Introduction by David Garrett Izzo
Life, Work, Thought Many people know the name “Aldous Huxley” in connection with his landmark 1932 novel, Brave New World. Few know much more than this and that at one time Huxley was one of the most revered and respected figures in 20th century literature and philosophy. An irony of his present neglect can be found by noting that the day he died—22 November 1963—was the day John F. Kennedy was murdered; hence, Huxley’s passing was ignored. On any other day, his death would have likely been acknowledged with front-page articles and a retrospective of his life and work. The highlight of this work, Brave New World, is often selected as one of the greatest novels in all of literature, but there was much, much more to Huxley as a writer, philosopher, and influence. There is not a writer who came after Huxley that does not owe to him directly or indirectly the new tangent in the history of the novel that his work impelled. There is not a person who learned about Eastern philosophy in the 1960s that is not directly or indirectly indebted to Huxley the philosopher. Anyone who admires the philosophy of Horkheimer and Adorno, particularly their essay, “The Culture Industry,” is actually influenced by Huxley, as these two German refugees from Hitler have said that their ideas came from Huxley. There is an academic Aldous Huxley Society with a home base in Muenster, Germany that does appreciate his impact on our world and spreads the gospel of Huxley through a book length Huxley Annual and a conference every year so that he will not be forgotten. His friend and fellow philosopher, Gerald Heard, called Huxley, “The Poignant Prophet” (101), and he was certainly a godfather of the New Age. And with all of his accomplishments, perhaps the most enduring was how endearing he was to those who knew him and adored his wit, his kindness, and, finally, his profound humanity. Aldous Leonard Huxley was born on 26 July 1894 to Leonard Huxley and Julia Francis Arnold Huxley. He was the third child of four, two elder brothers, Julian and Trevenen and a