Category: United States

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Maine hermit thief caught

News items about a Maine hermit caught stealing from area camps for 27 years are everywhere on the web. For example, a Guardian report is headlined “Hermit caught after 27 years in Maine woods” with the byline “Christopher Knight, who disappeared aged 19, lived by stealing food and supplies from woodland camps in Maine, say police.” The item notes that Knight did not light fires even in extremely cold winters of Maine in order not to be observed. His camp reveals only a tent, bedding, tarps, propane tanks, and a radio. He is being held for the most recent theft. Doubtless further details of his lifestyle will be forthcoming.

URL: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/apr/11/american-hermit-caught-27-years

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Homelessness as solitude

A TDN.com news item titled “Galovin finds peace in trading society for solitude” on a homeless man in Washington State is representative of the potential of homeless people to consciously craft a life of dignity in its simplicity and solitude. The examples of Tom Boyle and Daniel Suelo are pertinent, as is the history of Japanese eremitism.

URL: http://tdn.com/news/local/sunday-snapshot-galovin-finds-peace-in-trading-society-for-solitude/article_ca0bb8a6-62d4-11e2-8c81-001a4bcf887a.html

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Poetry, loneliness, solitude

The Poetry Foundation website includes a page of “Poems about Loneliness and Solitude” with the subheading: “Poetry offers solace for the lonely and a positive perspective on being alone.” Among the categories of selected poems are Celebrating Solitude, Wallowing in Loneliness, and Being Alone in a Crowd. Includes podcasts of readings and reflections on the relationship of poetry, loneliness, and solitude.

URL: http://www.poetryfoundation.org/article/244786

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William Pester, Hollywood “hermit”

Hollywood in the 1920s to 1940s produced several colorful hermits already mentioned among these entries and featured among the galleries. Another was William Pester, the German-born Friedrich Wilhelm Pester, who resided under one of the two letter L’s in the famous Hollywood sign. Pester dressed in a robe, at least at first, and was later not apparently entirely solitary. He was called the “Hermit of Palm Springs.”

URLs: 1. http://www.mydesert.com/article/20121128/NEWS01/311280007/Palm-Springs-hermit-made-mark-nudist-tourist-attraction-inmate, and 2. http://www.mydesert.com/interactive/article/20121129/NEWS/121129001/William-Pester-Hermit-Palm-Springs?odyssey=tab|topnews, plus a German-language article: http://www.geschichte-borna.de/joomla/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=93:friedrich-wilhelm-pester-der-eremit-von-palm-springs&catid=38:persoenlichkeiten&Itemid=72