Carlos Castaneda Bibliography

Carlos Castaneda Bibliography

Carlos Castaneda was an American author who graduated from the University of California at Los Angeles with a PhD in Anthropology. Starting with The Teachings of Don Juan in 1968 and ending with "The Active Side of Infinity" in 1998, he wrote a series of books that described his arduous training and associated awareness-expanding experiences under the guidance of Juan Matus and Genaro Flores from 1960 to 1973. Although sometimes inaccurately described as traditional Mesoamerican shamanism, these most ancient protocols or disciplines are more accurately referred to nowadays, thanks in large part to Carlos Castaneda, as "Nagual Shamanism".

Initially his books were considered works of anthropology, but five years after the first one was published, critics such as Joyce Carol Oates began to consider them fiction.

Castaneda was very protective of his privacy and until recently little was known about him outside what was learned from his twelve books. He rarely spoke in public except toward the end of his life, and he gave very few interviews.