The provided text is the Preface to Swami Vivekananda’s Memoirs of European Travel, dated October 1963. It outlines the following key points:

• The Journey: It records that Swami Vivekananda departed from Calcutta for his second visit to the West on June 20, 1899, traveling aboard the B.I.S.N. steamship Golconda.

• Tone and Language: The publisher notes that the original memoirs were written in Bengali with a light, humorous tone. They caution that this specific cultural wit is nearly impossible to fully translate into English.

• Structure: The memoirs are split into two parts, with the second section (starting on page 76) covering his return journey in late 1900.

• Origin: These writings were first serialized in the Bengali journal Udbodhan.