The Monastery of Solitude ( A Journey in Search of Unity) by Moin Mir
Book: The Monastery of Solitude ( A Journey in Search of Unity)
Author: Moin Mir
Genre: Non-Fiction, Travel Book, History
Published By: Roli Books in January 2024
Pages: 288
Other Books by the Author: The Lost Fragrance of Infinity, Surat: Fall of a Port, Rise of Prince: Defeat of East India Company in the House of Commons, and The Prince Who Beat The Empire: How an Indian Ruler Took on the Might of East India Company.
Book Review:
Walking in the footsteps of third-century philosopher Plotinus, the author writes about the religious, cultural, and spiritual alignment over the expanding civilization, all narrowing down to his theory of unity or oneness.
Enthralled by the philosophical depths of India, Plotinus decided to travel
from Rome to India, sadly his journey was cut short in Byzantium (now Istanbul)
and he headed back to Rome, but centuries later, the author decided to do what
Plotinus couldn’t.
This travel book gives you a vivid view of the lanes and
structures of Rome, Ajmer and the degh that distributes without discrimination,
the pyramids and the Nile of Egypt, and Hagia Sophia and its unusual transition
from church to mosque to a museum and again to the mosque, all along Moin
freely quotes from The Enneads by Plotinus, evincing his philosophy of ‘The
One’, that is in many ways similar to Upanishads, Tawheed, and Big Bang
Singularity.
But he didn’t miss out on mentioning the shadows behind the
light, he talked about Berlin and its two parts- West Berlin by Americans and
East Berlin by the Soviets, and despite witnessing the essence of Plotinus’s
theory ‘The One’ in humans, buildings, paintings, stars, trees, and the flow of
river, he couldn’t completely overlook the feeling of hatred that has borne out
of the same reasons people unite- religion, culture, and class, quoting Anton
Chekov-
“Love, Friendship, and Respect do not unite people as much
as common hatred for something.”
It's easier to see the places and describe their colours and
structures in words. Still, Moin Mir exhibits his incredible observations &
compassion about humans, relevance from the ancient to now, and the unity that
holds it all despite the plaques of religion, caste, and race, which makes this
non-fiction a delight to read. The prior knowledge of Philosophy &
Philosophers like Aristotle, Plato, and Plotinus will add up to your reading
experience, but starting from zero would just make it a slow read, not a dud
one.
Moin Mir manages to influence his readers to get up and travel to Rome, Egypt, and Istanbul. It’s exciting to read about the theory of oneness being relevant even now, over places, in things, among humans, and in the thick of religion, science, and mysticism. As much as it was captivating I couldn’t resist the urge to bring up the confusion I felt while reading the stanzas from ‘The Enneads’ and its constant association with the places the author was traveling to. Nevertheless, a non-fiction that has become extremely close to my heart and to which I will keep going back.
About the Author: He is a London-based, Indian-origin writer. His writing journey started under his grandfather Omar Khayyam and is highly influenced by Mirza Ghalib. Moin writes both Fiction and Non-fiction, but his passion for Philosophy and Poetry is vividly presented in all his works. His past works are critically acclaimed and made a position in the Times of India's Top 5 reads in 2021.
External Links: GoodReads Review
IG Review
Amazon Review
IG Book Unwrapping Reel
Comments
Post a Comment