Home in the World: A Memoir
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- Author：Amartya Sen
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Summary
The extraordinary early life in India and England of one of the world's leading public intellectuals
Where is 'home'？ For Amartya Sen， home has been many places - Dhaka in modern Bangladesh， the little university town of Santiniketan， where he was raised as much by his grandparents as by his parents， Calcutta where he first studied economics and was active in student movements， and Trinity College， Cambridge， to which he came aged 19。
Sen brilliantly recreates the atmosphere in each of these。 He remembers his river journeys between Dhaka and his parents' ancestral homes and wonderfully explores the rich history and culture of Bengal。 In 1943 he witnessed the disastrous unfolding of the Bengal Famine， and the following year the inflaming of tensions between Hindus and Muslims。 In the years before Independence， some of his family were imprisoned for their opposition to British rule。
Central to Sen's formation was the intellectually liberating school in Santiniketan founded by Rabindranath Tagore （who gave him his name Amartya） and exciting conversations in the Coffee House on College Street in Calcutta。 In Cambridge， he engaged with many of the leading economists and philosophers of the day， especially with the great Marxist thinker Piero Sraffa， who provided a direct connection not only to Wittgenstein， but to Antonio Gramsci and the anti-fascist battles in Italy in the 1920s。 After years in Europe and America， the book ends when he returns to Delhi in 1963。
Home in the World shows how Sen's experience shaped his ideas - about economics， philosophy， identity， community， famines， gender inequality， social choice and the power of discussion in public life。 The joys of learning and the importance of friendship are powerfully conveyed。 He invokes some of the great thinkers of the past and his own time - from Ashoka in the third century BC and Akbar in the sixteenth， to David Hume， Adam Smith， Karl Marx， John Maynard Keynes， Maurice Dobb， Kenneth Arrow and Eric Hobsbawm。 Above all， Sen emphasises the importance of enlarging our views as much as we can， of human sympathy and understanding across time and distance， and of being at home in the world。
Where is 'home'？ For Amartya Sen， home has been many places - Dhaka in modern Bangladesh， the little university town of Santiniketan， where he was raised as much by his grandparents as by his parents， Calcutta where he first studied economics and was active in student movements， and Trinity College， Cambridge， to which he came aged 19。
Sen brilliantly recreates the atmosphere in each of these。 He remembers his river journeys between Dhaka and his parents' ancestral homes and wonderfully explores the rich history and culture of Bengal。 In 1943 he witnessed the disastrous unfolding of the Bengal Famine， and the following year the inflaming of tensions between Hindus and Muslims。 In the years before Independence， some of his family were imprisoned for their opposition to British rule。
Central to Sen's formation was the intellectually liberating school in Santiniketan founded by Rabindranath Tagore （who gave him his name Amartya） and exciting conversations in the Coffee House on College Street in Calcutta。 In Cambridge， he engaged with many of the leading economists and philosophers of the day， especially with the great Marxist thinker Piero Sraffa， who provided a direct connection not only to Wittgenstein， but to Antonio Gramsci and the anti-fascist battles in Italy in the 1920s。 After years in Europe and America， the book ends when he returns to Delhi in 1963。
Home in the World shows how Sen's experience shaped his ideas - about economics， philosophy， identity， community， famines， gender inequality， social choice and the power of discussion in public life。 The joys of learning and the importance of friendship are powerfully conveyed。 He invokes some of the great thinkers of the past and his own time - from Ashoka in the third century BC and Akbar in the sixteenth， to David Hume， Adam Smith， Karl Marx， John Maynard Keynes， Maurice Dobb， Kenneth Arrow and Eric Hobsbawm。 Above all， Sen emphasises the importance of enlarging our views as much as we can， of human sympathy and understanding across time and distance， and of being at home in the world。
Reviews
Carl
，
Lovely intellectual memoir， sprawling yet movea along nicely， with a wry sense of humor and loads of humility， despite often serious subject matter。
Masnoon Majeed
，
This book takes the readers through the history of Bengal and India as experienced by Amartya Sen and his family。 His exploration into identity， literature， and politics of pre-1960s India through the experience of someone born in an erudite liberal family is a good read for anyone interested in South Asia。 It was really interesting to see how Sen and his family interacted with all the diverse cultures around them to get the best ideas from them。 It is nicely written and is quite enjoyable to re This book takes the readers through the history of Bengal and India as experienced by Amartya Sen and his family。 His exploration into identity， literature， and politics of pre-1960s India through the experience of someone born in an erudite liberal family is a good read for anyone interested in South Asia。 It was really interesting to see how Sen and his family interacted with all the diverse cultures around them to get the best ideas from them。 It is nicely written and is quite enjoyable to read。 However， it is a bit too long。 This makes parts of the book seem to drag on。 Some of the tangents are quite interesting but others not so much。 This brings the overall book experience quite down！ 。。。more
Ramakrishnan Sundaram
，
Amartya Sen emerges as a consummate story teller apart from an accomplished economist。 His account of integrated Bengali culture across political borders manifest in the confluence of literary thoughts of Tagore & Nazrul Islam is great。
Vinay
，
The first 2/3s of the book was wonderful， the last 1/3 felt rushed and not as insightful （it also stops in the 1960s）That said， overall read like an intellectual history of Amartya Sen himself - an exploration of his influences， and how his early ideas and worldviews developed。 I loved it！Some ideas/thoughts I found memorable:- Santiniketan sounds like a magical place to study and grow up - especially in those years。 Hearing the sort of people Amartya grew up surrounded by， the pedagogical style The first 2/3s of the book was wonderful， the last 1/3 felt rushed and not as insightful （it also stops in the 1960s）That said， overall read like an intellectual history of Amartya Sen himself - an exploration of his influences， and how his early ideas and worldviews developed。 I loved it！Some ideas/thoughts I found memorable:- Santiniketan sounds like a magical place to study and grow up - especially in those years。 Hearing the sort of people Amartya grew up surrounded by， the pedagogical style of the place （which thankfully he also realizes was unique given his time in a Dhaka school whose vibe sounded very familiar）， the intellectual freedom he was given etc。 Reminded me of how Rishi Valley alums describe their experiences。。。- Learned far more than I realized about Tagore and his contributions。 Unfortunately haven't engaged/explored Tagore's life and work enough （attempted Gitanjali in high school and totally didn't get it then）， so glad for this unintended introduction。 The parts about Tagore's arguments with Gandhi， the different ways in which he was perceived by the West （an alleged mysticism and rejection of reason） and Bengali/Indian society （a champion of reason and rationality） etc。- Funnily enough， the part of Sen's autobiography I loved most was his biography of his grandfather Kshiti Mohan。 Sad that I hadn't heard of him until this book。 He partly seemed like what I believe Indian political thought needs today - an individual who's a deeply credible expert in classical and scriptural Sanskrit literature while also being progressive in their worldview。 Something Hindutva has done is to appropriate ownership of ancient Hindu scriptures -- there's hardly anybody in mainstream politics who has a liberal and lenient interpretation of Hinduism， and is able to draw on it in political conversation today。 And if two people can read a vanilla novel and come out with radically different takes， I can't imagine how many diverse viewpoints there can be from reading the pantheon of Sanskrit and Pali literature。 For example， Sen claims that Kshiti Mohan's books show the tenuous link Hindu scriptures have to the caste system， how women in ancient India enjoyed far more freedoms that medieval and modern India afforded them etc etc。 Maybe I'm being naively hopeful that these interpretations are credible， but for now， will try and get my hands on Kshiti Mohan's works （Jatibhed， Prachin Bharate Nari， Bharater Sanskriti）。。。- Also had a lot of interesting anecdotes and stories about Calcutta and Bengal， and how Partition affected the Eastern part of the subcontinent。。。。Overall， mostly enjoyed it！ 。。。more
agremon
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Más que memorias， un viaje a una cultura y a la formación vital de una persona， junto con una visión de una parte del saber económico。 Partes desiguales en su tema， orientación o longitud， pero permitiendo su lectura como una atractiva larga novela。
Kunal
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This is so much more than a recollection。A peek into a certain Bengali way of intellectual， book-loving and arguementative （all in a positive sense） life， a glance at post-independence breaking out of quite a few Indian （but Ox-Cam graduated） stalwarts， a whiff of economists & their economics （Marxian/Keynesian/Neo-classical）。It's not a read-fest。 Sen has a dense style of writing， with propensity to go for detail。 And one can crawl when the doyen brushes past you with economics， philosophy and s This is so much more than a recollection。A peek into a certain Bengali way of intellectual， book-loving and arguementative （all in a positive sense） life， a glance at post-independence breaking out of quite a few Indian （but Ox-Cam graduated） stalwarts， a whiff of economists & their economics （Marxian/Keynesian/Neo-classical）。It's not a read-fest。 Sen has a dense style of writing， with propensity to go for detail。 And one can crawl when the doyen brushes past you with economics， philosophy and social choice theory （his forte）， even if it's the most basic he can manage。 His interests， which are as varied as sanskrit or buddhism or cancer， lead to a life of immense reading， debating and theorising， something that can seem almost other-worldly to a mere mortal。But all in all， it gets you there and then stays with you for longer。 And it does make you feel that even on a seemingly high-brow path to academic greatness， one can meet a number of people one can call a friend and manage to find a number of places one can call a home。 。。。more
Akshy
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Amartya Sen’s memoir， much like his other books， are grounded in reasoning and arguments。 In the book， he narrates more on the first three decades of his life， which helps us get a glimpse of how the thought process and functioning of the Nobel Laureate evolved over the years and finally shaped his personality。 Having the privilege of obtaining diverse experiences through his childhood and education and early career and possessing the astute gift of able to relate such experiences and ideas to b Amartya Sen’s memoir， much like his other books， are grounded in reasoning and arguments。 In the book， he narrates more on the first three decades of his life， which helps us get a glimpse of how the thought process and functioning of the Nobel Laureate evolved over the years and finally shaped his personality。 Having the privilege of obtaining diverse experiences through his childhood and education and early career and possessing the astute gift of able to relate such experiences and ideas to build them on to a bigger philosophy， Amartya Sen makes the narration delightful for the reader。 The book comprises of his picture of Bengal as a whole and its transition during the painful partition phase viewed from the city of Kolkata through historical lenses; the literature and philosophy of the Bengal Renaissance and subsequent thinkers all woven together in a single piece; the wide range of thought which led to a social movement in Europe and then in the US in terms of welfare economics and beyond brought in through Sen’s first hand accounts of dialogues and conversations - all make this an enjoyable book。 。。。more
Lillian
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Such an apt title。 The author is clearly brilliant。 However， this memoir is overly awash in detail about the author and about the history that informed his life that it is somewhat inaccessible。
Kevin Miller
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Damn， this guy LOVES school。 What a nerd。 Obviously Sen is a smart guy， but for some reason he seems to have never fleshed out an idea of just what this book is supposed to be。 This memoir goes from Sen’s childhood up until his academic career started take off in his late twenties， which is quite strange。 What Nobel prize winner writes a book about their life and doesn’t talk about their Nobel prize winning work？ Most of the book is just “I read this book and talked to this professor and they we Damn， this guy LOVES school。 What a nerd。 Obviously Sen is a smart guy， but for some reason he seems to have never fleshed out an idea of just what this book is supposed to be。 This memoir goes from Sen’s childhood up until his academic career started take off in his late twenties， which is quite strange。 What Nobel prize winner writes a book about their life and doesn’t talk about their Nobel prize winning work？ Most of the book is just “I read this book and talked to this professor and they were great， I had a great time in school， and that’s where I learned about this economic idea。” Aside from a very brief cancer scare， there is absolutely no conflict in this book。 Sen must be an incredibly nice， amenable man， but he is not a great memoirist。 I picked up this book because I wanted to learn more about Bangladesh/Bengal， which has very little written about it in English。 If you want to learn more about life in Bengal， especially during partition， the famine， and war for independence from Pakistan that Sen lived through， this is NOT the book for that。 Again， it’s mostly just about the professors some nerd liked。 。。。more
Jasmine Pulley
，
I expected more from Amartya Sen’s memoir。 Or maybe， I expected different from what he delivered。 I suppose I shouldn’t have been surprised by the memoir of an academic， but Sen focused almost entirely on summarizing his various fields of study throughout his life—the subjects that inspired him and encouraged him to dig further into the field of economics， as well studies of other academics around him。 He covered many anecdotes of time spent with fellow academics who went on to have very success I expected more from Amartya Sen’s memoir。 Or maybe， I expected different from what he delivered。 I suppose I shouldn’t have been surprised by the memoir of an academic， but Sen focused almost entirely on summarizing his various fields of study throughout his life—the subjects that inspired him and encouraged him to dig further into the field of economics， as well studies of other academics around him。 He covered many anecdotes of time spent with fellow academics who went on to have very successful careers with different contributions to education， politics， and literature。 However， I expected him to go a bit deeper with his life。 I would have been so interested to learn more about how his particular life experiences—being born into a fairly elite family during colonial India， brought of age during a newly independent India， studying in England only a decade after India’s newly aquired freedom， all against the backdrop of the Cold War— shaped him as person。 As an academic， and more than that， as a nobel prize winner in economics， much of the book traces his academic journey， starting with his earliest education。 He spends a while tracing his early memories of classical Indian literature and his love of math， which all colluded to giving him a lifelong interest in the plight of the poor in regards to education。 I found his numerous references to Indian poets， artists and writers interesting as they made their way to my own reference list of people to look up on my own。 I think the purpose of these chapters was to set up a foundation of explaining how he came to enter the academic field that would take up most of his life， but I found it lacking in terms of self reflection or self formation。 What kind of tension or conflict existed for him during these years？ Maybe none， but I find these are the pieces or memoir that we truly connect with。 In his early twenties， he has a cancerous oral tumor removed which changes the course of his life because his parents， wanting him to have something to look forward to after his recovery， arrange for him to study in England。 Again， this period of his life feels like it could have been explored so much more deeply。 I would have loved to know more about his personal experiences as a young Indian， visiting Britain just years after India’s independence as these two countries were trying to form relations。 Instead， much of this section shares the names of various people he studied with who went on to become successful and gain notoriety in their respective fields of study。 Interesting of course， to know he studied with people who went on to become heads of state， but again， lacking any form of tension and felt only scratching the surface。 I would have been much more interested to know how those experiences shaped or changed him。 How did they challenge his way of thinking？ What was it like being amongst such intelligent people from many different countries， with strong political opinions studying in one of the most prestigious universities in the world， during the Cold War no less？ I was pleasantly surprised by much of his reception by Britons during his time in college。 I think I anticipated more prejudice against him by the previous imperial power， and maybe he had those as well， but he shared many positive experiences by people he encountered who were genuinely interested in getting to know him， learning about his life in India， and learning about his studies。 Communism is a theme throughout his memoir but mostly in an academic sense， the ways in which Marxist thought piqued his interest and the ways in which various friends of his aligned themselves amongst the spectrum of leftist thought。 But I still never felt like I knew the author any better， or learned how these life experiences changed him as a person， challenged him， or caused any tension in his life。 He had a way of writing about his life as if keeping you as the reader at arms length， writing about topics on the surface， and in a mostly academic way。 It seemed the deepest Sen went in his story was in the earlier chapters of his story， when he shared the experiences of visiting various relatives in prison due to pro Indian nationalist political activism。 This gave a small taste of what the experience under British rule was like for Indians at that particular time。 In a chapter titled “Dobb， Straffa， and Robertson，”Sen detailed the academic pursuits of three of his fellow trinity economics professors， and later， colleagues。 I wasn’t entirely sure how a chapter like this fits in one’s memoir， and I wondered who exactly was the audience for Sen’s story。 Similarly， he had a chapter titled， “What to make of Marx，” which detailed much of the academic debates happening in his circles surrounding Marxist thought at the time。 If the intended audience were students of economics who followed his career and contributions to the field， then they may have found this incredibly valuable and interesting to follow his education and see how he landed on the areas of study he did。 If， like me， a reader was hoping to learn more from a prominent member of the Indian diaspora who has had the privilege of living on multiple continents through some very turbulent political decades （post ww2， Indian independence， Cold War） and hoping to learn more how a person who lived through that time was personally affected， then I believe you would leave somewhat disappointed。 Considering Sen was a Nobel prize winner in economics， maybe I should not have been surprised just how many chapters of his memoir were dedicated to describing various studies in economics of his peers and his thoughts on them， but I was。 At times this felt more like an academic paper than a memoir。 。。。more
Nausheen
，
This memoir is really as though you are hearing stories from a very well-connected， worldly， intelligent grandfather and I thoroughly enjoyed it。
Cajsa
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Home in the World is Amartya Sen's biography chronicling his upbringing in India and tracing his career as he becomes one of the most influential economists。 I have to preface this review by stating that I am currently in grad school getting a MSc in Economics which heavily influenced both my interest and review of this book。 I am always interested in how economic theories and the discourse related to it developed over time and this book really delivered on this。 What is more， Sen's personal fam Home in the World is Amartya Sen's biography chronicling his upbringing in India and tracing his career as he becomes one of the most influential economists。 I have to preface this review by stating that I am currently in grad school getting a MSc in Economics which heavily influenced both my interest and review of this book。 I am always interested in how economic theories and the discourse related to it developed over time and this book really delivered on this。 What is more， Sen's personal family story and India's history also tied in well with the book's narrative。 Personally， I liked the parts on the famine as well has his relations to other famous Economists the best。 While some of his elaborations got quite technical， I think their depth and scope was chosen to cater both the interested reader and the studied economist。 For fans of Misbehaving by Richard Thaler that are interested in poverty and other social issues， this is a must-read for all those interested in Indian history as well as Development Economics and Social Choice Theory。 Thank you to Netgalley and RB Media for this audio copy！ 。。。more
Agni Guha
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**Thank you to Net Galley for the ALC**This was stepping into nostalgia for me。 As a bengali， hearing Amartya Sen talk about Tagore， Bose， Shantiniketan， Presidency， college street and so on was so powerful。 He also talks a lot of politics， economics and the history of India。 Hearing one of the most well known intellectual from India share his life and living through books and thoughts filled me with pride and awe。 There's so much to learn from this book and this man。 Although I'd strongly advic **Thank you to Net Galley for the ALC**This was stepping into nostalgia for me。 As a bengali， hearing Amartya Sen talk about Tagore， Bose， Shantiniketan， Presidency， college street and so on was so powerful。 He also talks a lot of politics， economics and the history of India。 Hearing one of the most well known intellectual from India share his life and living through books and thoughts filled me with pride and awe。 There's so much to learn from this book and this man。 Although I'd strongly advice against the audiobook as the narrator has a very heavy British accent and mispronounces every single proper noun。 。。。more
Abishek Sekar
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The message one can take away after reading this autobiography of Amartya Sen is that how people， conversations and books can develop an individual and his personality。 This humanitarian with wide ranging knowledge and powerful insights across various subjects is definitely one of the greatest minds living in our times。
LauraH
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When the Nobel committee asked him for some artifacts to put in the Nobel museum he gave them two items。 An ancient Sanskrit mathematical text that he used and his bicycle which he had had since he was young。 The bicycle he used to venture into places it would’ve been hard to get to otherwise， as he did his research on human poverty， famine etc。Important to be around and spend time with people more knowledgeable than you。 He did this his whole life。In his 20s he developed cancer。 Throughout all When the Nobel committee asked him for some artifacts to put in the Nobel museum he gave them two items。 An ancient Sanskrit mathematical text that he used and his bicycle which he had had since he was young。 The bicycle he used to venture into places it would’ve been hard to get to otherwise， as he did his research on human poverty， famine etc。Important to be around and spend time with people more knowledgeable than you。 He did this his whole life。In his 20s he developed cancer。 Throughout all the treatments his parents wanted to give him something to look forward to。 Something for the future。 Though it was a stretch financially， they offered to pay for him to go to the London school of economics。After researching English universities he decided to apply to Trinity College at Cambridge and was… rejected。 They told him they had had too many good Indian applicants that year。 He had applied only at Trinity。 Later Trinity said some people had dropped out and he could come after all if he can get there quickly。I liked hearing about his variety of friends at Cambridge and beyond。 So many friends。 He is very left-leaning。 He is so respectful of people especially of those with different opinions。 Of one accomplished friend he said she was an enemy to all self advertisement。In his whole memoir he doesn’t even mention winning the Nobel prize in economics。 Just keeps talking about the pleasure of being able to teach such brilliant students。 。。。more
Muaz Jalil
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As a development practitioner， I am a huge fan of Amartya Sen and his writings。 I saw him once at LSE。 For some reason this memoir reminded me of Russell's autobiography， may be the writing style and the fact that Cambridge played a major role in their lives。 I read Sen because it opens up new authors or books to me。 In this memoir I came across Maurice Dobb， Pieor Sraffa， Frank Ramsay， among others。 I also bought the book Karl Marx Greatness and Illusion， which was highly recommended by Sen。 He As a development practitioner， I am a huge fan of Amartya Sen and his writings。 I saw him once at LSE。 For some reason this memoir reminded me of Russell's autobiography， may be the writing style and the fact that Cambridge played a major role in their lives。 I read Sen because it opens up new authors or books to me。 In this memoir I came across Maurice Dobb， Pieor Sraffa， Frank Ramsay， among others。 I also bought the book Karl Marx Greatness and Illusion， which was highly recommended by Sen。 He was influenced by the idea of Objective Illusion， which is a fascinating concept。The best part was early years in Dhaka and Shanti Niketan， meeting with Tagore/Mujtaba Ali ， Kshiti Mohan and so many others。 He met Lal Jayawardena， as student in Cambridge， who was one of the founder of UN WIDER。 Then there was Mahbubul Haq， who developed the Human Development Index （ who is from Kings College。。。。my college 😊） ; Rehman Sobhan and finally Manmohan Singh was his junior 。 I did not know that originally Sen was rejected by Trinity and apparently that's the only place he applied！ He effectively finished his PhD in 1 year。 Published his papers in QJE （ best econ journal） just coming out of Bachelors and studied Philosophy when he was a Prize Fellow， again getting published in philosophy journals。 The guy is a genius， reminded me of Feynman！ The best memoir I have read in a while。I loved it！！ 。。。more
Matthew Alampay Davis
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As a development political economist with a secondary interest in philosophy who moved between various Third World Asian countries growing up and received graduate economics training at Oxbridge and the US East Coast， I really thought I'd get more out of Sen's memoir than I did。 It's really let down by its bland writing and poor editing。While he does describe the political contexts of his upbringing and the histories and cultures of the cities and countries he's lived in， there is little truly p As a development political economist with a secondary interest in philosophy who moved between various Third World Asian countries growing up and received graduate economics training at Oxbridge and the US East Coast， I really thought I'd get more out of Sen's memoir than I did。 It's really let down by its bland writing and poor editing。While he does describe the political contexts of his upbringing and the histories and cultures of the cities and countries he's lived in， there is little truly personal engagement with them。 The pre-college part of the memoir drags at least 100 pages too long， an indulgence that frustratingly still does not reveal much about the author himself。 For example， that his experience as a privileged upper-caste member of the Indian elite amidst the Bengal famine would directly motivate his life's work in social choice theory and the capabilities approach to development should be obvious but it is not a connection he elaborates upon despite the 400+ pages he affords himself。 What is it like to grow up under the British Raj and then study inequality in Cambridge University of all places？ Not really touched upon other than to reminisce about high table traditions and exclusive membership in academic societies。 And as with a lot of geniuses， Sen doesn't understand how to talk about his own genius without dispassionately underplaying it and treating his accomplishments as things that happen to him almost passively。 This might be polite but unfortunately makes for a bad memoir。 Sen being one of my favorite economists， this squandered opportunity was a massive disappointment。The second half of the book is more interesting particularly in his critiques of the economic and philosophical works that most influenced his thinking。 But even these discussions are quite shallow for anyone genuinely interested in these topics and reads more like a phone book recitation。 It feels like 60% of it is some variation of "It was at this point that I met [academic]。 We had healthy debates throughout the years even though I think our main disagreements were based on their incomplete understanding of the topic。 They had this personality trait back then which would serve them well when years later they went on to teach at [elite university] or work in [government/think tank]。 I always knew they would be great and indeed they were very unspecifically successful at their job until they sadly died in 1989。"I'd recommend reading this excellent conversation instead。annualreviews。org/doi/abs/10。1146/ann。。。 。。。more
Jess Ferguson
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Beginning was super interesting， but then it just became a book of name dropping who he knew， who he studied with， and dense economic arguments。 Sen spent more space discussing how he knew Kamala Harris’ parents than on his own marriage。 Also the book pretty much ends when he took a job at the Delhi School of Economics in 1963， and doesn’t really discuss his Nobel Prize。
Nancy
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I enjoyed this autobiography detailing Sen's childhood and education in India and England。 He is an amazing man who I had no background knowledge of。 His experiences should be told。 His insight and thinking shared to those not familiar with his accomplishments。 He is an economist， a philosopher， a writer， a professor， and a man concerned on how societies should improve for all people。 So the reason for my rating has more to do with my lack of understanding his life and work than the value of thi I enjoyed this autobiography detailing Sen's childhood and education in India and England。 He is an amazing man who I had no background knowledge of。 His experiences should be told。 His insight and thinking shared to those not familiar with his accomplishments。 He is an economist， a philosopher， a writer， a professor， and a man concerned on how societies should improve for all people。 So the reason for my rating has more to do with my lack of understanding his life and work than the value of this book， and therefore recommend this book for those， like me， who are seeking to learn。"Furthermore， even though economic growth is important， the single-minded pursuit of it – while neglecting education， health care and nutrition – is not only terrible for people’s quality of life， but it is also a self-defeating strategy， since these crucial components of a decent human life are also important ingredients for human productivity。" Amartya Sen 。。。more
JORGE LAGOS
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Amarty Sen， Premio Nobel de Economía en 1998。 Un libro donde cuenta su interés por la teoría de la elección social， y demuestra que su investigación estuvo influenciada por India， Inglaterra y EEUU。 Frase: “Las pasiones se reconcilian con las decisiones del intelecto”
Debjani Sengupta
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This memoir is， of course， first and foremost， full of economics。 It is a first-hand account of actual happenings in the academic world of economics during the fifties into the seventies of the last century。 The author， Amartya Sen， outlines his life， beginning with his early years spent in Mandalay in Burma， then Dacca， finally settling into school without walls in Santiniketan， West Bengal in India。 He mentions how he was influenced by his scholar grandfather and the Tagorean philosophy and sy This memoir is， of course， first and foremost， full of economics。 It is a first-hand account of actual happenings in the academic world of economics during the fifties into the seventies of the last century。 The author， Amartya Sen， outlines his life， beginning with his early years spent in Mandalay in Burma， then Dacca， finally settling into school without walls in Santiniketan， West Bengal in India。 He mentions how he was influenced by his scholar grandfather and the Tagorean philosophy and system of education。 He attends college in Calcutta graduating to study further at Trinity College， Cambridge。 He returns back to India to teach at Jadavpur University。 Later， he teaches at D-School at Delhi， the capital of India。 The book is about a distinguished journey by a brilliant scholar and thinker who has more than one home in this world and is comfortable in all his diverse homes。This book is for economists。 There are many references to well-known economists of the mid-20th century and their work。 Books are referred to which will make for further reading， both for economists and for readers like us， who know no economics。 This book is for Bengalis， the people of the state of West Bengal， India and the people of Bangladesh。 There is a lot of history which they would find interesting。 The Rivers of Bengal and The Urbanity of Calcutta are particularly interesting to read。 Sen has spoken eloquently on them。 The ancient remains found scattered around the general Calcutta region indicates why the British founded the city in the place where they did。 And， if you happen to be a Vaidya then you definitely need to read this book written by the most globally honored Vaidya of all。Amartya Sen comes from a family of professors and scholars。 He says that he was more comfortable in expressing himself in Bengali and Sanskrit till he mastered English。 So， he proves that it is more important to be a good student of a language rather than to be a ‘native speaker’ of it。 The book is most eloquently written。 The style is simple and easy to read。 The tone is friendly and young。 One can go through the almost 400 pages quickly and easily。 This is a truly global book。 For world citizens this book is a must read， not only for knowing about economics from a Nobel Prize winner but for knowing about Bengal and about British India。 The book ends rather abruptly。 We hope that that means there will be a sequel soon。 。。。more
Appu
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This book covers Sen’s life upto the age of 30。 So most of his great intellectual triumphs are still ahead of him。 But that does not take anything away from this book。 In this book we see a precocious child， clearly from a privileged （intellectually， if not economically） background slowly finding his feet in the world and carving out a niche for himself in the world of ideas。 The first thirty years of his life takes Sen from Rangoon where his father was a visiting professor to Santhiniketan ，whe This book covers Sen’s life upto the age of 30。 So most of his great intellectual triumphs are still ahead of him。 But that does not take anything away from this book。 In this book we see a precocious child， clearly from a privileged （intellectually， if not economically） background slowly finding his feet in the world and carving out a niche for himself in the world of ideas。 The first thirty years of his life takes Sen from Rangoon where his father was a visiting professor to Santhiniketan ，where Sen stayed with his maternal grandparents while attending the famous school， to Calcutta to Cambridge UK to Cambridge Massachusetts and to Delhi。 As the book closes， a still a very young Sen is teaching at the Delhi School of Economics。 Although the latter half of the book is about economic ideas and economists who mentored and shaped him， the first half of the book dealing with his childhood and boyhood is clearly the more attractive part。 Here the writing is lyrical and poignant。 One striking incident mentioned in the book can stay with the reader for a long time。 While he was an undergraduate student at Presidency College， a lump in his palette bothers Sen。 With typical thoroughness he reads up on the matter and becomes convinced that it is cancerous。 His doubts are confirmed。 The cancer is surgically removed and he is subjected to radium therapy at Calcutta。 The treatment is crude but effective and tumour does not recur。 However but for the young Sen’s initiative， he would not got the treatment that he did and the world would have been poorer for it。 。。。more
Larry Roberts
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Simply wonderful！ And though covering the period of the first half of Sen's remarkable life， full of applicability to our present times。Chapter 25， Persuasion and Cooperation， was especially significant to me。 Simply wonderful！ And though covering the period of the first half of Sen's remarkable life， full of applicability to our present times。Chapter 25， Persuasion and Cooperation， was especially significant to me。 。。。more
Raveen Kulenthran
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Amartya Sen is without question a hero of mine。 I have read most of his books， hanging on to every word as I did so。 This book has the same depth and humility as his others， with one added element: one gets a glimpse of the events that shaped his sweet and gentle nature。
Sujith Ravindran
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Amartya Sen's memoir- the first 30 years of his life- Shantiniketan to Presidency college to Jadavpur University to Cambridge University and finally back to Delhi School of Economics in 1963- his battle with cancer - his acquaintance with several accomplished personalities - glimpses of making his worldview-his deep sympathies for the poor and disadvantaged。 On the whole a delightful read！ Amartya Sen's memoir- the first 30 years of his life- Shantiniketan to Presidency college to Jadavpur University to Cambridge University and finally back to Delhi School of Economics in 1963- his battle with cancer - his acquaintance with several accomplished personalities - glimpses of making his worldview-his deep sympathies for the poor and disadvantaged。 On the whole a delightful read！ 。。。more
Mugdha
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A very inspiring and interesting read。 Traversing the history of Bengal， India and the world in general， Amartya Sen tells the story of his growing up in a wonderful and lucid prose。 The book has inspired me to learn more about many great individuals， for example， the author's grandfather， Kshitimohan Sen。 Highly recommended。 A very inspiring and interesting read。 Traversing the history of Bengal， India and the world in general， Amartya Sen tells the story of his growing up in a wonderful and lucid prose。 The book has inspired me to learn more about many great individuals， for example， the author's grandfather， Kshitimohan Sen。 Highly recommended。 。。。more
JUSTIN JOS
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The book was a reminder for me to consider doctoral studies as a beginning of an academic career。 The book highlights Dr。 Sen's early life。 It is clear that Dr。 Sen came from a very privileged background but he used it to become more knowledgeable。 Dr。 Sen writes about a history which I do not know of。 He finished his PhD in 1950s。 My father was not even born in the 1950s。 It is about a different time where things were different。 The book takes you to a different time and it is nice to read abou The book was a reminder for me to consider doctoral studies as a beginning of an academic career。 The book highlights Dr。 Sen's early life。 It is clear that Dr。 Sen came from a very privileged background but he used it to become more knowledgeable。 Dr。 Sen writes about a history which I do not know of。 He finished his PhD in 1950s。 My father was not even born in the 1950s。 It is about a different time where things were different。 The book takes you to a different time and it is nice to read about his journey。 So jealous， that he got appointed as a Professor at 23 at Jadavpur University！ 。。。more
Pavan Korada
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Fascinating account of not just the leading economist of our times but a glimpse into the social life of an elite section （Upper Caste-Upper Class） of India。 I'm glad that Dr。 Sen allowed himself to be poetic， demonstrated in some few elegant turns of phrases。 This book also lays out his major themes of economic and philosophical work including social choice theory and realisation-based ideas of justice。 The chapter on Karl Marx is one of the most lucid analysis of his ideas I have ever come acr Fascinating account of not just the leading economist of our times but a glimpse into the social life of an elite section （Upper Caste-Upper Class） of India。 I'm glad that Dr。 Sen allowed himself to be poetic， demonstrated in some few elegant turns of phrases。 This book also lays out his major themes of economic and philosophical work including social choice theory and realisation-based ideas of justice。 The chapter on Karl Marx is one of the most lucid analysis of his ideas I have ever come across。 Other minor interests of his including Sanskrit， identity and， most importantly， Buddhism which have been discussed in enough detail。 One disappointment is that for all his intellectual and moral commitment to the problem of inequality， there is very little discussion about the strictly social aspect of inequality in the Indian context， that is， Caste; more so considering his other major interest Buddhism， which was as much a rebellion against social inequity （read Caste System） as it was a tussle with the major metaphysical debates of the time。 I felt the book ended abruptly。 It ends when Dr。 Sen was 30 years old。 He is 88 now。 I hope there is another part coming up soon about the remaining 58 years， at least。 Strongly recommend。 。。。more
Patrick Kabanda
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Simply put， this is a profound book。
Nikolai
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