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.
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.
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
Maryland canonical hermits
Catholic Review (Baltimore) profiles two recent women canonical hermits: Sister Marie Terese and Sister Maria Veronica, both residents of Maryland. Includes photos.
URL: http://catholicreview.org/article/home/after-final-vows-hermits-lead-lives-of-prayer
Three modern hermits profiled
In “Life Lessons from Modern Day Hermits,” a Telegraph article by Adam Lusher, the writer discusses his encounters three contemporary hermits:
- Shropshire hermit, Stafford Whiteaker, editor of The Good Retreat Guide, who lives as a solitary religious in a tiny cottage;
- an unnamed New York City woman whose reclusion includes delivered groceries and anonymous advice; and
- Sara Maitland, author of A Book of Silence and the forthcoming Gossip from the Forest: a Search for the Hidden Roots of our Fairytales, who lives without internet, radio, or television in a cottage.
URL: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/wellbeing/9539104/Life-lessons-from-modern-day-hermits.html