Island (Flamingo Modern Classics) - Tapa blanda

For over a hundred years the Pacific island of Pala has been the scene of a unique experiment in civilisation. At the instigation of a Scottish doctor and a Buddhist king, western science has been brought together with the philosophy and humanism of the East, making the island community a paradise on earth. When Will Farnaby, a cynical, disillusioned journalist, arrives in their midst on an undisclosed search for information about Pala's massive unexploited oil reserves, he is taken wholeheartedly under the islanders' wing. Drawn ever further into their trust, he becomes convinced that this extraordinary way of life should remain unspoilt. Soon, the need to complete his mission becomes an intolerable burden...

If 'Brave New World' is Huxley's glimpse into hell, then 'Island' is his vision of utopia. In this, his last novel, mankind is portrayed at its sanest and most admirable.

"In the whole history of world literature, no writer has been better equipped to create images of false and true utopias the Aldous Huxley. Even when he has always been implicit in his work. We cannot deny 'Island's' brilliance, its learning and its honest attempt to answer the big human questions"
ANTHONY BURGESS

"'Island's' theme is integration and Huxley uses this with disconcerting brilliance. The familiar coruscation of his writing is shown here at its best"
GUARDIAN

Aldous Huxley was born in 1894 near Godalming, Surrey. He began writing poetry and short stories in his early twenties, but it was his first novel, ‘Crome Yellow’ (1921), which established his literary reputation. This was swiftly followed by ‘Antic Hay (1923), ‘Those Barren Leaves’ (1925) and ‘Point Counter Point ‘(1928) – bright, brilliant satires in which Huxley wittily passed judgement on the shortcomings of contemporary society.