Star in the East: Krishnamurti--the invention of a Messiah

Roland Vernon's biography of Krishnamurti, subtitled The Invention of a Messiah, could also have been called simply Understanding the Man. Krishnamurti's life has been well chronicled, but Vernon keeps his sights on the people and events that shaped Krishnamurti's life. We learn about Charles Leadbeater, the allegedly pedophilic discoverer of and tutor to Krishnamurti; Annie Besant, the notorious social activist and Krishnamurti's second mother; and the mysterious and painful "process" that brought Krishnamurti to enlightenment. Besides the influences on his public persona, Vernon is also fascinated by the sometimes contradictory and less well-known private side of Krishnamurti. He had close ties to his brother Nitya, whose death galvanized Krishnamurti to forsake the organization that created him. And he carried on an extended clandestine affair with Rosalind Williams Rajagopal, his early companion and later wife of his friend and business partner. Not quick to pass judgment, Vernon looks at various perspectives of these people and events, unafraid finally to come down with his own well-reasoned opinions. Star in the East depicts Krishnamurti as a complex man who encouraged everyone to think for themselves. --Brian Bruya