়৷ ইতিহাস নিয়ে অনাগ্রহী পাঠকের জন্য এ কথা চিরন্তন সত্য বৈ কি। কিন্তু ইতিহাসবিষয়ক পুস্তকের রীতির ব্যত্যয় হলো 'Glimpses Of The World History'। কারাবন্দি নেহেরু ইতিহাসের ঝাঁপি খুলে দিয়েছেন তার কিশোরী কন্যার জন্য। অর্থাৎ পাঠকের বয়স অল্প। তাই নেহেরুও যতটা সম্ভব সহজ-সরল ভাষায় পুরো পৃথিবীর ইতিবৃত্ত লিখেছেন৷ লোকে ইংরেজি বইয়ের বিগিনার পাঠকদের চেতু, কোয়েলহো কিংবা শেলডন পড়লে পরামর্শ দেন৷ কেন এই বইটির কথা বলেন না জানি না। খুবই সহজ ভাষায় লেখা।
নেহেরুর ইতিহাসবর্ণন পদ্ধতির সাথে মার্কসবাদী ঐতিহাসিকদের মিল পাওয়া যায়। তারা যেমন যুক্তবাদিতা, জনতার দৃষ্টিকোণ থেকে দেখেন৷ ধর্মীয় গোঁড়ামি পরিহার করে অর্থনীতি ও মানবতাবাদকে বিশেষ গুরুত্ব দেন, তেমনি নেহেরুও তাই করেছেন৷ উল্লেখ্য, এখনও স্মরণ হয় এই বই পড়তে গিয়ে আমি ঠিক কংগ্রেসের রাজনীতিবিদ হিসেবে নেহেরুকে মানতে পারছিলাম না৷ তাকে অনেকটাই মার্ক্সবাদী দৃষ্টিভঙ্গির এক উদারবাদী রাজনৈতিক মনে হচ্ছিল।বড্ড বামঘেঁষা মনে হচ্ছিল! ভাবতেই পারছিলাম না এই মানুষটিই ভারতের দণ্ডমুণ্ডের কর্তা হয়ে একটি কমিউনিস্ট সরকারকে উৎখাত করবে ( সে অবশ্য বহু পরের কথা, তদ্দিনে বহু জল গড়িয়েছে)। জাতপাত আর ধর্মীয় গোঁড়ামি বিরুদ্ধে তার সোচ্চার মনোভাব ও ক্ষোভ তিনি এই বইতে গোপন করেন নি৷ লুকাতে চাননি সাম্রাজ্যবাদের প্রতি তার ঘৃণা এবং সোভিয়েট মতাদর্শ জন্য বিশেষ প্রীতি৷
পুরো বিশ্বরাজনীতি সম্পর্কে পড়াশোনা করতে চাইলে এই বই হতে পারে 'ফার্স্ট হ্যান্ডবুক'। যদিও তিরিশের দশক পর্যন্ত সীমাবদ্ধ।
জওহরলাল নেহেরু আমৃত্যু কংগ্রেসের রাজনীতি করেছেন৷ দলীয় মতাদর্শ ধারণ না করলে নিশ্চয়ই সাফল্যের চূড়ায় আরোহণ করতে পারতেন না৷ যখনই এদেশের রাজনীতির প্রসঙ্গ উঠেছে, তখনই তিনি তুলনামূলক 'বায়াসড' হয়ে গেছেন - এটা যে কেউ বুঝতে পারবে। এটুকু বাদে 'Glimpses Of World History' এরমতো সহজবোধ্য এবং চমৎকার বইয়ের অকুণ্ঠ প্রশংসা করতেই হয়৷ হাজার পাতার বেশি। অথচ নেহেরুর অনবদ্য লেখনীর গুণে মনেই হয়নি বইটি এত বড়৷
November 17, 2012
Wonderful book. "Glimpses" is a bit of an understatement though. It's quite exhaustive and very beautifully explained. There is hardly a page of this enormous book that is dull. The essays bring out Nehru's interest and understanding of human history, culture, world affairs and social movements. It brings out his idealism, his love of knowledge, of freedom, of democracy and of lifting the masses out of misery. One can see his socialist leanings and despise of capitalism rising out of the bad economic situation in the 1930s when the capitalist countries were struggling with debt, inflation, over-production and unemployment while the Soviets were beginning to grow under the implementation of the five year plans, their economy relatively unaffected by the great depression worldwide. In his words, "to compare Soviet Russia with Western Europe today is to compare a youth, carrying a heavy burden but full of life and vigor, with an aged person with little hope or energy left, and going forward not without pride, but inevitably, to the end of his present state." He begins to equate capitalism with wastage, cutthroat competition, economic imperialism, the concentration of wealth in a few hands, long hours and squalid working conditions and begins to lean towards a democratic socialist form of governing.
As Bertrand Russell puts it, "idealism is the offspring of suffering and hope, and therefore reaches its maximum when a period of misfortune is nearing its visible termination."
To have written these brilliantly well-informed and detailed letters of human history to his daughter while sitting in prison not knowing how much longer the journey would take and yet retaining his idealism and hope is a very commendable and endearing feat.
A must read for every lover of history, political movements, social reform and India - to see where the first prime minister came from.
As Bertrand Russell puts it, "idealism is the offspring of suffering and hope, and therefore reaches its maximum when a period of misfortune is nearing its visible termination."
To have written these brilliantly well-informed and detailed letters of human history to his daughter while sitting in prison not knowing how much longer the journey would take and yet retaining his idealism and hope is a very commendable and endearing feat.
A must read for every lover of history, political movements, social reform and India - to see where the first prime minister came from.
December 7, 2019
Summary: Everyone should read this book. Seriously. Top book of this year for me and should be added to every school reading list. Written in simple plain language, this ties together the entire world in an approachable, unique way, i.e. letters to a beloved niece.
If history escapes you b/c you don't have context, this is the book for you. He goes through the entire history that is known across all the continents. I have been dying to try to understand this. If you're American, history seems to start 200 years ago, or at best from the dark ages. But Eastern history and even Middle eastern (plus Africa, Greece, and Italy) starts SOOOO much farther back. This is the ONLY book I've read that attempts to bring all of these themes in 1 cogent look. In fairness it is slightly weak on Africa, but that is a testament to lack of the stories getting a chance to be told at this time in history. If I had started with this then subsequently all other history books would have been that much richer. Also, this book is free on-line in PDF form, so a good solid search will give you access to it.
A quick word on what might be criticism. He's going to get a few things half right. He's writing from prison, not some major institutional library. If this man were alive, I would have tried very hard to meet him as he's for the most part, more or less right. Second, he's going to be weakest in Latin America given the time this is written. Most people are weak there anyway, so it's cool, plus he admits it. Also, his spelling of Chinese names predates a standardization, so for those not familiar with the names it could be difficult. Also, this is meant as an overview. If you know more about these topics, awesome sauce. But the point is the overview.
Notes:
In the very earliest chapters, he gives a spreadsheet like overview of all of history. Freakin amazing the way he's done it. If I had infinite time, I would lay this out as a data project. If you read this and want to work with me on that, msg me.
P.4/5 SUCH humility for someone able to do this from memory. He writes clearly that he does this out of love and the desire for the person reading to surpass. Wow. This tone is what makes the whole book such a beauty to read.
P. 87, The retelling of Christ from a non-Christian, non-western culture point of view is so fascinating and wonderful. He talks about Christ from the point of view of the militancy with which they differed from the other many religion that were totally cool with being integrated into the empire. While I had thought about the militancy of Christianity, I had not thought as deeply about how at the time - just as now - many a country had been trying to integrate all of the religions. He also talks about the idea that Christ was not militant and would have been totally upset by what Christianity later became, i.e. a front for the ability of those in power to plunder other nations and devastate the peoples of these locations. The idea that Religion, despite it's beauty can be dangerous in its ability to manipulate is articulated in a way beyond what my mind had before been able to support. this is because he is telling this history with greater knowledge than I have.
Specifically, he writes on p. 87: "As Christianity grew, violent disputes arose about the divinity of Jesus. You will remember my telling you how Gauntama the Buddha, who claimed no divinity, came to be worshipped as a god and as an avatar. Similarly, Jesus claimed no divinity. His repeated statements that he was the son of God and the son of man do not necessarily mean any divine or superhuman claim. But human beings like to make gods of great men, who having deified, they refrain from following!.... So instead of understanding and following the teachings of Jesus, the Christians argued and quarreled about the nature of Jesus' divinity and about the Trinity. They called each other heretics and persecuted each other...."
p. 88 "But it is strange to think of the rebel Jesus preaching non-violence and ahimsa and a revolt against the social order, and then to compare him with his loud-voiced followers of to-day, with their imperialism and armaments and wars and worship of wealth." "how amazingly dissimilar they are!"
P. 180, he says of this period between 1000 and 1500 that it's fascinating the fall of rome and how then Europe compares to Asia and other lands. They were, "backward and semi-barbarous compared to the progressive countries of Asia." I think this is super relevant to today's foreign policy considerations. We still think of Asia as this backward place. In truth, a multi-century view of the world would say that for the last 200 years, Asia has allowed the West to thrive. What the next 200 years brings is anyone's guess. But for Asia, 200 years is a short period of time as kingdoms and dynasties lasted more on the order of 600-800 years. I also think how the US plays this period will be fascinating and is why this book is super relevant.
P. 181 "Civilizations, like empires, fall, not so much because of the strength of the enemy outside, as through the weakness and decay within. He's talking about Rome first, but also he then talks about how China get it's teeth kicked in a few times and also Latin America is used as an example. In fairness Latin America isn't an ideal example, because part of what did them in was the fact that they got sick. I mean, it has never escaped me that the Conquistadors are actually one of the earliest examples of biological warfare. But at this time, Nehru would not have had the full count of how many exactly had died.
P. 184 - He discusses Latin America. It's very rough and it's more or less accurate, it just misses the whole history in a way that takes years for scholars to write about. So as not to take away the beauty of what he has accomplished in these letters, I would supplement this whole section with other reading.
P. 185 - He does talk about the great Mayan and Aztec empires. Again. Supplement this. He admits that he's weak in understanding these folks so I admire him, still.
P. 194, he talks about the crusades and the idea that most of the crusaders were quite pious, but they were still, largely speaking manipulated via religion in his opinion. I think this compassion with which he writes about history is important. People are just people, but the choices are made by leaders. When we forget that, we vilify whole cultures rather than letting history teach us things.
P. 200, this is brilliant. He talks about China vs. the rest of the world in how they looked at rulership.
"From the old Aryan days to Ashoka's time, and from Arthashastra to the Nitisara of Sukracharya, it is repeatedly stated that the King must bow down to public opinion. It is the public that is the ultimate master. This was the Indian theory, although in practice kings in India, as elsewhere were autocratic enough. Compare this to the old European view. According to the lawyers of those days, the Emperor had absolute authority. His will was law. 'The Emperor is the living law upon Earth.....It is not for the people to give laws to the prince, but to obey his command."
Compare this also with the Chinese view. The emperor or the king there was called by high-sounding titles, like the Son of Heaven, but this must not mislead us. In theory his position was very different from that of the all-powerful European Emperor. An old Chinese writer Meng-Tse has written: "The people is the most important element in the country; next come the useful gods of the soil and crops, and last in importance comes the ruler."
P. 205, he talks about the dark ages and how despite the fact that Asia (India and China) was way more modern then Europe there was limited creativity that was going on. In contrast in Europe, you had great artistic gothic churches being built and huge art and architecture that was being a focus. This he claims is important to what it means to grow and thrive as a culture. The implication is that the later starts the fall.
p. 216 - Totally love the way he tells the story of Chengiz Khan. This goes on for a bit, as he's kind of a bad a$$. He really gets into the personality of the man.
P .274 - I did not know the story of Japan as relates to the Christians. Here he mentions how their approach was to come in nice, with gifts and then create militant groups in the region. The Shogun of Japan figured this out quick and kicked them out.
P. 325, "The merchant adventurers of the East India Company did not trouble to distinguish between bona-fide trade and unfair trade and plunder pure and simple." This is really important to appreciate as a societal change. We now frown upon this and area really trying to turn a practice that has been going on since imperialism. It is NOT as many seem to think a practice from capitalism, a la modern times.
P. 570 - I need to review the period of the Monroe Doctrine. Now in the context of the European dominance and plunder vs. American interests it makes a lot more sense. It also represents a true transition from imperialism to capitalism.
P. 840, this whole section on Chiang Kai Shek and how he behaved and what Shanghai suffered is so clutch as it's forgotten as to why the Chinese have limited respect for the man. It is also pretty amazing, this story of the Japanese invasion of Shanghai. I have to re-read this piece of history. Like, I know about the period now known as the rape of Nanking, but still, I got to take another look.
P. 903, have never thought about the way in which the post-WWI/WWII era period played out with metal rich countries as related to national debt. This is fascinating. Def need to reflect on this in the context of how these countries ultimately developed and what china has been doing for the last 20 years in Africa.
P. 906, this is an intriguing take on the great depression. From their stand point, the US had accumulated the most gold and spoils and yet, the country still went into depression. I have a feeling on this from previous work on liquidity, but adding this element is intriguing.
P. 955, OMG... this post-script reminds you of the beauty of these letters and how and why they are written. I've never read so much love with the telling of history. REMARKABLE!!!
If history escapes you b/c you don't have context, this is the book for you. He goes through the entire history that is known across all the continents. I have been dying to try to understand this. If you're American, history seems to start 200 years ago, or at best from the dark ages. But Eastern history and even Middle eastern (plus Africa, Greece, and Italy) starts SOOOO much farther back. This is the ONLY book I've read that attempts to bring all of these themes in 1 cogent look. In fairness it is slightly weak on Africa, but that is a testament to lack of the stories getting a chance to be told at this time in history. If I had started with this then subsequently all other history books would have been that much richer. Also, this book is free on-line in PDF form, so a good solid search will give you access to it.
A quick word on what might be criticism. He's going to get a few things half right. He's writing from prison, not some major institutional library. If this man were alive, I would have tried very hard to meet him as he's for the most part, more or less right. Second, he's going to be weakest in Latin America given the time this is written. Most people are weak there anyway, so it's cool, plus he admits it. Also, his spelling of Chinese names predates a standardization, so for those not familiar with the names it could be difficult. Also, this is meant as an overview. If you know more about these topics, awesome sauce. But the point is the overview.
Notes:
In the very earliest chapters, he gives a spreadsheet like overview of all of history. Freakin amazing the way he's done it. If I had infinite time, I would lay this out as a data project. If you read this and want to work with me on that, msg me.
P.4/5 SUCH humility for someone able to do this from memory. He writes clearly that he does this out of love and the desire for the person reading to surpass. Wow. This tone is what makes the whole book such a beauty to read.
P. 87, The retelling of Christ from a non-Christian, non-western culture point of view is so fascinating and wonderful. He talks about Christ from the point of view of the militancy with which they differed from the other many religion that were totally cool with being integrated into the empire. While I had thought about the militancy of Christianity, I had not thought as deeply about how at the time - just as now - many a country had been trying to integrate all of the religions. He also talks about the idea that Christ was not militant and would have been totally upset by what Christianity later became, i.e. a front for the ability of those in power to plunder other nations and devastate the peoples of these locations. The idea that Religion, despite it's beauty can be dangerous in its ability to manipulate is articulated in a way beyond what my mind had before been able to support. this is because he is telling this history with greater knowledge than I have.
Specifically, he writes on p. 87: "As Christianity grew, violent disputes arose about the divinity of Jesus. You will remember my telling you how Gauntama the Buddha, who claimed no divinity, came to be worshipped as a god and as an avatar. Similarly, Jesus claimed no divinity. His repeated statements that he was the son of God and the son of man do not necessarily mean any divine or superhuman claim. But human beings like to make gods of great men, who having deified, they refrain from following!.... So instead of understanding and following the teachings of Jesus, the Christians argued and quarreled about the nature of Jesus' divinity and about the Trinity. They called each other heretics and persecuted each other...."
p. 88 "But it is strange to think of the rebel Jesus preaching non-violence and ahimsa and a revolt against the social order, and then to compare him with his loud-voiced followers of to-day, with their imperialism and armaments and wars and worship of wealth." "how amazingly dissimilar they are!"
P. 180, he says of this period between 1000 and 1500 that it's fascinating the fall of rome and how then Europe compares to Asia and other lands. They were, "backward and semi-barbarous compared to the progressive countries of Asia." I think this is super relevant to today's foreign policy considerations. We still think of Asia as this backward place. In truth, a multi-century view of the world would say that for the last 200 years, Asia has allowed the West to thrive. What the next 200 years brings is anyone's guess. But for Asia, 200 years is a short period of time as kingdoms and dynasties lasted more on the order of 600-800 years. I also think how the US plays this period will be fascinating and is why this book is super relevant.
P. 181 "Civilizations, like empires, fall, not so much because of the strength of the enemy outside, as through the weakness and decay within. He's talking about Rome first, but also he then talks about how China get it's teeth kicked in a few times and also Latin America is used as an example. In fairness Latin America isn't an ideal example, because part of what did them in was the fact that they got sick. I mean, it has never escaped me that the Conquistadors are actually one of the earliest examples of biological warfare. But at this time, Nehru would not have had the full count of how many exactly had died.
P. 184 - He discusses Latin America. It's very rough and it's more or less accurate, it just misses the whole history in a way that takes years for scholars to write about. So as not to take away the beauty of what he has accomplished in these letters, I would supplement this whole section with other reading.
P. 185 - He does talk about the great Mayan and Aztec empires. Again. Supplement this. He admits that he's weak in understanding these folks so I admire him, still.
P. 194, he talks about the crusades and the idea that most of the crusaders were quite pious, but they were still, largely speaking manipulated via religion in his opinion. I think this compassion with which he writes about history is important. People are just people, but the choices are made by leaders. When we forget that, we vilify whole cultures rather than letting history teach us things.
P. 200, this is brilliant. He talks about China vs. the rest of the world in how they looked at rulership.
"From the old Aryan days to Ashoka's time, and from Arthashastra to the Nitisara of Sukracharya, it is repeatedly stated that the King must bow down to public opinion. It is the public that is the ultimate master. This was the Indian theory, although in practice kings in India, as elsewhere were autocratic enough. Compare this to the old European view. According to the lawyers of those days, the Emperor had absolute authority. His will was law. 'The Emperor is the living law upon Earth.....It is not for the people to give laws to the prince, but to obey his command."
Compare this also with the Chinese view. The emperor or the king there was called by high-sounding titles, like the Son of Heaven, but this must not mislead us. In theory his position was very different from that of the all-powerful European Emperor. An old Chinese writer Meng-Tse has written: "The people is the most important element in the country; next come the useful gods of the soil and crops, and last in importance comes the ruler."
P. 205, he talks about the dark ages and how despite the fact that Asia (India and China) was way more modern then Europe there was limited creativity that was going on. In contrast in Europe, you had great artistic gothic churches being built and huge art and architecture that was being a focus. This he claims is important to what it means to grow and thrive as a culture. The implication is that the later starts the fall.
p. 216 - Totally love the way he tells the story of Chengiz Khan. This goes on for a bit, as he's kind of a bad a$$. He really gets into the personality of the man.
P .274 - I did not know the story of Japan as relates to the Christians. Here he mentions how their approach was to come in nice, with gifts and then create militant groups in the region. The Shogun of Japan figured this out quick and kicked them out.
P. 325, "The merchant adventurers of the East India Company did not trouble to distinguish between bona-fide trade and unfair trade and plunder pure and simple." This is really important to appreciate as a societal change. We now frown upon this and area really trying to turn a practice that has been going on since imperialism. It is NOT as many seem to think a practice from capitalism, a la modern times.
P. 570 - I need to review the period of the Monroe Doctrine. Now in the context of the European dominance and plunder vs. American interests it makes a lot more sense. It also represents a true transition from imperialism to capitalism.
P. 840, this whole section on Chiang Kai Shek and how he behaved and what Shanghai suffered is so clutch as it's forgotten as to why the Chinese have limited respect for the man. It is also pretty amazing, this story of the Japanese invasion of Shanghai. I have to re-read this piece of history. Like, I know about the period now known as the rape of Nanking, but still, I got to take another look.
P. 903, have never thought about the way in which the post-WWI/WWII era period played out with metal rich countries as related to national debt. This is fascinating. Def need to reflect on this in the context of how these countries ultimately developed and what china has been doing for the last 20 years in Africa.
P. 906, this is an intriguing take on the great depression. From their stand point, the US had accumulated the most gold and spoils and yet, the country still went into depression. I have a feeling on this from previous work on liquidity, but adding this element is intriguing.
P. 955, OMG... this post-script reminds you of the beauty of these letters and how and why they are written. I've never read so much love with the telling of history. REMARKABLE!!!
December 26, 2016
In 1930, a man who would later become the first prime minister of India was thrown in jail for a period of two years. There, removed from his family and regretful that he was forcibly absent from his daughter Indira's life, Jawaharlal Nehru labored to impart what wisdom he could through a series of letters. Beginning in October 1930 and ending in August 1933, the letters -- written in a loving and erudite pen -- cover the whole of the human story, from prehistory 'til the "present day" of 1938. Composed from memory, notes, love for his daughter, and fervent if beleaguered hope for humanity, Glimpses is an extraordinary collection.
Of course, their author was an extraordinary man. I first encountered him some six years ago, when I watched the film Gandhi and found him such a sympathetic figure that I read his biography and became utterly transfixed by him. Most striking was a story his biographer, Shashi Tharoor shared -- that Nehru was so unnerved by his support in office that he wrote an anonymous letter warning people to be more skeptical -- "Nehru has all the makings of a dictator...we want no Caesars" . Having read Glimpses, having spent upwards of a month with Nehru, reading these intimate letters to his daughter, I can more readily believe that he wrote such a thing. Here was a man whose deep appreciation for human history allowed him to create from memory and notes, an epic history of the world without recourse to a library -- who would, in the progress of the letters, continually connect them to one another in one fabric of historical reflections. He was as conversant with the weaknesses and pains of the human experience as the potential and glory.
Glimpses reminded me much of H.G.Wells' Outline of History, and this is no accident; Nehru quotes it a few times, using it as one of his sources. While Wells and Nehru share a common worldview, however -- scientifically centered and politically progressive, the two combining in a ready belief that science was on the precipice of conquering politics and economics with state socialism -- Nehru writes more broadly of the world. Not surprisingly, India and Southeast Asia are at the book's heart. Even when writing on other topics, like Ireland's perennial fight with England, allusions to India are common.. These connections are partially the result of him writing as teacher to his daughter, but as he admits the letters serve him as well, allowing him to reflect and inwardly digest the lessons of history. As an actor in India's ongoing drama for independence, no doubt there are lessons he hopes to apply in practice. He also draws out these lessons in contradiction, contrasting "priest-ridden" India with China, which he views as more rationalistic even in antiquity. (Again with Wells, Nehru is not a fan of organized religion, largely viewing it as nothing more than elaborate conspiracy to keep people from thinking about being poor. He does not blame it for every ill of the world, however, referring to it often being used as the mere cover for more mundane conflicts.)
What does Glimpses offer the modern reader? For starters, Nehru's history regularly visits India, southeast Asia, and the middle east in a way that westerners at least probably do not encounter. I have never read about India colonialism, for instance, and have only encountered Persian history post-Sassanids when I sought it out deliberately. There is the virtue of novelty, then, but Nehru makes this all the more valuable by relentlessly chronicling areas' histories in connection with one another; they're not disjointed. Even when Nehru is forced to make sudden jumps, he offers recaps and reviews to remind his daughter, of what we discussed previously. (Considering that there are nearly two hundred letters, this is especially helpful.) There is also Nehru's teaching style to consider. This is not an academic history, but the counsel of a parent to a child, and it is therefore tender. When he devotes four chapters to the trade crisis and Great Depression, one suspects he is writing more for his own benefit, but Nehru frequently stops chronicling to reflect. It is here when he is musing on the lessons these recollections to have teach us that Nehru sounds most loving, most wise. He is a pleasure to listen to, to spend time with, and this is an invaluable attribute for an author. Even if a reader disagrees with a man, it is possible to listen to him, take him seriously, and earnestly reason together with him -- if he is a sympathetic author. If he is a boor bellowing in confrontation, there is neither wisdom nor argument to find, only courage in one's prejudices.
Nehru is no boor -- and neither is he a bore. While Nehru was a political figure, his history does not limit itself to politics; he frequently dwells on literature, architecture, and poetry, frequently including verses for his daughter's consideration. (He also includes tables of trade and population statistics, because fifteen year olds eat that stuff up.) Obviously, I prefer Gandhi's strident village anarchism to any sort of state-centered scheme, but Nehru isn't an extremist. He writes of science that humility goes hand in hand with knowledge, as every discovery only creates further questions. He exhibits that humility most of the time, frequently chronicling the unintended consequences of government actions and the chronic moral frailties of man. If Nehru has a blind spot, it is authoritarian socialism, and particularly his enamored take on Stalin. While the author is happy to accept Roosevelt's tinkering with the American economy as a kind of socialism, he declares that Hitler's tinkering with the German economy had nothing at all to do with socialism despite its "National Socialism" name. Both were using the state to 'buffer' the economy on behalf of :"Society", so -- what's the difference?
The big difference between Nehru's writing on Stalinism and his writing in the hundreds of pages before is that with Stalin, he is writing on the present, without benefit of hindsight. I imagine that if Nehru were to live in our own time, he would present a view of Stalinism -- and Maoism, and Pol Potism, and Juche, and the other variations which have killed and enslaved many millions in the 20th century -- that is more critical, his being able to see the consequences from afar. I do not believe his love for the common man would be diminished in the least, nor would his hope. This was a man who concluded his letters in the 1930s, when Japan and Germany stood astride the world, when the democracies were ailing and impotent, when India still languished under foreign domination -- and yet he urged his daughter to not take a dismal view of the world:
For history teaches us of growth and progress and of the possibility of an infinite advance for man; and life is rich and varied, and though it has many swamps and marshes and muddy places, it has also the great sea, and the mountains, and snow, and glaciers, and wonderful starlight nights (especially in gaol!), and the love of family and friends and the comradeship of workers in common cause, and music, and books, and the empire of ideas. So that each of us may well say: -- 'Lord, though I lived on earth, the child of earth, Yet was I fathered by the starry sky''.
Glimpses was a book, for me, six years in the waiting, and worth the waiting. I hope to spend more time with Nehru in his Discovery of India.
Of course, their author was an extraordinary man. I first encountered him some six years ago, when I watched the film Gandhi and found him such a sympathetic figure that I read his biography and became utterly transfixed by him. Most striking was a story his biographer, Shashi Tharoor shared -- that Nehru was so unnerved by his support in office that he wrote an anonymous letter warning people to be more skeptical -- "Nehru has all the makings of a dictator...we want no Caesars" . Having read Glimpses, having spent upwards of a month with Nehru, reading these intimate letters to his daughter, I can more readily believe that he wrote such a thing. Here was a man whose deep appreciation for human history allowed him to create from memory and notes, an epic history of the world without recourse to a library -- who would, in the progress of the letters, continually connect them to one another in one fabric of historical reflections. He was as conversant with the weaknesses and pains of the human experience as the potential and glory.
Glimpses reminded me much of H.G.Wells' Outline of History, and this is no accident; Nehru quotes it a few times, using it as one of his sources. While Wells and Nehru share a common worldview, however -- scientifically centered and politically progressive, the two combining in a ready belief that science was on the precipice of conquering politics and economics with state socialism -- Nehru writes more broadly of the world. Not surprisingly, India and Southeast Asia are at the book's heart. Even when writing on other topics, like Ireland's perennial fight with England, allusions to India are common.. These connections are partially the result of him writing as teacher to his daughter, but as he admits the letters serve him as well, allowing him to reflect and inwardly digest the lessons of history. As an actor in India's ongoing drama for independence, no doubt there are lessons he hopes to apply in practice. He also draws out these lessons in contradiction, contrasting "priest-ridden" India with China, which he views as more rationalistic even in antiquity. (Again with Wells, Nehru is not a fan of organized religion, largely viewing it as nothing more than elaborate conspiracy to keep people from thinking about being poor. He does not blame it for every ill of the world, however, referring to it often being used as the mere cover for more mundane conflicts.)
What does Glimpses offer the modern reader? For starters, Nehru's history regularly visits India, southeast Asia, and the middle east in a way that westerners at least probably do not encounter. I have never read about India colonialism, for instance, and have only encountered Persian history post-Sassanids when I sought it out deliberately. There is the virtue of novelty, then, but Nehru makes this all the more valuable by relentlessly chronicling areas' histories in connection with one another; they're not disjointed. Even when Nehru is forced to make sudden jumps, he offers recaps and reviews to remind his daughter, of what we discussed previously. (Considering that there are nearly two hundred letters, this is especially helpful.) There is also Nehru's teaching style to consider. This is not an academic history, but the counsel of a parent to a child, and it is therefore tender. When he devotes four chapters to the trade crisis and Great Depression, one suspects he is writing more for his own benefit, but Nehru frequently stops chronicling to reflect. It is here when he is musing on the lessons these recollections to have teach us that Nehru sounds most loving, most wise. He is a pleasure to listen to, to spend time with, and this is an invaluable attribute for an author. Even if a reader disagrees with a man, it is possible to listen to him, take him seriously, and earnestly reason together with him -- if he is a sympathetic author. If he is a boor bellowing in confrontation, there is neither wisdom nor argument to find, only courage in one's prejudices.
Nehru is no boor -- and neither is he a bore. While Nehru was a political figure, his history does not limit itself to politics; he frequently dwells on literature, architecture, and poetry, frequently including verses for his daughter's consideration. (He also includes tables of trade and population statistics, because fifteen year olds eat that stuff up.) Obviously, I prefer Gandhi's strident village anarchism to any sort of state-centered scheme, but Nehru isn't an extremist. He writes of science that humility goes hand in hand with knowledge, as every discovery only creates further questions. He exhibits that humility most of the time, frequently chronicling the unintended consequences of government actions and the chronic moral frailties of man. If Nehru has a blind spot, it is authoritarian socialism, and particularly his enamored take on Stalin. While the author is happy to accept Roosevelt's tinkering with the American economy as a kind of socialism, he declares that Hitler's tinkering with the German economy had nothing at all to do with socialism despite its "National Socialism" name. Both were using the state to 'buffer' the economy on behalf of :"Society", so -- what's the difference?
The big difference between Nehru's writing on Stalinism and his writing in the hundreds of pages before is that with Stalin, he is writing on the present, without benefit of hindsight. I imagine that if Nehru were to live in our own time, he would present a view of Stalinism -- and Maoism, and Pol Potism, and Juche, and the other variations which have killed and enslaved many millions in the 20th century -- that is more critical, his being able to see the consequences from afar. I do not believe his love for the common man would be diminished in the least, nor would his hope. This was a man who concluded his letters in the 1930s, when Japan and Germany stood astride the world, when the democracies were ailing and impotent, when India still languished under foreign domination -- and yet he urged his daughter to not take a dismal view of the world:
For history teaches us of growth and progress and of the possibility of an infinite advance for man; and life is rich and varied, and though it has many swamps and marshes and muddy places, it has also the great sea, and the mountains, and snow, and glaciers, and wonderful starlight nights (especially in gaol!), and the love of family and friends and the comradeship of workers in common cause, and music, and books, and the empire of ideas. So that each of us may well say: -- 'Lord, though I lived on earth, the child of earth, Yet was I fathered by the starry sky''.
Glimpses was a book, for me, six years in the waiting, and worth the waiting. I hope to spend more time with Nehru in his Discovery of India.
May 21, 2019
بالاخره جلد سوم این کتاب دوست داشتنی هم تموم شد. میتونم بگم این سه جلد هر چقدر جلوتر رفت برای من جذابیتش خیلی بیشتر شد. جهان بینی درست و نگرش انسانی نهرو به همه مسایل و اتفاقات خیلی اموزنده بود. نامه اخر تا سال قبل از جنگ جهانی دوم به پایان میرسد. و من خیلی دوست داشتم امکانش بود نظرات نهرو را درباره اتفاقات سی تا چهل سال بعد یعنی جنگ جهانی دوم و دوران جنگ سرد و فروپاشی شوروی هم میدونستم. چون نهرو در طول کتاب در مذمت سرمایه داری بسیار صحبت میکند و خب تحت تاثیر انقلاب کارگری شوروی هم هست و مثل خیلی از روشنفکرهای اون موقع سوسیالیسم و البته کمونیسم براش بسیار جالب و قابل قبول هست. در هر حال کتاب انقدر نکات و جذابیتهای تاریخی دارد که من حتی نتونستم تکه هایی از کتاب را انتخاب کنم. قسمت هایی از کتاب که در خصوص ارزش پول و جریان اقتصادی صحبت میکند واقعا برای من اموزنده بود
August 27, 2012
کتاب من دوره سه جلدی است
با ترجمه اقای محمود تفضلی
چاپ هشتم 1366
امیر کبیر
خیلی وقت پیش این کتابو خوندم. تو اون سن و سال کم خوندن یه دوره سه جلدی تاریخ کار ساده ای نبود. همین نشون میده که این کتاب چقدر ساده و روان و جذاب نوشته شده
با ترجمه اقای محمود تفضلی
چاپ هشتم 1366
امیر کبیر
خیلی وقت پیش این کتابو خوندم. تو اون سن و سال کم خوندن یه دوره سه جلدی تاریخ کار ساده ای نبود. همین نشون میده که این کتاب چقدر ساده و روان و جذاب نوشته شده
June 22, 2016
A couple of years ago, my personal interest in Current Affairs was blooming out of my appreciation and love for beauty that exists. And the more I ended up trying to understand what it all is, and how, I also ended up with a 'why'. This paved the way for me to know and understand what had happened before, to lead to the now. How the forces of history shaped and moulded the present. To pursue that, this was the book I chose, to understand the world history, before exposing myself to any other specific histories of any kind.
Jawaharlal Nehru wrote the contents of this book as a set of a hundred and ninety-six letters to his daughter Indira while he was in the Central Prison at Naini, the District Jail at Bareilly, and the District Jail at Dehra Dun, from January 1, 1931 until August 9, 1933. The letters were then published as a book in two volumes in the following two years.
Having written to his daughter, who being of thirteen summers at the time, the writing is easy for a youngster to understand the stuff of the book. The only problem of the book is however, that the retelling of history is only until 1933. There is a small 20-page Postscript that has been added as an update written on November 14, 1938, which gives the reader a brief synopsis of what happened in the later five years.
Although it is a BIG book (my largest non-fictional reading till date, and I am doubtful that this record might break :P ), the amount of details of the history is still in brief and is superficial. However it is enough to cover nearly everything that has largely taken place until 1933.
The book grabs a lot of pages in the following ways:
~28th to 1st Century BCE ~100 pages
~1st to 10th Century CE ~100 pages
~11th to 18th Century CE ~250 pages
the 19th Century ~250 pages
the 20th Century (until 1933) 400+ pages
There are certain areas of history that may not have been covered, as an example barely anything has been mentioned about the history in Africa. However, it can be justified that not much of recorded history was available in those times that pertained to that place. And also not to forget that much of the contents of the book (letters) were written out of the author's good memory.
To conclude, a really good book, for anyone who wants to know most of the world's history. Although a huge book, it can be a fast-read, and easy to understand and follow. Certainly recommended to anyone who is new to history. :)
Jawaharlal Nehru wrote the contents of this book as a set of a hundred and ninety-six letters to his daughter Indira while he was in the Central Prison at Naini, the District Jail at Bareilly, and the District Jail at Dehra Dun, from January 1, 1931 until August 9, 1933. The letters were then published as a book in two volumes in the following two years.
Having written to his daughter, who being of thirteen summers at the time, the writing is easy for a youngster to understand the stuff of the book. The only problem of the book is however, that the retelling of history is only until 1933. There is a small 20-page Postscript that has been added as an update written on November 14, 1938, which gives the reader a brief synopsis of what happened in the later five years.
Although it is a BIG book (my largest non-fictional reading till date, and I am doubtful that this record might break :P ), the amount of details of the history is still in brief and is superficial. However it is enough to cover nearly everything that has largely taken place until 1933.
The book grabs a lot of pages in the following ways:
~28th to 1st Century BCE ~100 pages
~1st to 10th Century CE ~100 pages
~11th to 18th Century CE ~250 pages
the 19th Century ~250 pages
the 20th Century (until 1933) 400+ pages
There are certain areas of history that may not have been covered, as an example barely anything has been mentioned about the history in Africa. However, it can be justified that not much of recorded history was available in those times that pertained to that place. And also not to forget that much of the contents of the book (letters) were written out of the author's good memory.
To conclude, a really good book, for anyone who wants to know most of the world's history. Although a huge book, it can be a fast-read, and easy to understand and follow. Certainly recommended to anyone who is new to history. :)
Currently reading
September 2, 2016پایان جلد اول;تابستان 95
اولین کتاب تاریخیه که می خونم،اونم تاریخ به این گستردگی:جهان.
تاحدود زیادی طبق اسم کتاب،صرفا "نگاهی" به تاریخ داشته و خیلی وارد جزییات نشده.ولی در رابطه با هند که وطن نویسنده است بیشتر پرداخته و حتی تحلیل هم شده که بعضی وقت ها خسته کننده می شد.
چون مخاطب نامه ها،دختر نوجوان نویسنده است،خود نویسنده تلاش کرده که خیلی وارد اسم ها و جزییات نشه و نثر رواییش هم ساده و روان باشه.
در کل خوب بود،راضی بودم:)
تا اینجا 4 ستاره
اولین کتاب تاریخیه که می خونم،اونم تاریخ به این گستردگی:جهان.
تاحدود زیادی طبق اسم کتاب،صرفا "نگاهی" به تاریخ داشته و خیلی وارد جزییات نشده.ولی در رابطه با هند که وطن نویسنده است بیشتر پرداخته و حتی تحلیل هم شده که بعضی وقت ها خسته کننده می شد.
چون مخاطب نامه ها،دختر نوجوان نویسنده است،خود نویسنده تلاش کرده که خیلی وارد اسم ها و جزییات نشه و نثر رواییش هم ساده و روان باشه.
در کل خوب بود،راضی بودم:)
تا اینجا 4 ستاره
September 26, 2020
Majestic!
December 29, 2016
Coming to recall my remote acquaintance many years ago with its fame in a Thai article on this outstanding “Glimpses of World History” written in captivity due to his struggle for freedom from British colonial rule, I have since longed to read it in the original. Early in March last year, I was delighted to see it on display at the DASA BookCafe in Bangkok, that’s the end of my longish search in various bookstores. Classified as ‘Non-fiction/History’ at the back cover, the book itself with its three-line addendum after its title: BEING FURTHER LETTERS TO HIS DAUGHTER, WRITTEN IN PRISON, AND CONTAINING A RAMBLING ACCOUNT OF HISTORY FOR YOUNG PEOPLE would be impressive to its readers from its 196 letters; therefore, it was definitely his labour of love to his daughter named Indira Gandhi by one of the most renowned prime ministers of India for seventeen years.
I later found its Thai translation but there’re extracted incomplete letters so I didn’t read it but kept searching for this one. Apart from reading formidable Arnold Toynbee and other recent historians, those keen on reading an overview of world history would find this a remarkable book worth spending one’s time to read as affirmed as follows, “Visionary and idealist, scholar and statesman of international stature, Nehru was also an outstanding writer.” (p. i) Thus, its readability and authority have long been observed since his writings primarily for his thirteen-year-old daughter and obviously for ‘young people’ welcome adult readers as well.
I later found its Thai translation but there’re extracted incomplete letters so I didn’t read it but kept searching for this one. Apart from reading formidable Arnold Toynbee and other recent historians, those keen on reading an overview of world history would find this a remarkable book worth spending one’s time to read as affirmed as follows, “Visionary and idealist, scholar and statesman of international stature, Nehru was also an outstanding writer.” (p. i) Thus, its readability and authority have long been observed since his writings primarily for his thirteen-year-old daughter and obviously for ‘young people’ welcome adult readers as well.
May 15, 2012
يستحق اكثر من خمس نقاط .. وقد وضعت مراجعتي على الرابط التالي
وايضآ رابط لتحميل الكتاب الكترونيآ .. والافضل الحصول على الكتاب من المكتبة او محلات الكتب.
أنصح بقرائته بالاخص لمن يبحث عن فكر وثقافة ولغة ادبية ودراسة موجزة في التاريخ
وايضآ رابط لتحميل الكتاب الكترونيآ .. والافضل الحصول على الكتاب من المكتبة او محلات الكتب.
أنصح بقرائته بالاخص لمن يبحث عن فكر وثقافة ولغة ادبية ودراسة موجزة في التاريخ
October 31, 2023
It took almost 3 years to finish.... still I find it short.
December 19, 2021
الكتاب مجموعة رسائل كان يبعثها السياسي والمناضل الهندي جواهر لال نهرو لأبنته انديرا، بينما كان يتنقل من سجن إلى سجن في الفترة الواقعة بين اكتوبر 1930 واغسطس 1933 وسرد في رسائله كثيرًا من الأحداث التاريخية بقصد تعليم ابنته التاريخ والتطورات العلمية واستخدامات العلم واهمية الثقافة والمعرفة، واحوال الناس في الازمان الغابرة، واستخلاص الفوائد من العبر والمواقف، والارتداع بما حصل وكان، والتفكر بما وجد وفرق. ولم يكتف باختيار الحوادث التاريخية الهامة، بل تطرق الى ذكر وتحليل الاسباب الكامنة وراء هذه الاحداث بأسلوب قصصي جميل، آخاذ، آسر، بديع إلى ابعد حد. وهذا هو السر في عظمة هذا الكتاب القيم. الكتاب رائع وعظيم، والمؤلف كان ملم وجيد في استعراض الأحداث التاريخية، وسيلاحظ اي شخص قوة إطلاعه ومدى حبه للعلم والثقافة وتعلقه الكبير في السياسة، ربما يعزى ذلك لحالة بلاده المريرة القابعة تحت الاستعمار البريطاني وقتها. اريد ان الفت النظر إلى عدة ملاحظات رأيتها ولحظتها عند قرأتي للكتاب، وهي ان المؤلف محصور بشكل كبير بأحوال بيئته، وضروف عصره، والأحداث التي يستعرضها ملزومة بوقت حياته لا غير، وينقصه المصادر، وكان يعتمد على الحفظ كثيرًا وتسجيل الملاحظات للكتابة، لعدم وجود مكتبات في السجن، والأخير ان المؤلف كان بشكلًا ما يستعرض افكاره الشخصية وانحيازاته الذاتية ويبتعد نوعًا ما عن الموضوعية والحياد، ولهذا ما يفسره في وقته. عدى ذلك الكتاب رائع وعظيم ولا ينقص مما قلته شيء. انصح اي شخص يحب التاريخ ان يقرأ الكتاب ويتصفحه. استفدت منه ان التعليم شجرة لا تنضب من الخيرات.
يجدر الإشارة ان جواهر لال نهرو اصبح اول رئيس وزراء للهند بعد جلاء الاستعمار البريطاني، واستقلال بلاده. وابنته انديرا لال نهرو قد لحقته واصبحت اول امرأة تشغل منصب رئاسة الوزراء في الهند.
يجدر الإشارة ان جواهر لال نهرو اصبح اول رئيس وزراء للهند بعد جلاء الاستعمار البريطاني، واستقلال بلاده. وابنته انديرا لال نهرو قد لحقته واصبحت اول امرأة تشغل منصب رئاسة الوزراء في الهند.
May 13, 2012
هر جند که دیدگاههای این کتاب سوسیالیستی است ولی فکر کنم که واقعاٌ میتوان بی طرفی را در خیلی از موارد در آن دید. حداقل برای من در آن سالهای نوجوانی که به دنبال جوابهای قانع کننده درباره ی تاریخ جهان بودم که خیلی پاسخ گو بود.بیش تر از خیلی از کتابهای بی سر و ته چپ نماهای آن دوران از آن توانستم تاریخ را بیاموزم
December 14, 2016
دوره ی سه جلدی این کتاب را زمانی که دبیرستان بودم به عنوان هدیه گرفتم و سیر تاریخی جذابی ب��د و به نظرم میتوان به عنوان کتاب مرجعی خوب در نظر گرفت.تنها مورد و اشکال در کنار ترجمه ی بسیار عالی این کتاب را میتوان ستایش بیش از حد از تاریخ و فرهنگ هند در نوشته های نهرو دانست که البته شاید در کشور هند و شخصیت خاص نهرو خیلی هم خوب باشد.
August 20, 2022
one of the books ever written on this earth , so simple, so fluid, so charming and that too on the history of the world, Feel proud that this book was written by our own Prime Minister Pandit Nehru, simply tremendous.
February 5, 2013
في المقدمة تحدث جواهرلال نهرو عن مشكلة التوثيق و التحقق , لعدم إمكانية تعدد المراجع . من الكتب التي استفاد منها أثناء كتابته لرسائله التاريخية كان كتاب لـ(د.ج.ويلز) واعترف أنه بحاجة ماسة إلى مراجع.. كما اضطر لتجاوز فترات معينة من التاريخ, واعترف بكونه اقتبس الآراء والوقائع من كتب ورسائل متفرقة تحتمل وجود أخطاء عديدة, و ود لو أن مؤرخاً ضليعاً قام بمراجعة رسائله قبل نشرها .
يقول : لن يستطيع المرء أن يفهم تاريخ البلد الواحد إذا لم يعرف مايحدث في الأجزاء الأخرى من العالم . ويقول : لاشك أن البلدان تختلف عن بعضها بعض , ولكنها متشابهة بصورة كبيرة, وعلينا أن نتذكر هذا الأمر وألا تضللنا الألوان الموضوعة على الخرائط والحدود التي تفصل بينها.
فكر جواهرلال نهرو بطريقة داروينية تجاه تطور الحضارات لكنه أبدى مجال الشك في مسألة التطور بقوله : إذا كنا بعد ملايين السنين من التطور لا نزال متأخرين وناقصين فكم نحتاج من الزمن حتى نتعلم كيف نعيش أناساً عاقلين معقولين؟ وإننا نقرأ أحياناً عن فترات غابرة من التاريخ كانت أفضل من زماننا وأكثر منه مدنية وثقافة , مما يجعلنا في حيرة ما إذا كان عالمنا هذا يسير إلى ا؟لأمام أم إلى الوراء . ولا شك أن بلدنا قد عاش فترة مجيدة في ماضيه قد تفضل على مانحن غليه الآن بمراحل عديدة .
الكتاب يحمل كثير من الحقائق ومنها حقيقة غريبة عن الحجاب و انزواء النساء العربيات بتأثير القسطنطينية و بلادفارس ولم يكن الاختلاط محرماً على المرأة ولم تضع الحجاب على وجهها قبل حدوث الفتوحات . لكن يبقى على القارئ أن يرجع إلى أكثر من مصدر لتوثيق معلوماته
كتاب ممتع ويفتح أبواب جديدة لقراءات جديدة
يقول : لن يستطيع المرء أن يفهم تاريخ البلد الواحد إذا لم يعرف مايحدث في الأجزاء الأخرى من العالم . ويقول : لاشك أن البلدان تختلف عن بعضها بعض , ولكنها متشابهة بصورة كبيرة, وعلينا أن نتذكر هذا الأمر وألا تضللنا الألوان الموضوعة على الخرائط والحدود التي تفصل بينها.
فكر جواهرلال نهرو بطريقة داروينية تجاه تطور الحضارات لكنه أبدى مجال الشك في مسألة التطور بقوله : إذا كنا بعد ملايين السنين من التطور لا نزال متأخرين وناقصين فكم نحتاج من الزمن حتى نتعلم كيف نعيش أناساً عاقلين معقولين؟ وإننا نقرأ أحياناً عن فترات غابرة من التاريخ كانت أفضل من زماننا وأكثر منه مدنية وثقافة , مما يجعلنا في حيرة ما إذا كان عالمنا هذا يسير إلى ا؟لأمام أم إلى الوراء . ولا شك أن بلدنا قد عاش فترة مجيدة في ماضيه قد تفضل على مانحن غليه الآن بمراحل عديدة .
الكتاب يحمل كثير من الحقائق ومنها حقيقة غريبة عن الحجاب و انزواء النساء العربيات بتأثير القسطنطينية و بلادفارس ولم يكن الاختلاط محرماً على المرأة ولم تضع الحجاب على وجهها قبل حدوث الفتوحات . لكن يبقى على القارئ أن يرجع إلى أكثر من مصدر لتوثيق معلوماته
كتاب ممتع ويفتح أبواب جديدة لقراءات جديدة
November 14, 2014
One of my all time favourites! You can't read this book and not be in awe of the man! His intellect, his education and his language ... I thought the review in the back of the book summed it up very well.
"Indian children should study "glimpses" .... they would learn better history and better English".
I am not a fan of Nehruvian socialism as it is defined and understood today...and the book convinces me that Nehru would not like the fact that his followers are dogmatic about his economic views. Above all, Nehru was a rebel ... the idea that an establishment dogma would exist in his name would be repugnant to him... He was a man of his time ..and the greatest intellects of his time believed that government had to play a big role in development of emerging economies...If he was alive today, he would still be a rebel... and a reformer..
the quality of the paperback sucks... I would so love to buy this in Kindle or hardcover!
"Indian children should study "glimpses" .... they would learn better history and better English".
I am not a fan of Nehruvian socialism as it is defined and understood today...and the book convinces me that Nehru would not like the fact that his followers are dogmatic about his economic views. Above all, Nehru was a rebel ... the idea that an establishment dogma would exist in his name would be repugnant to him... He was a man of his time ..and the greatest intellects of his time believed that government had to play a big role in development of emerging economies...If he was alive today, he would still be a rebel... and a reformer..
the quality of the paperback sucks... I would so love to buy this in Kindle or hardcover!
January 12, 2013
قدم لي هذا الكتاب "صورة مصغرة" لأحوال العالم بحاضره وماضيه
فبدأه بالحديث عن التاريخ القديم والذي يحمل جذور الأفكار والصراعات
مروراً بنهوض وسقوط الحضارات المختلفة وتتابعها..
حتى وصل للقرون الثلاثة الأخيرة وبالتحديد, الثورة الفرنسية, النهضة الصناعية في اوروبا
وكلما اقتربت السنوات كثر الحديث وتشعّب, ويتعمق في تفصيل الأحداث المؤثرة على ملامح العالم بشكل عام وليست منطقة واحدة فقط
تم تأليف هذه الرسائل منذ عام 1933 وحتى عام 1938 ...
عاصر الكاتب صراع الهند ومحاولة استقلالها, واحداث الحرب العالمية الأولى
تحدث عن علاقة الاقتصاد بالسياسة والاستعمار واستغلال الدين
وفصل في احوال الدول في اوروبا واميركا وروسيا والصين واليابان والهند وتركيا ومصر
مروراً بأحوال الدول العربية وسقوط الدولة العثمانية
ومقارنة أحوال الثورة الهندية بأحوال الثوار في كل مكان الذين يطالبون بالتحرر من الاستعمار
وعن وحشية الامبراطورية البريطانية وأساليبها في الاستعمار من تفريق بين الفرق وبث الفرقة والمشاكل والحروب الأهلية بين الشعوب في كل مكان
ودعم التطرف الديني والتخلف والرجعية حتى يسهل استغلال البلاد دون مقاومة
ثم تكلم عن الحرب العالمية الأولى وماتلاها من أحداث وثورات
وكيف نشأت النازية والفاشية وسيطرتها على اوروبا
وكيف كانت بريطانيا تقدم لهما الدعم, وكان ذلك دليل على رجعيتها وتخلفها. إذ لم تنشر سياستها سوى الخراب والدمار
وقدم بشكل جيّد جداً تعريفاً عن أهمية الاقتصاد والتجارة وعلاقتهما في أحوال الدول والسياسة وتأثيرهما على العالم أجمع
ثم تحدث عن الأزمة الاقتصادية,
وكيف خسرت بريطانيا الحرب على السيادة المالية بينها وبين أميركا
اقتباسات..
ص: 12
"انني أبغض جدا ان يتعلم الأولاد والبنات تاريخ بلد واحد فقط, والأدهى أن يكون ذلك عن طريق استذكار بعض التواريخ والوقائع فقط.
ان التاريخ وحدة منسجمة الأجزاء, ولن يستطيع المرء أن يفهم تاريخ البلد الواحد إذا لم يعرف ما يحدث في الأجزاء ا��خرى من العالم."
ص: 517
"انني لم أقدم لك في هذه الرسائل تاريخاً, بل مجرد خطوط عريضة ولمحات خاطفة من ماضينا الطويل, فإذا أعجبتك دراسة التاريخ, ووجدت في قراءته بعض المتعة, فسوف تجدين بغيتك في كتب التاريخ الكثيرة التي تساعدك على فهم العصور الغابرة.
ولكن قراءة الكتب وحدها لا تكفي. فلكي تعرفي الماضي يجب أن تنظري إليه في عطف وفهم.
ولكي تفهمي انساناً غاش منذ زمن يجب أن تفهمي البيئة التي أحاطت به, والظروف التي عاشها, والأفكار التي ملأت رأسه.
إذ أنه من السخف أن نحكم على الذين عاشوا قبلنا كما لو كانوا يعيشون في عالمنا ويفكرون نفس الأفكار التي نفكر بها."
فبدأه بالحديث عن التاريخ القديم والذي يحمل جذور الأفكار والصراعات
مروراً بنهوض وسقوط الحضارات المختلفة وتتابعها..
حتى وصل للقرون الثلاثة الأخيرة وبالتحديد, الثورة الفرنسية, النهضة الصناعية في اوروبا
وكلما اقتربت السنوات كثر الحديث وتشعّب, ويتعمق في تفصيل الأحداث المؤثرة على ملامح العالم بشكل عام وليست منطقة واحدة فقط
تم تأليف هذه الرسائل منذ عام 1933 وحتى عام 1938 ...
عاصر الكاتب صراع الهند ومحاولة استقلالها, واحداث الحرب العالمية الأولى
تحدث عن علاقة الاقتصاد بالسياسة والاستعمار واستغلال الدين
وفصل في احوال الدول في اوروبا واميركا وروسيا والصين واليابان والهند وتركيا ومصر
مروراً بأحوال الدول العربية وسقوط الدولة العثمانية
ومقارنة أحوال الثورة الهندية بأحوال الثوار في كل مكان الذين يطالبون بالتحرر من الاستعمار
وعن وحشية الامبراطورية البريطانية وأساليبها في الاستعمار من تفريق بين الفرق وبث الفرقة والمشاكل والحروب الأهلية بين الشعوب في كل مكان
ودعم التطرف الديني والتخلف والرجعية حتى يسهل استغلال البلاد دون مقاومة
ثم تكلم عن الحرب العالمية الأولى وماتلاها من أحداث وثورات
وكيف نشأت النازية والفاشية وسيطرتها على اوروبا
وكيف كانت بريطانيا تقدم لهما الدعم, وكان ذلك دليل على رجعيتها وتخلفها. إذ لم تنشر سياستها سوى الخراب والدمار
وقدم بشكل جيّد جداً تعريفاً عن أهمية الاقتصاد والتجارة وعلاقتهما في أحوال الدول والسياسة وتأثيرهما على العالم أجمع
ثم تحدث عن الأزمة الاقتصادية,
وكيف خسرت بريطانيا الحرب على السيادة المالية بينها وبين أميركا
اقتباسات..
ص: 12
"انني أبغض جدا ان يتعلم الأولاد والبنات تاريخ بلد واحد فقط, والأدهى أن يكون ذلك عن طريق استذكار بعض التواريخ والوقائع فقط.
ان التاريخ وحدة منسجمة الأجزاء, ولن يستطيع المرء أن يفهم تاريخ البلد الواحد إذا لم يعرف ما يحدث في الأجزاء ا��خرى من العالم."
ص: 517
"انني لم أقدم لك في هذه الرسائل تاريخاً, بل مجرد خطوط عريضة ولمحات خاطفة من ماضينا الطويل, فإذا أعجبتك دراسة التاريخ, ووجدت في قراءته بعض المتعة, فسوف تجدين بغيتك في كتب التاريخ الكثيرة التي تساعدك على فهم العصور الغابرة.
ولكن قراءة الكتب وحدها لا تكفي. فلكي تعرفي الماضي يجب أن تنظري إليه في عطف وفهم.
ولكي تفهمي انساناً غاش منذ زمن يجب أن تفهمي البيئة التي أحاطت به, والظروف التي عاشها, والأفكار التي ملأت رأسه.
إذ أنه من السخف أن نحكم على الذين عاشوا قبلنا كما لو كانوا يعيشون في عالمنا ويفكرون نفس الأفكار التي نفكر بها."
March 15, 2017
I read this book because one of my best teachers recommended it to me. I must say I enjoyed this book though I conveniently picked other books and procrastinated it at times. The reason was the book's format was not very pleasing to the eye.
Nehru does intend to take you through the beginning of time to the then current political scenario of the world. He does it very briefly and ofcourse leaps from one time to another, one field to another, but by the end gives you a proper panoramic view of the history and politics of the world that matters.
It was easier for me to read and also comprehend this book for a simple reason that the frame of reference was Indian or Eastern culture, values or ideas. Being able to see things from this perspective, helped me draw my own conclusions better.
Also, I found that Nehru is a socialist in nature, meaning his ideologies tend to tilt left. All in all, I say these glimpses of history that he wrote for his daughter gives an insight to the world in ways that you can have a timeline in your head and also see the cause factors of various incidents of history and also remember them to some extent.
However, for people who are already aware of most happenings of history, this book will not really add much to your knowledge. Now, I have decided to read history books that go deeper than that of the brief analysis of Nehru's.
Nehru does intend to take you through the beginning of time to the then current political scenario of the world. He does it very briefly and ofcourse leaps from one time to another, one field to another, but by the end gives you a proper panoramic view of the history and politics of the world that matters.
It was easier for me to read and also comprehend this book for a simple reason that the frame of reference was Indian or Eastern culture, values or ideas. Being able to see things from this perspective, helped me draw my own conclusions better.
Also, I found that Nehru is a socialist in nature, meaning his ideologies tend to tilt left. All in all, I say these glimpses of history that he wrote for his daughter gives an insight to the world in ways that you can have a timeline in your head and also see the cause factors of various incidents of history and also remember them to some extent.
However, for people who are already aware of most happenings of history, this book will not really add much to your knowledge. Now, I have decided to read history books that go deeper than that of the brief analysis of Nehru's.
January 5, 2014
صديقى ..اذا كنت ممن كانوا لا يعرفون عن نهرو سوى اقل القليل -مثلى- فيكفى ان تعرف انه ذلك الشخص الذى اهدى ابنته يوم ميلادها رسالة ..لتكون الاولى من مجموعة طويلة ..لا يخبرها فيها عن مدى حبه واشتياقه لها ..بل عن تاريخ العالم من حولها !
تلك اللمحة التى ربما تساعدك فى تصنيفه ..والتى استحق من اجلها فى غير محل ان يدخل قلعة التاريخ من باب الابطال !
وعن الكتاب صغير الحجم عظيم الاثر ..طبعة "كتاب روزاليوسف" 1955 الذى يعيدك بورقه المعتق , و العشرة قروش ثمنه ..والترجمة البديعة لاحمد بهاء الدين .,.الذى افتتحها بمقدمة عن مجموعة رسائل نهرو الكاملة والتى تتعدى صفحاتها الالف صفحة !
تعيدك الى زمن هادئ بلا ضجيج ..حيث تعايش احداث الثلاثينيات من القرن الماضى بروية ..ونظرة نقدية
بين صفحاته القليلة ..كنت انديرا الصغيرة ..التى تنتظر رسالة والدها والتى هى بمثابة "حدوتة ما قبل النوم " ولكن ليست تلك المتعلقة بذات الرداء الاحمر والامير الساحر وسندريلا ..بل اخرى عن اشخاص واحداث غيرت مجرى التاريخ !
حقا استمتعت كثيرا بقرائته ..وتعمدت الابطاء ليبقى معى اياما اطول :)
تلك اللمحة التى ربما تساعدك فى تصنيفه ..والتى استحق من اجلها فى غير محل ان يدخل قلعة التاريخ من باب الابطال !
وعن الكتاب صغير الحجم عظيم الاثر ..طبعة "كتاب روزاليوسف" 1955 الذى يعيدك بورقه المعتق , و العشرة قروش ثمنه ..والترجمة البديعة لاحمد بهاء الدين .,.الذى افتتحها بمقدمة عن مجموعة رسائل نهرو الكاملة والتى تتعدى صفحاتها الالف صفحة !
تعيدك الى زمن هادئ بلا ضجيج ..حيث تعايش احداث الثلاثينيات من القرن الماضى بروية ..ونظرة نقدية
بين صفحاته القليلة ..كنت انديرا الصغيرة ..التى تنتظر رسالة والدها والتى هى بمثابة "حدوتة ما قبل النوم " ولكن ليست تلك المتعلقة بذات الرداء الاحمر والامير الساحر وسندريلا ..بل اخرى عن اشخاص واحداث غيرت مجرى التاريخ !
حقا استمتعت كثيرا بقرائته ..وتعمدت الابطاء ليبقى معى اياما اطول :)
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June 18, 2017''বিশ্ব ইতিহাস প্রসঙ্গ "
হাজার পাতার বইটি ইতিহাস এর এক অপূর্ব দলীল ।
কতো সভ্যতা কতো সম্রাজ্যের উত্থান পতন এর কাহিনিতে ভরপুর বইটি !
পারশিক সম্রাজ্য ; আলেকজেন্ডার এর বিশ্ব জয় ; পবিত্র রোমান সম্রাজ্য , ইসলামের পৃথিবী জয় , চেঙ্গিস খার ধুমকেতুর মতো আবির্ভাব ; অটোম্যান সম্রাজ্য , অষ্ট্রিক সম্রাজ্য , জাপানী সম্রাজ্য , মুঘল সাম্রাজ্য ব্রিটিশ সম্রাজ্য গুলোর শুরু এর শেষ চোখের সামনে দিয়ে ঘটে গেলো এই এক মাসে !
ইসসসস , যদি এই রকম একটা সাম্রাজ্যের অধিকারী আমরা থাকতাম .......!
কতো শত বিপ্লব বিদ্রোহ , কতো রাজার উত্থান পতন দেখলাম কয়েক দিনে ।
দ্বিতীয় বিশ্বযুদ্ধের শুরুর আগে হিটলার এবং মুসেলিন কতৃক পুরো ইউরোপ উল্টো পাল্টা করে দেওয়ায় ইতিহাস বর্ণনা করে একটা বিশ্বযুদ্ধের প্রবল আশঙ্কা করে বইটি শেষ করেছে ।
একজন রাজনীতিবিদ কিভাবে এতো ইতিহাস জানতেন এটাই আমার কাছে আশ্চর্যের বিষয় !
হাজার পাতার বইটি ইতিহাস এর এক অপূর্ব দলীল ।
কতো সভ্যতা কতো সম্রাজ্যের উত্থান পতন এর কাহিনিতে ভরপুর বইটি !
পারশিক সম্রাজ্য ; আলেকজেন্ডার এর বিশ্ব জয় ; পবিত্র রোমান সম্রাজ্য , ইসলামের পৃথিবী জয় , চেঙ্গিস খার ধুমকেতুর মতো আবির্ভাব ; অটোম্যান সম্রাজ্য , অষ্ট্রিক সম্রাজ্য , জাপানী সম্রাজ্য , মুঘল সাম্রাজ্য ব্রিটিশ সম্রাজ্য গুলোর শুরু এর শেষ চোখের সামনে দিয়ে ঘটে গেলো এই এক মাসে !
ইসসসস , যদি এই রকম একটা সাম্রাজ্যের অধিকারী আমরা থাকতাম .......!
কতো শত বিপ্লব বিদ্রোহ , কতো রাজার উত্থান পতন দেখলাম কয়েক দিনে ।
দ্বিতীয় বিশ্বযুদ্ধের শুরুর আগে হিটলার এবং মুসেলিন কতৃক পুরো ইউরোপ উল্টো পাল্টা করে দেওয়ায় ইতিহাস বর্ণনা করে একটা বিশ্বযুদ্ধের প্রবল আশঙ্কা করে বইটি শেষ করেছে ।
একজন রাজনীতিবিদ কিভাবে এতো ইতিহাস জানতেন এটাই আমার কাছে আশ্চর্যের বিষয় !
January 15, 2019
One might have difference in political stance with Nehru regarding partition but his historical accolade shine among the top. This writing is a stamp of his broad vision , adversity , travesty about the world.
It contains collection of letter written during jail time to his daughter. With brief Salam dua every letter deals with history from beginning of time to the present world. As he move along from past to present things get more detailed. Its very unconventional ,yet interesting way of teaching history. What I enjoy reading was how first world war was shaped , I could almost feel tanks passing by me and earth ripped apart by hatred and greed. He is not only a good story teller but also good analytic of political personalities.
A must read - high five :p
It contains collection of letter written during jail time to his daughter. With brief Salam dua every letter deals with history from beginning of time to the present world. As he move along from past to present things get more detailed. Its very unconventional ,yet interesting way of teaching history. What I enjoy reading was how first world war was shaped , I could almost feel tanks passing by me and earth ripped apart by hatred and greed. He is not only a good story teller but also good analytic of political personalities.
A must read - high five :p
December 28, 2020
یک تاریخ روان، جذاب، منصفانه و کامل از جهان. ویژگی اصلی کتاب در زاویه‌ی نگاه آن است که این‌بار از شرقِ تحت استعمار روایت شده. با اینکه پرداختش به تاریخ هند زیاد بود و بعضی قسمت‌هایش رگه‌های سوسیالیستی داشت اما باز هم منصفانه بود.
قطعا برای علاقه‌مند شدن به تاریخ، کتاب خوبی است. مخصوصا اواخر آن که به زمان معاصر نزدیک می‌شد.
قطعا برای علاقه‌مند شدن به تاریخ، کتاب خوبی است. مخصوصا اواخر آن که به زمان معاصر نزدیک می‌شد.
July 18, 2012
Picked up this one randomly.. may be it was the sheer volume or the glorifying title that attracted me to it. But watever it was thankful, that i got it and read it.
Nehru's brilliant intellect, deep humanity and lucid style make The Discovery of India essential reading for anyone interested in India, both its past and its present. and more importantly the way it sees the history of the world.. the view may sound biased to some..
But to find that the book is actually a combination of letters written by Nehru to his school going daughter in which he attempted to make his daughter pass through different ages of history seemed so sweet and awesome to me . fell in love with the book straight away ...
awesome read
Nehru's brilliant intellect, deep humanity and lucid style make The Discovery of India essential reading for anyone interested in India, both its past and its present. and more importantly the way it sees the history of the world.. the view may sound biased to some..
But to find that the book is actually a combination of letters written by Nehru to his school going daughter in which he attempted to make his daughter pass through different ages of history seemed so sweet and awesome to me . fell in love with the book straight away ...
awesome read
August 1, 2017
"ان كتابة التاريخ امر حسن ولكن الافضل منه ان يساهم المرء في صنع التاريخ "
الكتاب هو رسائل من السجن . بين جواهر لال نهرو وابنته انديرا غاندي.
وجواهر هو اول رئيس وزراء للهند بعد انتهاء الاحتلال البرطاني واحد المؤسسين لحركة عدم الانحياز الدولية وناشط سياسي ضد الامبراطورية البرطانية واحد الدعاة الى السلام عقب الحرب العالمية الثانية وقد كان شخص ذو ثقافة عالية واهداف سامية ولكن مع مسحة بسيطة من السذاجة المعتادة لمن يبحثون عن الخير في نفوس الاخرين .
الكتاب ممتع بشكل لا يوصف رغم انه مجرد مخترات فقد ذكرت فقط 60 رسالة من اصل 300 رسالة الاصلية . لكن رغم هذا لم يختل الاسلوب او التسلسل التاريخي .
الكتاب وخصوصا بنسخته الكاملة الانكليزية هو الكتاب المناسب لايشخص يريد ان يطلع على التاريخ العام للعالم .
الكتاب هو رسائل من السجن . بين جواهر لال نهرو وابنته انديرا غاندي.
وجواهر هو اول رئيس وزراء للهند بعد انتهاء الاحتلال البرطاني واحد المؤسسين لحركة عدم الانحياز الدولية وناشط سياسي ضد الامبراطورية البرطانية واحد الدعاة الى السلام عقب الحرب العالمية الثانية وقد كان شخص ذو ثقافة عالية واهداف سامية ولكن مع مسحة بسيطة من السذاجة المعتادة لمن يبحثون عن الخير في نفوس الاخرين .
الكتاب ممتع بشكل لا يوصف رغم انه مجرد مخترات فقد ذكرت فقط 60 رسالة من اصل 300 رسالة الاصلية . لكن رغم هذا لم يختل الاسلوب او التسلسل التاريخي .
الكتاب وخصوصا بنسخته الكاملة الانكليزية هو الكتاب المناسب لايشخص يريد ان يطلع على التاريخ العام للعالم .
September 16, 2013
قيمة هذا الكتاب ليس في مادته التاريخية بل في دروسه وعبره ومايمكن أن يستفاد منه لحاضرنا ومستقبلنا، وأجمل مافيه استعراضه لمجمل الثورات التي حدثت في تاريخ العالم من الثورة الفرنسية إلى الإمريكية ثم الروسية والإسبانية وغيرها وعندما نعرف وضع الهند آنذاك نتفهم هذه النزعة الثورية في هذا الكتاب ضد الظلم والاستبداد.
الكتاب بدقة أكثر ينبغي أن يكون (لمحات من تاريخ الثورات) لاشتماله عليها في جزء كبير منها، وكما ذكرت قيمتها ليس في مادتها التاريخية بل أحيانا قد تعطيك تصورا خاطئا فمثلا تحدث عن ستالين في جانب النهضة ومساهمته في تشييد الدولة الروسية وأغفل جانبه الاستبدادي والقمعي.
يستحق لكل محب للتاريخ ولدروسه أن يقرأ هذا الكتاب، ويستحق كذلك مني أن أوصي أصدقائي به.
الكتاب بدقة أكثر ينبغي أن يكون (لمحات من تاريخ الثورات) لاشتماله عليها في جزء كبير منها، وكما ذكرت قيمتها ليس في مادتها التاريخية بل أحيانا قد تعطيك تصورا خاطئا فمثلا تحدث عن ستالين في جانب النهضة ومساهمته في تشييد الدولة الروسية وأغفل جانبه الاستبدادي والقمعي.
يستحق لكل محب للتاريخ ولدروسه أن يقرأ هذا الكتاب، ويستحق كذلك مني أن أوصي أصدقائي به.
June 15, 2011
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A friend suggested me to write about one of the historical book “Return of the Aryans” which I had read long time back but then I thought I should write about “Glimpses of World History” first because this is the first book that made history interesting for me rather than being a difficult subject with a series of names and dates. This book is a collection of almost 200 letters that Nehru had written to his daughter Indira Gandhi (at that time Indira Nehru) from prison in an effort to teach her about world history and so the style of writing is very conversational and informal making it a very interesting read.
He has traced human history of almost all parts of the world from 6000 BC to the present day world and has taken a very non-biased view of events. This was probably the first attempt to write history from non-anglican bias and hence gives equal importance to civilizations which are non-European. Also, it is not just a collection of dates and names but looks in more detail about how these civilizations flowered and then floundered. He has also given detailed accounts of evolution of various major religions of the world. I found his description of origin of Islam to be very interesting and that is something that has remained with me for a long time.
I am sure he was also influenced in some parts by his own thoughts and association with Mahatma Gandhi and he must have given more importance to certain aspects. Probably that is the reason for writing in detail about King Ashoka and Mongol Empire.
As the title suggests it is just the “Glimpses” that you get in this book but it is enough to create an interest and then you can read more about specific civilizations. I really feel that history should be taught in schools in this manner and definitely not the way we studied in our schools.
A friend suggested me to write about one of the historical book “Return of the Aryans” which I had read long time back but then I thought I should write about “Glimpses of World History” first because this is the first book that made history interesting for me rather than being a difficult subject with a series of names and dates. This book is a collection of almost 200 letters that Nehru had written to his daughter Indira Gandhi (at that time Indira Nehru) from prison in an effort to teach her about world history and so the style of writing is very conversational and informal making it a very interesting read.
He has traced human history of almost all parts of the world from 6000 BC to the present day world and has taken a very non-biased view of events. This was probably the first attempt to write history from non-anglican bias and hence gives equal importance to civilizations which are non-European. Also, it is not just a collection of dates and names but looks in more detail about how these civilizations flowered and then floundered. He has also given detailed accounts of evolution of various major religions of the world. I found his description of origin of Islam to be very interesting and that is something that has remained with me for a long time.
I am sure he was also influenced in some parts by his own thoughts and association with Mahatma Gandhi and he must have given more importance to certain aspects. Probably that is the reason for writing in detail about King Ashoka and Mongol Empire.
As the title suggests it is just the “Glimpses” that you get in this book but it is enough to create an interest and then you can read more about specific civilizations. I really feel that history should be taught in schools in this manner and definitely not the way we studied in our schools.
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