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ITAR-TASS on Old believers

An up-to-date video (1:46) and text report titled “Modern hermits: Russian Old believers restore settlement in West Siberia” on the present status of Russia’s Old believers. From the report:

3,500 kilometers from Moscow, the Altay Region lies in the magnificent Altay Mountains, the land where Russia, Mongolia, China and Kazakhstan come together. It’s a destination off the beaten track, where some explore the wilderness, and others search for a remedy or a new life.Russian Altay became the place where old belief meets natural spirituality. In abandoned village of Anamas Old Believers, or Russian ‘starovery’, restore a settlement, founded over a hundred years ago.Alexandr and Daria Popovy became the first to stay in the village of Anamas. They have five children. The oldest is 15, while the youngest is just several months old. They start their life from scratch: there are no facilities in an abandoned settlement; the closest school is 10 kilometers away. Popovy started their vegetable garden and mastered bee keeping. For centuries the Altay Mountains were home to hermits and shamans. But now there are only few families left.

URL: http://www.itar-tass.com/en/c32/472067.html

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Reclusive “Willowman”

The Huffington Post offers an article titled “On The Grounds Of Floriade, The Willowman Lives In His Art” about the reclusive artist of willow:

Tucked into a thick forest amidst the grounds of Floriade, an international horticulture festival held in Holland once every 10 years, is a village of enormous nests and caves made from willow and recycled materials. Inside lives the Willowman.

A bearded recluse inspired by the architecture of nature, the Willowman, whose real name is Will Beckers, works on the village by day, and sleeps inside one of his creations by night.

Beckers’ website describes him as a “Land Artist” who crafts designs with willow branches, and offers workshops on how he does it. “During the project artist Will Beckers lives and works on location in his own installation. He lives in the tree huts he has created as an architect of nature.” The website offers more photos and a brief video.

Huffington Post URL: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/olivia-katrandjian/the-willowman-tucked-amid_b_1626589.html?ncid=edlinkusaolp00000009#slide=1144372
Willowman website: http://www.willowman.com

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Bill Porter in China

Two articles with photos.

1. A New York Review of Books item on author Bill Porter (also known as Red Pine) visiting China, where translations of his books on Chinese hermits — Road to Heaven: Encounters with Chinese Hermits and Zen Baggage: a Pilgrimage to China — have made Porter very popular. The recent translations have prompted commissions for Chinese-language works not presently in English. The NYRB blogger notes that “Last year, Porter says, he earned $30,000 from his China book sales, pushing him out of the world of food stamps and into the realm of the tax-paying lower-middle class.” Porter’s present visit will include 20 interviews. Features a photo.

URL: http://www.nybooks.com/blogs/nyrblog/2012/may/29/zen-book-contracts-bill-porter-beijing/

2. A China Daily article calls Porter an “eastern mystic” in a straightforward summary of Porter’s biography and recent interest in his writings, translations, and visits to China. Also includes a photo.

URL: http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/life/2012-06/05/content_15474162.htm

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Dugout Dick’s caves

The colorful Idaho hermit Richard Zimmerman, called “Dugout Dick,” left many caves for itinerant visitors beofre his death in 2010. A brief article in the Idaho Press-Tribune reports that the Bureau of Land Management has filled in most of the caves because they were hazardous. A cabin inhabited by Dick will, however, be maintained, with relevant signage.

URL: http://www.idahopress.com/news/state/dugout-dick-s-central-idaho-caves-filled-in-by-blm/article_3f638dd0-1222-57c4-9f85-e54c74d4467d.html

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Scottish hermit interviewed

The Independent interviews Jake Williams, “star” of the recent Two Years at Sea, a Scottish documentary film about his life as a hermit. “Life as a hermit: ‘My life is a great adventure'” is the article title, subtitle: “Jake Williams has lived as a hermit for 30 years and explains why he could not go back to ‘normal life.'” Includes several photos.

URL: http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/features/life-as-a-hermit-my-life-is-a-great-adventure-7771209.html