Who was Carlos Castaneda and what did he do?
His reality-shattering books electrified a generation and inspired some of the greatest creative visionaries of our time — John Lennon, Joni Mitchell, George Lucas, Marvin Gaye, Oliver Stone. But who was Carlos Castaneda? A genius writer?
Are Jose Castaneda's books authentic?
At the peak of Castaneda's fame in the early 70s, rumors begin circulating about the authenticity of his books and his purported personal history. An all-star team of TIME Magazine journalists go looking for answers.
Was Jose Castaneda’s past life a tragedy?
TIME Magazine’s investigation into Castaneda kicks into high gear as a series of late breaking discoveries reveal a portrait of a past life wholly at odds with Castaneda’s own. Behind the shroud of mystery lie tragedies.
I - Bags of Stories
His reality-shattering books electrified a generation and inspired some of the greatest creative visionaries of our time — John Lennon, Joni Mitchell, George Lucas, Marvin Gaye, Oliver Stone.
II - Between Worlds
Before achieving fame and fortune, Carlos Castaneda was once just another graduate student in the UCLA anthropology program. But even back then, his classmates remember him as being anything but ordinary.
III - Drugs & Shamans
As the hippie movement flowered across college campuses in the 60s, Carlos Castaneda kept his hair neatly cut and wore brown, three-piece Brooks Brothers suits. But while his appearance may have been conservative, his approach to anthropology was radical.
