Abstract
Gandhi composed his ‘translation’ of Plato's Apology while he was in South Africa. Gandhi was responding to political restrictions against the Indian community and was also influenced by John Ruskin's Unto This Last. Interestingly, the translation was banned by the British authorities in India. This article explores the background to Gandhi's translation and examines the role of Plato's work in the development of his idea of satyagraha.
Acknowledgement
I am grateful to Isabel Hofmeyr, Javed Majeed and the journal's readers for their help with this article.
Note on Contributor
Phiroze Vasunia is Professor of Greek at University College London. He is the author of The Classics and Colonial India (2013), among other publications.
Notes
1. 9 May 1908.
2. 24 March 1910, no 12, part I:442.
3. See Indian Opinion 27 June 1908; CitationCW 8:326.
4. Pletonan prasnottara 2nd edition, Bombay.
5. British Library, India Office Records, MSS Eur/F138/171.
6. 7 May 1910.