Sir Edwin Arnold

author

Sir Edwin Arnold

1832–1904

Best known for The Light of Asia, he helped introduce many Victorian readers to the life and teachings of the Buddha through richly musical verse. He was also a journalist, traveler, and interpreter of Asian religions and cultures for a wide English-speaking audience.

2 Audiobooks

The Light of Asia

The Light of Asia

by Sir Edwin Arnold

Indian Poetry Containing "The Indian Song of Songs," from the Sanskrit of the Gîta Govinda of Jayadeva, Two books from "The Iliad Of India" (Mahábhárata), "Proverbial Wisdom" from the Shlokas of the Hitopadesa, and other Oriental Poems.

Indian Poetry Containing "The Indian Song of Songs," from the Sanskrit of the Gîta Govinda of Jayadeva, Two books from "The Iliad Of India" (Mahábhárata), "Proverbial Wisdom" from the Shlokas of the Hitopadesa, and other Oriental Poems.

by Sir Edwin Arnold

About the author

Born in Gravesend, Kent, in 1832, Sir Edwin Arnold became an English poet and journalist whose work moved between literature, religion, and travel writing. He studied at King's School, Rochester, King's College London, and University College, Oxford, where he won the Newdigate Prize.

After a period in India as a teacher and principal of Deccan College in Poona, he returned to England and joined the Daily Telegraph, where he spent many years as a leading journalist. His time in India left a lasting mark on his writing and helped shape his interest in Asian history, belief, and philosophy.

Arnold is remembered above all for The Light of Asia (1879), a long narrative poem on the life of the Buddha that became widely popular. He also wrote The Light of the World, Pearls of the Faith, and books inspired by his travels in Japan, building a reputation as a Victorian writer who tried to bring Eastern religious and literary traditions to Western readers.