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Indian Sun: The Life and Music of Ravi Shankar Hardcover – April 2, 2020

by Oliver Craske (Author)
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 129 ratings
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Over eight decades, Ravi Shankar was India's greatest cultural ambassador who took Indian classical music to the world's leading concert halls and festivals, charting the map for those who followed. Renowned for his association with The Beatles - teaching George Harrison sitar - Shankar turning the Sixties generation on to Indian music, astonishing the crowds at Woodstock, Monterey Pop and the Concert for Bangladesh with his virtuosity. He radically reshaped jazz and Western classical music as well as writing film scores, including Pather Panchali and Gandhi, and transformed awareness of Indian culture in the process.

Indian Sun is the first biography of Ravi Shankar. Benefitting from unprecedented access to family archives, Oliver Craske paints a vivid picture of a captivating, restless workaholic, who lived a passionate and extraordinary life - from his childhood in his brother's dance troupe, through intensive study of the sitar, to his revival of the national music scene; and from the 1950s, a pioneering international career that ultimately made his name synonymous with India.
Previous page
  1. Print length
    672 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Faber Faber
  4. Publication date
    April 2, 2020
  5. Dimensions
    6.02 x 1.54 x 9.21 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0571350852
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0571350858
  8. See all details
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Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Faber Faber; Main edition (April 2, 2020)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 672 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0571350852
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0571350858
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.29 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.02 x 1.54 x 9.21 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 129 ratings

About the author

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Oliver Craske

Oliver Craske

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I am a writer and editor from London. I am the author of Indian Sun: The Life and Music of Ravi Shankar, the first full biography of the maestro; and Rock Faces, a survey of leading music photographers. Alongside a career as a book publisher, I've had a longstanding interest in Indian music. I first met Ravi Shankar in 1994, edited his autobiography (Raga Mala), and was encouraged by him to write his full story after his death. Subjects I’m interested in range across biography, music, art, literature and photography. I’m particularly intrigued by the way that artists are formed by, and shape, the times and places they live in – that strange, complex dance between art and history.

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
129 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Ashoke k Das
5.0 out of 5 stars A comprehensive bio of Ravi shankar
Reviewed in the United States on July 9, 2022
Verified Purchase
For both lovers of indian classical music, whether the listener is an indian or from the west, there is enough details of Ravi's personal life but one should not expect details or intricacies of his artistry compared to the artistry of his contemporaneous sitar-artist of other famous gharanas. Over all given the limitations itis a good read. Recommended.
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Sheep 99
5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome and thorough
Reviewed in the United States on February 14, 2022
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A great book about Ravi Shankar. Very thorough. Even explain the sitar and the structure of Indian music. Love it.
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GSal
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent insight into Ravi Shankar's life
Reviewed in the United States on July 9, 2020
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This book gives a deep insight into the forces in his life and the things that drove him to be the great artist that he was. It has deepened my understanding and appreciation of the role that Ravi played in the evolution of Indian music today throughout the world.Very well written, formatted and organized. I would highly recommend this book.
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Marilyn C.
4.0 out of 5 stars Ravi Shankar who brought Indian music to the west.
Reviewed in the United States on August 9, 2020
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The book is very informative about many details of Indian classical music; however it is very long and somewhat repetative.
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Happy Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars A life of music
Reviewed in the United States on October 2, 2020
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An incredible artist. An adventurer who brought the beauty and excitement and cultural history of Indian music to the West. Beautifully written and researched.
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Nanda
5.0 out of 5 stars This is the most comprehensive biography of a complete musician I have read many others,
Reviewed in the United States on August 27, 2020
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I have read many others, but this one tops them all.
One person found this helpful
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Shahed H Khundkar
5.0 out of 5 stars Received as advertised
Reviewed in the United States on October 28, 2020
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Great book - absorbing read
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Joey
3.0 out of 5 stars Many problems with this bio.
Reviewed in the United States on May 12, 2021
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There are many errors and misstatements in this bio. Raviji is certainly deserving of a fine biography, but this one, despite privileged access to private archives and lengthy interviews, is surprisingly filled with errors of fact and substitutes 'must have been' explanations for actual knowledge. Still, there is a lot to be gained from reading this tome, and Craske has clearly liked his subject.
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Top reviews from other countries

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As It Is
5.0 out of 5 stars Superb and balanced take on the life of a legend
Reviewed in India on June 27, 2023
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An eye-opener about what it takes to be a master of one’s art and what one circumstances one might face in the process of this quest.
A celebration of the life of a hardworking genius.
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OxusMan
5.0 out of 5 stars Tolle und Ausführliche Biografie
Reviewed in Germany on February 18, 2022
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Einer DER größten Musiker des 20. Jahrhunderts wird hier gewürdigt. Sehr gut zu lesen. Man sollte schon im englischen bewandert sein. Konnte mich sehr gut in die Kindheit und Jugend hineinversetzen (mehr noch nicht gelesen). Hab mich sehr gefreut als die Biografie herauskam. Lieferung top und Medimops Angaben trafen exakt zu. Danke.
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KK
2.0 out of 5 stars 400 pages too long
Reviewed in Canada on June 16, 2020
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Tough read. Why the author decided to delve into the minutiae of every concert and every person Ravi met is beyond me because it doesn't add to the life of Ravi nor does it give us a broader understanding. This book is 400 too long.
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Mr. Phil Secretan
5.0 out of 5 stars An informative and well researched Biography of this important musician
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 30, 2020
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I have just finished reading this very long but interesting book. As a lifelong Beatles fan I was naturally drawn to Ravi Shankar by George Harrison but also by Shankar`s soundtrack to the 1966 black and white film Alice in Wonderland which I watched in wonderment as a young schoolboy. It has left a lasting memory with me. I saw Ravi Shankar in concert at the Royal Festival Hall in the late 1960`s and was mesmerised by his music. Oliver Craske`s book is a work of genius. He takes us on a journey to Ravi`s birth and early life, going on tour with his brothers and going to school in Paris. Ravi`s early solo concert tours in the USA and Europe and his love of women. Ravi`s meeting with and early tutoring of George Harrison is well documented and Ravi and George became lifelong friends. Ravi`s later years are described in detail, his joy at teaching his daughter Anoushka the sitar,his estrangement and reconciliation with his daughter Norah Jones and his deep love for his second wife Sukanya. This is a book that I can thoroughly recommend to anyone with a passing interest in Indian classical music and the life of this great man.
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5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Biography
Reviewed in India on November 16, 2020
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A very comprehensive review of Pandit Ravi Shankar's life and times. Earlier autobiographies such as Raga Mala and My Music, My Life had some gaps in the narrative which this book has satisfactorily filled up.

The author Oliver Craske has painstakingly researched the book and he writes about Indian media personalities with an intimacy which outsiders may lack. If there is one blind spot which Oliver Craske has, it is his belief that Indian Classical music was on the decline and it was Ravi Shankar who revived it and took it unparalleled heights of glory. This is pure fantasy of course. Indian classical music was thriving when Ravi Shankar arrived on the scene with legends such Bade Gulam Ali Khan, Faiyysz Khan, Kumar Gandharva, Bhimsen Joshi, Gajananrao Joshi and many others mesmerizing Indian music audiences. Ravi Shankar was one of the stars in the constellation.
8 people found this helpful
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