news, sites, and pages of interest about hermits and solitude
American writer Bill Porter (published occasionally as Red Pine) translates Chinese poetry and pursues the world of Chinese hermits as an independent scholar. Here is a fine article from January 2013 from Chinese documentary television, which concentrates on Porter’s October 2012 literary tour of China and the positive reception it received.
URL: http://english.cntv.cn/program/documentary/20130110/108722.shtml
Much of the interest in the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI was to compare and contrast his action to that of the only previous pope to resign, Celestine V. The treatment of Celestine was largely overlooked by the popular media, and, doubtless, the faithful. (See Hermitary article: http://www.hermitary.com/articles/celestine.html)
A recent Discovery news item relates that, no, Celestine was not murdered. Reading the events surrounding the last years of Celestine’s life suggests that the cause of his death is not as relevant as this news source suggests, but remains of antiquarian interest.
URL: http://news.discovery.com/history/religion/medieval-hermit-pope-not-murdered-as-believed-130507.htm
Listverse offers a list of ten modern hermits:
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
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
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