Up at Oxford

by Ved Mehta

Book Overview

The history of a generation is recalled as the author remembers his elation and fear upon acceptance at Oxford and reflects on his year there and the extraordinary classmates whom he watched emerge... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0393035441
• ISBN13: 9780393035445
• Release Date: January 1993
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
• Length: 432 Pages
• Weight: 1.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 5.8" x 8.6"

Customer Reviews

Up at Oxford

This account of Mehta's years at Oxford focuses on the depth of the upper class English education, and on the fragility of the young men who survive it. Although Mehta doesn't dwell on his blindness, there is a strong unspoken contrast between his own physical and spiritual courage and resourcefulness and the narrow intellectual pursuits of his peers. Best for me was the tenderness with which he recalled his parents' experiences in England while he was at Oxford.

Very enjoyable

I read this book over 5 years ago and remember enyoying it quite a bit. It paints a certain portrait of Oxford and contains many interesting stories. Having graduated from Oxford in 1997, my experience was very different from his and perhaps not as positive. However, I take issue with the other reviewer who disliked the book- of course different individuals are going to have different experiences. Mehta went to Oxford over 40 years ago and clearly during all this time, the university has changed. Regardless of the other viewer's negative experience at Oxford, I highly recommend this book.