An Interview with Lee Siegel: Journal of Vaishnava Studies

Abstract

Because of Lee Siegel’s book on the Gītagovinda, Sacred and Profane Dimensions of Love in Indian Traditions as Exemplified in the Gitagovinda of Jayadeva (1978) and his recent translation of the Gītagovinda itself, Love Songs of Rādhā and Krishna (2009), I contacted him to request an article for this edition of the Journal of Vaishnava Studies. “Although I respect and appreciate rigorous scholarship
enormously, I’m not writing scholarly articles these days,” he responded. “I’ve been trying to write fiction and non-academic essays. But I’d be happy to talk to you about the Gītagovinda as a text that continues to intrigue, delight, and even inspire me. I regularly assign it to students in my Indian religions classes at the University of Hawaii.” With this as a backdrop, I decided to ask Professor Siegel a series of questions. We emailed questions and answers back and forth. What follows is the end result.