Jivana, a publisher of Osho’s books in Germany, is interviewed by Nirbija on the 20th anniversary of Innenwelt Verlag and Edition Osho

Who would buy a single author’s stock of books and mortgage their home in the process? Crazy? Well, they were books by Osho, and for Jivana it was a matter of the heart, and, anyway, she wanted to ‘make books’. In Cologne in 2003, there were disagreements at the Osho Verlag [Osho Publishing, tr.] regarding the existence of Osho’s trademark. Jivana, who had been the previous managing director, along with her then business partner Nisargam, took over the publishing house and renamed it Innenwelt Verlag [literal translation: Inner World Publishing House, tr.].
“I called Pramod of OIF, and asked him if they would consider giving me the translation rights (I had doubts because we were such a small publishing house) and ever since the collaboration has been going very well.”
2023 marks the 20th anniversary of Innenwelt Verlag, with its imprint Edition Osho. “Since its inception we have probably sold half a million books by Osho,” says Jivana looking back. And this ‘small’, independent Innenwelt Verlag has stood firm next to big German publishing houses, like Random House or Ullstein/Allegria, who also publish Osho.
Who buys Osho’s books today? “Not so much the sannyasins,” replies Jivana, “but people who browse around bookshops in the sections for meditation, self-awareness, the search for meaning, or who have done a workshop with sannyasins, been to Pune, or got a tip from others. All age groups are represented, but the sales representatives report back to me that it’s increasingly younger people. Often they don’t know Osho at all or anything about his life.”
The publishing house currently has around 60 Osho titles in its catalogue and distributes them in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. These include longsellers on meditation, such as The Orange Book, the Morning and Evening Meditations, or The Chakra Book. They also carry titles recently translated from Hindi, such as Three Steps to Awakening, which is already in its 3rd edition.

From the very beginning, Innenwelt Verlag was open to other authors as well who fitted into the editorial programme. These include books by sannyasins such as Diana Richardson (aka Puja) with her successful books on sex and tantra, or Krishnananda and Amana on relationship issues, or Katrin Jonas (aka Turiya) who wrote on the subject of women, consciousness and meditation. But there are also authors who fit into the ‘inner world’ (pun intended) with topics that touch people in their core; undogmatic authors who encourage, who outline new paths, and strengthen inner growth.
Are there still controversies around Osho’s books today? “Hardly any,” says Jivana. In her publisher’s editorial she writes:
“…the niche topics of yesteryear, which had caused many an outcry and headwind, have since crossed over into the mainstream: meditation, yoga, relationship issues, slow sex, body awareness. They are now usually presented ‘light’ to make them easier to peddle to the masses. Some might be surprised how Patanjali’s yoga sutras have become a lifestyle with a corresponding zeitgeist. Patanjali would be amazed if he could have a look into today’s world… On the other hand that’s good, because the path towards oneself can begin just by contacting something that’s ‘different’, no matter how ‘light’ it starts. The longing is being awakened…”
Design and translations
Thanks to the contribution of long-time designer, Bunda, Innenwelt’s books have a line; the covers are modern, colourful, and fresh, very different from the ‘esotheric style’ of many other spiritual books.
Translator and graphic designer Anuragi and former translator, Nirvano, with his wife Ethel
Of course, the German translation of Osho’s discourses are of highest importance. And this is where Nirvano plays a leading role – many old sannyasins will remember him as a translator and editor for the German Osho Times from Pune days. He had graduated in English, taught German in England and from the late 1970s translated Osho’s discourses into German, first in the Ashram, then in Cologne. One of the first successful books was the translation of My Way: The Way of The White Clouds, followed by The Hidden Harmony.
When Bhagawati interviewed him years ago for Osho News, he spoke about the difficulties in his early days as a translator:
“It took me a long time to really trust my first impulse [to translate, ed.]. Having learnt to be painfully self-critical, I just didn’t manage to drop my inner schoolmaster who always knew better. But after I had recovered from my aneurysm in 1996 and was fit again to resume my work, I realized that this spook had apparently been flushed down my bloodstream. Translating Osho had become like a dance! Then I looked into the matter, and this is what I saw: When first reading a sentence I actually hear Osho say it; I then dive deep into myself and when surfacing again, say it intuitively the way he would have said it if he had known German…”
Nirvano is now 82 and after a second stroke has stopped translating. But he used to have a fan base who only bought the books that had been translated by him!
The translation job has now been taken over by Anuragi. An artist on many levels, he has just designed the cover motif for the new translation of So Far – So Good. It was one of those ‘coincidences’ when one day Jivana asked him if he could imagine himself translating Osho. After all, Anuragi had been breathing Osho’s books for years. He had first been on the road as a sales agent for the Sannyasverlag, then in the 1980s was appointed head of the Rajneesh-Verlag in Cologne.
The offer to translate Osho hit him like a lightning bolt, according to what he said, because there would have been nothing more consequential for him than to gratefully take over from Nirvano – as an alternative to gardening around his home on Lake Starnberg. New, good translators are also coming up; however, they will always need to be able to reach the quality benchmark once set by Nirvano!
The Frankfurt Book Fair
As CEO of Osho Verlag and later as owner of Innenwelt Verlag, Jivana and her colleagues used to book a stand at the Frankfurt Book Fair every year. (It was a stroke of luck that the world’s largest book fair, with around 1000 publishers from around 100 countries, was only a two-hour drive from Cologne!) After the two pandemic years when the fair was either closed or when most events were online, Jivana continues to visit the fair each year for a couple of days to “breathe in the international flair of this exceptional fair, with the many interesting visitors and exhibitors and the many engaging discussion themes proposed at their events.”
Jivana at various fairs, and with the cake!
“The contact with other book professionals and authors from all over the world is important to get a feel of the pulse of time. Moreover, the fair is always an experience, and we meet each other in the evenings to celebrate – very important! And the dinners at the Italian restaurant with always-changing sannyas friends are legendary, as are the parties of fellow publishers.”
In 2012, the fair management surprised Jivana when they showed up with a cake and a certificate as a thank-you for her 25 years of participation at the fair. (As it was a surprise, when the cake was handed over she was at an appointment and not at the stand. That didn’t dampen her joy – and she found the cake intact on her return.)
Osho is part of a ‘life in books’ in Germany. To Jivana, and to the many dedicated talents and helpers around her who have contributed: Our congratulations!
www.innenwelt-verlag.de – Download catalogue (PDF)
Related article
- The Gift of Translating Osho’s Words – Bhagawati interviews Nirvano, translator of Osho’s words into German
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