📖 Overview
Selected Works of Jawaharlal Nehru, edited by S. Gopal, compiles key writings, speeches, and correspondence of India's first Prime Minister. The collection spans multiple volumes covering Nehru's political career from the 1920s through his leadership of independent India.
The work presents Nehru's perspectives on India's freedom movement, his vision for nation-building, and his approach to international relations. His communications with other leaders, policy positions, and responses to major historical events are documented through primary sources.
This comprehensive anthology includes Nehru's writings on economic development, secularism, scientific progress and social reform. Letters between Nehru and figures like Gandhi, Patel, and international contemporaries reveal the complex dynamics of India's political transformation.
The collection illuminates Nehru's role as both a theorist and practitioner of modern statecraft, capturing his efforts to balance idealism with pragmatic governance. These writings demonstrate the intersection of nationalism, socialism, and democracy in Nehru's worldview.
👀 Reviews
There are not enough internet reviews to create a summary of this book. Instead, here is a summary of reviews of S. Gopal's overall work:
Readers value S. Gopal's thorough research and detailed documentation in his Nehru biography, with many citing his unparalleled access to primary sources and personal papers. Academic reviewers note his clear writing style that makes complex historical events accessible.
What readers liked:
- Balanced treatment of controversial topics
- Integration of personal letters and documents
- Clear chronological organization
- Depth of analysis on British-Indian relations
What readers disliked:
- Some find the writing dry and academic
- Limited coverage of Nehru's personal life
- Length and detail can be overwhelming for casual readers
- High price point of multi-volume works
Ratings:
Goodreads (Nehru biography):
- Volume 1: 4.1/5 (127 ratings)
- Volume 2: 4.0/5 (93 ratings)
- Volume 3: 4.2/5 (82 ratings)
Amazon:
- Print editions average 4.3/5 (limited reviews available)
- Most academic citations appear in scholarly works rather than consumer reviews
Note: Limited public reader reviews available online as works are primarily academic texts.
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🤔 Interesting facts
🔷 The book covers crucial correspondences between Nehru and Mahatma Gandhi during India's independence movement, offering intimate insights into their relationship and occasional disagreements on strategy
🔷 S. Gopal, the editor of this collection, was Jawaharlal Nehru's official biographer and also happened to be the son of Dr. S. Radhakrishnan, the second President of India
🔷 The Selected Works series spans over 100 volumes, making it one of the most comprehensive collections of any Indian leader's writings and speeches
🔷 Nehru wrote many of these letters and documents while in British prisons, where he spent a total of nine years during the independence struggle, often using these periods of incarceration for extensive reading and writing
🔷 The collection includes Nehru's personal letters to his daughter Indira (later Prime Minister Indira Gandhi), which were later published separately as "Letters from a Father to His Daughter" - these letters explained complex subjects like natural history and evolution to a young Indira