"Annie Besant" is a biography of
Theosophical leader Annie Wood Besant, written by a certain Geoffrey West,
whose name is apparently a pseudonym. West claims to be neutral, but he is
mostly positive to Besant, and had the opportunity to meet and converse with
her in person while doing research for his book. The author references two
autobiographical sketches published by Besant herself. "Annie Besant"
was published in 1928.
The book speaks largely for itself, and mentions Besant's evolution from the Christianity of her childhood and youth to atheism, Fabian socialism and finally Theosophy. Besant seems to have been a naturally-born agitator, and successively played "Paul" to liberal atheist Charles Bradlaugh, socialist Bernard Shaw and Theosophist Madame Blavatsky. Without Besant, the movements she touched would probably have lost a great amount of their mass appeal. Her relationship with Theosophy is particularly curious, with the elderly Blavatsky making Besant one of her closest confidants in a matter of months - and according to Besant's supporters, her chosen successor. It's certainly peculiar (or a peculiarly modern phenomenon) that an esoteric group like the Theosophists was turned into a veritable mass movement by a person who was at bottom a populist political agitator.
On a more earthly note, West mentions a bizarre meeting between Besant and none other than Edward Pusey, the leader of the Oxford Movement, who tried to "convince" her to remain a Christian by essentially threatening her with eternal damnation. Another absurd episode took place when Besant's mother (still a Christian) insisted on taking communion at her deathbed together with Besant (a free-thinker). Two priests flatly refused to be party to the unusual arrangement, but finally a third priest was found to conduct the "sacrilegious" rite. Yet another curious detail is that Besant's science teacher, Edward Aveling, was the husband of Karl Marx' daughter!
As a Theosophist, Besant permanently relocated to India, where the Society had established its headquarters at Adyar. With her usual agitation skills, Besant threw herself into Indian politics, and became one of the leaders of the Indian Home Rule movement, even elected chair of the National Congress in 1917. Besant had supported Britain in World War I, hoping that Indian loyalty to the British crown would pay off in the form of dominion status. When the British made seeming promises in that direction, Besant's star was at its highest. Just a few years later, with Britain reneging on its promises, Besant was just as quickly outflanked by the more militant leadership of Gandhi. Despite her reputation as a fire brand, Besant was at bottom a legalist and constitutionalist, unable to realize that the independence movement had to take a new and more radical turn.
Geoffrey West does mention the infighting within the Theosophical Society after Blavatsky's death, the scandals surrounding C W Leadbeater, and the curious appointment of Jiddu Krishnamurti as future World-Teacher. He also mentions the bizarre court case during which Krishnamurti's father lost his custody of the boy. Had West's book been published just one year later, he would have been forced to mention the most momentous failure in Besant's entire career: Krishnamurti's defection from the Theosophical Society, an event from which the movement never recuperated.
Despite everything, it's difficult not to respect Besant, a woman who successfully escaped from and agitated against the Victorian straightjackets, and supported the cause of labour, the poor and the nations subjugated by the British Empire. One wonders what she could have become had she not devoted so much of her time to the curious creed of the Theosophists! I'm not necessarily hostile to Theosophy, but the scandals surrounding Leadbeater and Krishnamurti shows that Besant's spiritual senses perhaps weren't as good as they might have been...
Geoffrey West's book about Annie Wood Besant's various incarnations could be of some interest to those unfamiliar with her life, and I therefore give it three stars.
The book speaks largely for itself, and mentions Besant's evolution from the Christianity of her childhood and youth to atheism, Fabian socialism and finally Theosophy. Besant seems to have been a naturally-born agitator, and successively played "Paul" to liberal atheist Charles Bradlaugh, socialist Bernard Shaw and Theosophist Madame Blavatsky. Without Besant, the movements she touched would probably have lost a great amount of their mass appeal. Her relationship with Theosophy is particularly curious, with the elderly Blavatsky making Besant one of her closest confidants in a matter of months - and according to Besant's supporters, her chosen successor. It's certainly peculiar (or a peculiarly modern phenomenon) that an esoteric group like the Theosophists was turned into a veritable mass movement by a person who was at bottom a populist political agitator.
On a more earthly note, West mentions a bizarre meeting between Besant and none other than Edward Pusey, the leader of the Oxford Movement, who tried to "convince" her to remain a Christian by essentially threatening her with eternal damnation. Another absurd episode took place when Besant's mother (still a Christian) insisted on taking communion at her deathbed together with Besant (a free-thinker). Two priests flatly refused to be party to the unusual arrangement, but finally a third priest was found to conduct the "sacrilegious" rite. Yet another curious detail is that Besant's science teacher, Edward Aveling, was the husband of Karl Marx' daughter!
As a Theosophist, Besant permanently relocated to India, where the Society had established its headquarters at Adyar. With her usual agitation skills, Besant threw herself into Indian politics, and became one of the leaders of the Indian Home Rule movement, even elected chair of the National Congress in 1917. Besant had supported Britain in World War I, hoping that Indian loyalty to the British crown would pay off in the form of dominion status. When the British made seeming promises in that direction, Besant's star was at its highest. Just a few years later, with Britain reneging on its promises, Besant was just as quickly outflanked by the more militant leadership of Gandhi. Despite her reputation as a fire brand, Besant was at bottom a legalist and constitutionalist, unable to realize that the independence movement had to take a new and more radical turn.
Geoffrey West does mention the infighting within the Theosophical Society after Blavatsky's death, the scandals surrounding C W Leadbeater, and the curious appointment of Jiddu Krishnamurti as future World-Teacher. He also mentions the bizarre court case during which Krishnamurti's father lost his custody of the boy. Had West's book been published just one year later, he would have been forced to mention the most momentous failure in Besant's entire career: Krishnamurti's defection from the Theosophical Society, an event from which the movement never recuperated.
Despite everything, it's difficult not to respect Besant, a woman who successfully escaped from and agitated against the Victorian straightjackets, and supported the cause of labour, the poor and the nations subjugated by the British Empire. One wonders what she could have become had she not devoted so much of her time to the curious creed of the Theosophists! I'm not necessarily hostile to Theosophy, but the scandals surrounding Leadbeater and Krishnamurti shows that Besant's spiritual senses perhaps weren't as good as they might have been...
Geoffrey West's book about Annie Wood Besant's various incarnations could be of some interest to those unfamiliar with her life, and I therefore give it three stars.
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