Eyeless in Gaza (P.S. Series)

First published in 1936, Eyeless in Gaza is one of Aldous Huxley’s finest and most personal works. This loosely autobiographical novel tells the story of one man’s quest to find a meaningful life, which leads him from blind hedonism to political revolution to spiritual enlightenment.

Anthony Beavis, a cynical Oxford graduate, comes of age in post—World War I Europe. His life, loves, and foreign adventures leave him unfulfilled, until he meets a charismatic doctor who inspires Anthony to become a Marxist and join the Mexican revolution. The disastrous adventure is devastating to Anthony; shattered by the experience, he forges a new, quasi—Buddhist philosophy that embraces pacifism. Eyeless in Gaza remains one of Huxley’s most enduring novels, a testament to the costs and rewards of bold, vigorous thinking.

The title of Eyeless in Gaza refers to the Biblical story of Samson, who after being betrayed by Delilah, was blinded and enslaved in Gaza. He eventually destroys his captors and himself by demolishing a temple.

Aldous Huxley (1894—1963) was born in Surrey, England, and is the author of many critically acclaimed books of fiction and nonfiction, including Brave New World, The Doors of Perception, and Island.