Henry Doktorski

If there is one thing Henry enjoys as much as composing, rehearsing, conducting, and performing music, it is conducting research, gaining knowledge about topics dear to his heart, organizing his thoughts and typing them into a Microsoft Word document, and sharing that knowledge with others. Whether this work takes the form of letters to newspaper editors, articles for publication in print or online magazines, or non-fiction books for academics or the general public, he writes with cohesiveness and attention to detail. Henry’s books and articles have been published by • City University of New York (CUNY) Press • State University of New York (SUNY) Press • Harwood Academic Publishers (London) • Duquesne University School of Music (Pittsburgh) • Mel Bay Publications (Missouri) • Santorella Publications (Massachusetts) • The Classical Free-Reed, Inc. (Online Publication) • Accordions USA (Online Publication) • New Music Box (Online Publication) Although much of Henry’s literary works explore musical themes (especially regarding the history and performance practice of the accordion), a good deal of it deals with topics regarding the Hare Krishna movement. His first article in this genre was published in 1982 in "Brijabasi Spirit: The Journal of the New Vrindaban Community." Since then he has had dozens of articles published in that journal, as recently as 2015, as well as in the independent Vaishnava daily: "The Sampradaya Sun." Some of Henry’s thoughts about his time with the Hare Krishnas can be found at "New Vrindaban: The Black Sheep of ISKCON." Henry’s writings about the Hare Krishna movement have also been published in academia, such as “Guru Authority, Religious Innovation, and the Decline of New Vrindaban,”—a chapter in the book, Homegrown Gurus: From Hinduism in America to American Hinduism (SUNY Press: 2013), co-written with E. Burke Rochford, Jr. Henry’s first solo book about the Hare Krishnas, "Killing for Krishna—The Danger of Deranged Devotion," was published in January 2018. His second, "Eleven Naked Emperors: The Crisis of Charismatic Succession in ISKCON (1977-1987)"—a history of the “Zonal Acharya” era of ISKCON, was published in January 2020. His 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th books are from the 10-volume series: "Gold, Guns and God: Swami Bhaktipada and the West Virginia Hare Krishnas"—a monumental 108-chapter biography of Kirtanananda Swami Bhaktipada and a history of the New Vrindaban Community. In addition to topics on music and the Hare Krishnas, Henry is keenly interested in philosophy and history, and is an admirer of the Israeli historian Yuval Noah Harari, the author of Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind, an international best seller which has been translated into 30 languages. From time to time, Henry writes essays on topics which he considers important. Two recent additions to his blog include: • Our Hunter-Gatherer Ancestors: In Balance With the Earth? • A Brief Comparison of the Code of Hammurabi and the Declaration of Independence.