Category: around the web

The byline for the Daily Philosophy website and blog is “Philosophy for life. Every day.” The site covers philosophical topics applied to non-philosophers, that is, intelligent readers seeking intelligent discussion of issues and angles to everyday questions, with series of themes a frequent and useful feature.

Of special interest to Hermitary readers is a series of articles under the category of hermits. Some articles and essays (so far) include:

By David E. Cooper: “Huts, Homelessness and Heimat: Chomei and Heidegger” and “The Rhetoric of Refuge: on the wish to retreat from the world”;

By Andreas Mattias, Daily Philosophy editor: “The Hermit of Suwarrow: the adventures of Tom Neale;” One Hundred Days in a Hermit’s Hut: Jane Dobisz on living alone in the woods”
“Hermits and Happiness: the long tradition of leaving it all behind.”

We are happy to welcome Professor Matthius as a friend of Hermitary and look forward to featuring his website in the future!

A pseudonymous Baron Otto von Tu (in real life, humorist Doug Skinner) is the author of the Club Recluse handbook, the “club” being fellow-hermits. The little 1997 pamphlet published by Vaudevisual Press of New York City is described thusly on the Printed Matter website:

“The Club Recluse Handbook is a guide manual for living alone and enjoying it. Created by Baron Otto von Tu for himself in 1997 who finally gave in to sharing it with the public, stating “I ask only that you make no attempt to contact me; that you do not send me a copy; and that I receive 70% of all profits.

“The book is dedicated to those thousands of staunch hermits who have embellished human history – particularly those who were so reclusive that their names have not come down to us.

“Sections include how to make a living through antisocial employments, solo entertainment, and a New Year’s Eve kit for celebrating alone. Members are not solicited, and, once enrolled, never hear from the club again or meet fellow members.”

URLs: https://www.printedmatter.org/catalog/56786/ and http://www.dougskinner.net/?s=club+recluse

The British Catholic publication The Tablet offers a consideration of modern Carmelites as “hermits in community,” the title of the blog entry. The focus is on the order of Carmelite nuns, founded by the Spanish mystic St.Teresa of Avila.

URL: https://www.thetablet.co.uk/blogs/1/1393/hermits-in-community

Listverse offers a list of ten modern hermits:

1. Valerio Ricetti (1898—1952)
2. Noah John Rondeau (1883—1967)
3. Robert Harrill (1893—1972)
4. Arthur Leslie Darwin (1879—1977)
5. Despina Achladioti (1890—1982)
6. Manfred Gnädinger (1940—2002)
7. Richard Proenneke (1916—2003)
8. Willard Kitchener MacDonald (1916—2004)
9. Józef “Fred” Stawinoga (1920—2007)
10. Tom Leppard (1934—present)

The US magazine Saturday Evening Post offers “Resources for Would-be Hermits.” The list for reading consists of: the newsletter “Raven’s Bread,” the book Consider The Ravens: On Contemporary Hermit Life by Paul A. and Karen Karper Fredette, Sister Laurel O’Neal’s blog, “Notes from Stillsong Hermitage,” and the book Thoughts In Solitude by Thomas Merton.

Also listed are “Famous American Hermits”: Robert Voorhis, Dorothy Molter, Richard Proenneke, and Daniel Suelo.

NOTE: These two items appear just after news of the arrest of the Maine “hermit” Christopher Knight races across web media sites, perpetuating a negative image of hermits, who have never lived by stealing. Given the sparsity of the two lists above, one may wonder about their timely appearance.

ListVerse URL: http://listverse.com/2013/04/11/10-modern-day-hermits/
Saturday Evening Post URL: http://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/2013/04/11/in-the-magazine/trends-and-opinions/hermit-resources.html

A page of the web site io9.com offers a colorful collection of what it calls “Modern day hermits and Robinson Crusoes,” some familiar to Hermitary visitors, others new.

URL: http://io9.com/modern-day-hermits-and-robinson-crusoes-470874532