‘Great Soul,’ a Gandhi biography
A new biography looks beyond the mythmaking to establish Gandhi’s achievements in the context of his time.
Mohandas Gandhi in 1947. (Associated Press)
By Jonathan Kirsch Special to the Los Angeles Times
"I do not accept the claim of saintliness," said Mohandas Gandhi in 1920, when he had not yet been given the spiritual title of "mahatma." "I am prone to as many weaknesses as you are."
These words are quoted at the very outset of "Great Soul," and author Joseph Lelyveld is quick to warn his readers that he does not intend to write about the iconic Gandhi that we all think we know. Rather, he proposes to "follow him at ground level as he struggled to impose his vision on an often recalcitrant India" and to focus on "incidents and themes that have often been underplayed." The author is after "real history," he announces, rather than "heritage mythmaking."
Gyrovague's Raves 