When the Hindu philosopher Vatsayana wrote the Kamasutra some 2000 years ago, he said that he did so in a spirit of chastity and meditation – not for the sake of passion. So how is it that the treatise has become synonymous with sexual ecstasy and acrobatic positions? Friday, we're rebroadcasting our conversation with the writer James McConnachie. He joined us earlier this year to tell the story of the Kamasutra’s journey from India to Victorian England and the role it has played in the West’s ongoing wars over sexuality and morality.
Books and Music From Today's RadioWest:
- James McConnachie: The Book of Love: The Story of the Kamasutra
- New translation by A.N.D. Haksar, Kama Sutra: (Classics Deluxe Edition) (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition)
- Edgar Meyer, In the Garden (Instrumental)
- Ravi Shankar, Mishra Ghara Dhun
- Pretty Lights, Empty Station
