The Cosmic Madhouse

Description

1977: it caused quite a stir when Joerg Andrees Elten, one of the pre-eminent journalists of STERN magazine and the Süddeutsche Zeitung, went away on assignment to interview the Prime Minister of India, and came back as Swami Satyananda, a disciple of the highly controversial mystic Osho. Dropping an illustrious career and high-society lifestyle, he moved into Osho’s ashram in Poona, penning a soul-searching, heart-baring journal that would become a best-selling sensation in the German-speaking world. In Osho's ashram, seekers from all over the world had the courage to set aside their masks and dive into self-exploration, understanding that it was impossible to change the world unless they began by changing themselves. Joerg Andrees Elten / Satyananda (1927-2017) was one of them. "Andy, as we called him at the magazine, was a unique reporter – a stylish writer, fearless, soft-spoken but with a biting wit. In contrast to most of his colleagues he knew about the subversive power of good manners in a rowdy business – until he left his Mercedes in the company garage and left for Poona. He was a role model for us, the younger reporters." CLAUS LUTTERBECK – Ex-colleague STERN magazine “From playboy of the western world to posterboy of Indian-inspired self-discovery: The touching mid-career transformation of Elten’s life is a story only the 1970s could write – when daring to head to the East in search of inner peace was as rare as it was risky. 40 years on, a revival of interest in the roaring ‘70s makes ‘The Cosmic Madhouse’ a uniquely adventurous – and moving – read.” PATRIK SCHWARZ – Managing Editor of DIE ZEIT, Germany’s leading liberal weekly “Honest, funny, brave, and rich with insight, Elten’s book is a delightfully rational account of his time at the heart of an electrifying phenomenon, mixing trademark journalistic flair with a uniquely personal account on his own journey from “an observer of” to “a participant in” the spiritual revolution erupting around him.