Searching for Ganesha
Posted on 21. Oct, 2021 by Paul Sochaczewski in Books
Searching for Ganesha
Collecting Images of the Sweet-Loving, Elephant-Headed Hindu Deity Everybody Admires
Publishing details
ISBN: Paperback: 978-2-940573-37-0
ISBN: eBook: 978-2-940573-38-7
248 pages
More than 200 full-color, museum-quality photos of Ganesha objects in Paul’s collection
Prices:
- Paperback: $34.95
- eBook: $9.99
A sample selection of pages from the book
Description
Across Asia, an elephant-headed god flexes his muscles…
Ganesha, the Hindu elephant-headed god, is among the most-appreciated of all deities. In this innovative book, Paul Spencer Sochaczewski explores why he collects Ganesha images, examines the psychology of collecting, and recounts personal adventures in his 40-year quest for just one more (but it’s gotta be special) Ganesha statue. He provides enough iconography to give the reader a grounding in Ganesha’s obstacle-removing prowess, but this is neither an academic nor a religious tome. Museum-quality photographs of some 80 statues, carvings, and amulets from his 150-piece collection illustrate how Hindu public relations experts retrofitted Ganesha into the Mahabharata, under what circumstances benevolent Ganesha can be an aggressive crusader, why he loves sweets, what inspiration Hindu branding experts took from nature, and why his “vehicle” is a humble mouse.
Why does Sochaczewski appreciate (but not worship) the god? “Ganesha isn’t a stern, don’t-touch-my-hair super-god, and therefore artists can flex their creative muscles when portraying him,” he says. “And simply because he’s cool.”
Critical Praise
Filled with countless gorgeous photos and interesting stories regarding Sochaczewski’s travels, Searching for Ganesha is a charming, unusual, read. A wonderful writer, his voice cuts through his prose in the best way, and one can imagine he would be delightful to listen to over a glass of wine. Takes what could be a dusty topic and makes it humorous and even enchanting. Even readers who are unfamiliar with Ganesha will find the author’s enthusiasm to be contagious. Rated 9.5 out of 10.
—BookLife Prize
“Paul Spencer Sochaczewski is a passionate and reflective collector who tries to make sense of his desire to collect, and in the process makes convincing arguments explaining Ganesha’s power and existence. He crosses disciplinary boundaries at the drop of a hat — now a scholar, now a storyteller, now an enthusiast — who enriches the descriptions of the objects in his wide-ranging collection with legends, connections to historical or local traditions, and personal travel anecdotes. The imaginative result is a charming exploration of the god Ganesha and his many manifestations. Searching for Ganesha is a treasure hunt by a storyteller who invites us to join the quest to understand how the god Ganesha has succeeded in bewitching believers and collectors worldwide.”
—Hans Bjarne Thomsen, professor and chair, Department of East Asian Art, University of Zurich
“Nothing Paul Spencer Sochaczewski does is small. Every adventure, fantasy, or myth may have looked small, but by the time Paul is done with it, it has been examined, prodded, challenged, investigated, embraced, tested, ripped apart, questioned, mocked, sung to, and finally devoured. This time it is Paul’s own collection of everyone’s favorite Hindu god, Ganesh in this sweet-sour, hot-cold, brainy frolic. I loved every page.”
—Patricia Bjaaland Welch, author of Chinese Art: A Guide to Motifs and Visual Imagery
“To open a book by Paul Spencer Sochaczewski is to enter a captivating world – rich with ideas that are intricately and surprisingly interconnected – revealing his three-dimensional meditations and abiding passions, his earthly experiences and numinous, tangential subconscious. In Searching for Ganesha Sochaczewski giddily leads us on a curator walk of his impressive collection of artifacts of Ganesha, the shape-shifting elephant-headed god, revered as a super-hero crusader and patron of arts and sciences throughout the Hindu diaspora that spans Asia, where wild elephants, Ganesha’s ancestors, once roamed. Where else could Carl Jung, Vladimir Nabokov, Caesar Augustus, Annette Funicello, and Tiger Woods meet on the page in service of joyfully bringing Ganesha and the mysterious allure of collecting alive?”
—Victoria Vorreiter, ethnomusicologist and creator of the Songs of Memory project
“Searching for Ganesha is neither your usual anthropological monograph nor the scholarly catalogue raisonné of Paul Spencer Sochaczewski’s impressive collection on the multi-faceted elephant-headed god. The author’s deep knowledge is matched only by his humanistic spirit, edgy humor, and touching modesty that runs throughout the book. Ganesha aside (because I will readily admit that Sochaczewski’s mastery of the subject is far greater than mine), his acute questioning of the desire to collect should at once become mandatory reading for budding museum professionals. Moreover, the book brilliantly underlines how the search for truths is not in fact the most fundamental aspect of an investigation. Unearthing the layers of possibilities is, and Sochaczewski digs deep.”
—Damien Kunik, curator for Asian collections, MEG – Musée d’ethnographie de Genève
“Whether you are an admirer of Ganesha (and who isn’t?) or a serious collector of just about anything, this witty and eclectic book will charm you. The color plates are exquisite — a distraction upon which I spent hours — as is the narrative, which wanders from the erudite, to the comical and eccentric. It’s a quirky Ganesha-related treatise on travel, collecting and obsession. Don’t be fooled by Paul Spencer Sochaczewski’s irreverent, self-deprecatory style and his claims to being ‘just a keen amateur.’ There is real scholarship presented in a humorous and hip voice that makes it an absolute joy to read. A cornucopia of delights! Or should that be an abundance of sweet modak?”
—Rose Gan, author of Dragon, Volume I: Penang Chronicles
“A treasure. Part intellectual homage, part personal journey, part sheer whimsy. A noble tip of the hat to one of the world’s favorite gods.”
—Ro King, chair, Global Heritage Fund and chair emeritus, Indonesian Heritage Society
“Searching for Ganesha traces one man’s personal engagement with the elephant-headed Hindu god across Asia and beyond. Paul Spencer Sochaczewski wears his considerable scholarship lightly and — as any good guide should — leads us confidently down many side-alleys of culture and experience, for it is always down the side alleys where you find the most fun and insight. Light and funny, it still touches bedrock at multiple points – a delightful book.
—Nigel Barley, author of The Innocent Anthropologist and former curator for Southeast Asia, British Museum
“Searching for Ganesha is a ‘fresh look’ at the elephant-headed god. While most books about Ganesha are purely academic or religious in tone, this book presents another side of Ganesha that is relatable to general readers, but which has substantial educational content. I am so happy to read a book that does not present Ganesha as a purely sacral object, but as a deity that has evolved from human needs, fears, and desires.”
—Atina Winaya, National Research Center for Archaeology, Indonesia
“Searching for Ganesha can be called the story of a search for a search — for the things that give life meaning, and which, in this case, might be cast in bronze, carved from wood, or molded from sacred powders. Paul Spencer Sochaczewski’s aesthetic appreciation of Ganesha as both symbol and material object is presented with extraordinary self-reflection. Peppered with ruminations on what drives people to collect, with anecdotes about other collectors he admires, with informed descriptions of Ganesha’s representation in mythology, and of course with beautiful photographs of his own Ganesha collection; this is a book of many delights.”
—Radhika Borde, researcher, Charles University, Prague
“An exceptional book about everyone’s favorite god. As an ethnic Indian, Ganesha is part of my cultural DNA. And as a researcher, I’ve written about the importance of Ganesha in Thailand. Searching for Ganesha breaks new ground by explaining the numerous Ganesha myths in terms of big themes, such as how he was created by marketing geniuses, and his lesser-known persona as a Batman-like crusader against evil. Paul Spencer Sochaczewski mixes in his personal adventures with items from his collection to create a new type of book that is informative, respectful, fun, and a joy to read.”
—Ruchi Agarwal, Senior Lecturer, Mahidol University International College, Thailand
“A treasure. Part intellectual homage, part personal journey, part sheer whimsy. A noble tip of the hat to one of the world’s favorite gods.”
—Ro King, chair, Global Heritage Fund and chair emeritus, Indonesian Heritage Society
“This book explores a journey — visiting villages and metropolises throughout Asia — to understand Ganesha. Each statue, each amulet, each painting in Paul Spencer Sochaczewski’s collection is an exquisite flower, part of a garland worthy of Ganesha, the Lord emitting the Light of a Thousand Suns. Through the lens of his personal quest, the author recounts, with admirable humor and deep respect, the myths and miracles, the beliefs and philosophies that are inherent in the Anatarupah, the infinite and eternal forms of Ganesha.
—Raj Supe, author of Big Bappa: A Modern Ganesha Tale
“Paul Spencer Sochaczewski has written a wonderful, quirky book, truly full of wonders, a veritable cabinet of curiosities. Through his quest to better understand his collection of images of the Hindu god Ganesha, he takes us on adventures to Asian city markets and village stalls, where we meet shamans and collectors, scholars, and forgers. He’s the perfect travel companion: a convivial storyteller, intellectually open, funny, and enthusiastic. Be prepared to accompany him down any alley no matter where it leads, and you’ll be astonished by the bizarre facts you’ll discover, by the fascinating people you’ll encounter, and by Ganesha in every shape, medium, and guise.”
—Ron Graham, author, honorary trustee of Royal Ontario Museum, former president PEN Canada
“A highly entertaining and informative treatise and catalogue about unusual Ganesha images that is unlike any other book I’ve seen. Searching for Ganesha provides thought-provoking and amusing musings on the often-subtle motives and personality traits of collectors. It is also a fascinating and refreshing immersion into the mythology and meaning of a beloved, versatile, and ubiquitous Hindu god, written in Paul’s easy, witty style. It’s a tour de force, recommended for anyone interested in delving into the world of the auspicious and obstacle-removing Lord Ganesha and His unlimited forms.”
—Abha D. Kaul, lawyer, independent scholar, docent at Singapore museums
“Paul Spencer Sochaczewski’s witty and comprehensive review of his collection brings to mind the wisdom of Henri Parmentier, the famed French archaeologist who explored the temples of Indochina. ‘That we are incapable of judging the conception of an eastern mind seems proved,’ Parmentier wrote, ‘when a writer looks upon the representation of the Elephant-faced god with amusement rather than with comprehension. The heavy, corpulent body … may, on the contrary, awaken an impression of real majesty.’”
—Geoffrey Saba, concert pianist, collector of Indonesian art