Briam Steel M.A., is a writer, lecturer and an accredited Spanish translator and interpreter.^[1]

He served as a senior lecturer at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia from 1967 to 1990.^[1] In 1987, he became a NAATI (National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters)^[2] accredited Spanish translator and interpreter and since 1990, he has been active as a freelance Spanish translator, writer and editor.

[edit] Spanish

Brian Steel describes his affinity with the Spanish language. "My fascination with the Spanish language in its myriad geographical varieties and my enjoyment of Hispanic culture go back a long way"^[3] His first book, "A Manual of Colloquial Spanish" was published in 1976, with many articles on the subject of linguistical Spanish coming into print years before.^[1] Having travelled to destinations such as Russia, Mexico, Spain, India and the UK, Brian Steel recounts many anecdotes to his readers, as well as offering travel advice.^[4][5]

[edit] Sathya Sai Baba

Although having written several books on Sathya Sai Baba in the late 1990's, Steel has added a site to introduce "some investigations into a contemporary example of charisma, unconditional faith, and myth-making."^[4] The reader is directed to a web page entitled, "Recent Research on the Claims of Sathya Sai Baba."^[6]

Brian Steel describes his view of Sathya Sai Baba as such, "My hypothesis is that these extraordinary claims, although dealing mainly with non-factual matters and beliefs, and therefore not verifiable, may nevertheless have a significant relationship with SSB’s previously described stories, which appear to be the products of his erroneous beliefs or his unfettered imagination."^[7] Several pages in his blog columns and websites cater to the topic of "Sathya Sai Baba."^[8][9][7] Brian Steel affiliates himself with another Sathya Sai Baba critic, "ex-devotee and ex-SSO official, Robert C. Priddy."^[6][10]

[edit] Books

• A Manual of Colloquial Spanish, Madrid, S.G.E.L., 1976.

• Translation from Spanish. An Introductory Course, Madrid, S.G.E.L., 1979. [3rd Printing, 1997]

• Textbook of Colloquial Spanish, Madrid, S.G.E.L., 1985. [3rd Printing, 1997]

• A Basic Dictionary for Sai Baba Devotees and Others, London, Vrindavanum Books, 1992.

• Consultant on Latin American Spanish for Collins Concise Spanish Dictionary, Glasgow, HarperCollins and Madrid, Grijalbo, 1993.

• (ed.)The Sathya Sai Baba Compendium. A Guide to the First 70 Years, York Beach, Samuel Weiser, 1997.

• The Powers of Sathya Sai Baba, Mornington, 1998.

• Which Sai Baba Books Do You Need?, Internet, 1998. 60 pages. [Withdrawn]

• The Powers of Sathya Sai Baba, Delhi, B.R.Publishing Corporation, 1999. [Indian Edition]

• Breve diccionario ejemplificado de americanismos, Madrid, Arco Libros, 1999.

• The Sathya Sai Baba Compendium (Indian Edition), Delhi, VIKAS, 1999.

• Teach Yourself Colloquial English, Delhi, B.R.Paperback, 1999.

• Sathya Sai Baba: God or Guru? November, 2001 [Superseded by The Guru from Puttaparthi, June 2002 - in progress.]

• The Guru from Puttaparthi. An Alternative View of Sathya Sai Baba, June 2002- (in progress).

• An Annotated Bibliography for Research on Sathya Sai Baba, 2007.^[1]

[edit] References