Carlos Castaneda

Carlos Castaneda was a Peruvian-born anthropologist and writer, considered a father of the New Age movement for his series of books detailing his alleged apprenticeship to a Yaqui shaman named Don Juan Matus, beginning with 'The Teachings of Don Juan' in 1968. Though his works became international bestsellers translated into 17 languages, many critics later viewed them as fiction rather than factual anthropology. He earned a PhD from UCLA in 1973 and lived mysteriously in California until his death.