‘On a par with Alice in Wonderland, a real treasure of our literature… Full of wisdom, the wisdom of life.’ – Henry Miller, author of Tropic of Cancer
When Fritz first arrived at Gurdjieff’s Institute for the Harmonious Development of Man, the mystic asked the boy what he wanted to learn. Fritz replied, ‘I want to know everything. Everything about man. I think it is called psychology or maybe philosophy.’ Gurdjieff answered with a sigh, ‘Your answer makes life difficult for me. I am the only one who teaches what you ask. You make more work for me.’
Thus, Fritz became perhaps the most intimate student of this controversial teacher, but Gurdjieff was more than just a guru to Fritz. He was a father figure whose influence Peters never shook, and always struggled to integrate. This stunning memoir covering Peters’ first years at the Institute retains a child’s naive perspective while offering photorealistic recall of Gurdjieff, the workings of his intentional community, and the eccentric characters who lived there.
Includes an introduction by biographer, art historian, and translator, Roger Lipsey. He is the author of Gurdjieff Reconsidered: The Life, the Teachings, the Legacy (Shambhala Publications, 2019) and received his Ph D from the Institute of Fine Arts, New York University.
Giới thiệu về tác giả
Born in Madison, Wisconsin, Arthur Anderson, ‘Fritz’ Peters was the author of both novels and memoirs, which touched on themes of spirituality, mental illness, homosexuality, self and society, always through the lens of an unrelenting individuality and nonconformism. Peters’ most successful novel was Finistère, published in 1951, which sold over 350, 000 copies and was an influential and unapologetic work of early gay literature. Due to instability in his family life, Peters spent his childhood between Europe and the United States, often nurtured by those adults who were able and willing to assist. Central to his upbringing was his aunt Margaret Anderson and her partner Jane Heap, creators of The Little Review literary magazine, along with other members of their circle, such as Gertrude Stein. Most notably, the esoteric teacher George Gurdjieff interacted closely with Fritz from an early age and was hugely influential in Peters’ life and literature. Boyhood with Gurdjieff, Peters’ most popular memoir, paints these figures and their projects in a thoughtful and intimate light.
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