The author, Mircea Eliade, was born in Bucharest, Romania in 1907. He published in several languages (Romanian, French, English) and in a variety of fields and formats. He is primarily remembered today as a historian of religion, particularly for his contributions on the nature of religious experience. He published copious material spanning nonfiction monographs, histories, autobiographies, and fantasy novels. His most acclaimed works include The Sacred and the Profane, A History of Religious Ideas, Bengal Nights, and, of course, The Myth of the Eternal Return.

Eliade was something of a literary prodigy, publishing his first novel (and many papers) while still in adolescence. After studying philosophy at university, Eliade traveled to Calcutta, India in 1928 to study Sanskrit. He developed an interest in Gandhi’s teachings at this time, as well, especially the idea of Satyagraha, or “truth-force.” During the 1930s, Eliade was a professor at the University of Bucharest and he became increasingly associated with nationalist political groups in Romania. This eventually led to his temporary internment by the Romanian government; he was released when he became seriously ill.

Following famed sociologist Émile Durkheim, Eliade makes frequent use of the distinction between the sacred and the profane in order to explain religious experience.