About the Author

John Gray is the author of many critically acclaimed books, including "Black Mass, Straw Dogs," and "Al Qaeda and What It Means to Be Modern." A regular contributor to "The New York Review of Books," he is Emeritus Professor of European Thought at the London School of Economics.

Reviews

"Beautifully conceived and executed . . . Deftly blending philosophy and history, ["The Immortalization Commission"] rips along with the narrative drive of the most vivid fiction." --Malcolm Jones, "The Daily Beast " "A chilling reflection on the post-Darwinian world."--Jill Lepore, "The New Yorker""" "The British philosopher and freewheeling intellectual John Gray is in serious danger of making philosophy exciting and fun to read . . . Gray captures the hilarious audacity and absurdity of the search for immortality, one that could be conceived only by such charmingly quixotic creatures as human beings . . . A fascinating piece of intellectual history."""--Clancy Martin, "The New York Times""" "John Gray is a connoisseur of human idiocy. In this brief, modest-seeming yet profound book he makes his most compelling plea yet for man to come to his senses and stop dreaming of immortality, for himself and for the earth."--John Banville, "The Guardian""" "Enthralling. . . John Gray's superb meditation on our desire for immortality makes for an enthralling read. "--Richard Holloway, "The Observer""" "An -engrossing double-act play about scientific -hubris."--Thomas Meaney, "The Wall Street Journal" "A core strength of this engrossing book lies in his readiness to take absurd endeavours seriously and to consider morally complex individuals sympathetically."--Marek Kohn, "The Independent """ "The author is undoubtedly one of the most important and insightful polemicists currently writing in English. Like most of Gray's work, this book is filled with diverting anecdotes and ironic asides, yet swells to a powerful philosophical conclusion . . . An engaging additional chapter in its author's long-running campaign to expose the quasi-religious and magical thinking that underpins our visions of progress."--Stephen Cave, "The Financial Times"

"A chilling reflection on the post-Darwinian world." ""--Jill Lepore, "The New Yorker""" "The British philosopher and freewheeling intellectual John Gray is in serious danger of making philosophy exciting and fun to read . . . Gray captures the hilarious audacity and absurdity of the search for immortality, one that could be conceived only by such charmingly quixotic creatures as human beings . . . A fascinating piece of intellectual history."""--Clancy Martin, "The New York Times"