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Clockworker’s solitude

A New York Times article about art historian turned antique clock restorer Sule Gurbuz of Turkey, who pursued the job because of its ample solitude. From the article “A Clock Restorer Makes Time for Solitude”:

“The clocks at the palaces were all mostly broken, or at least they seemed to be in very bad shape,” she said. “I thought if I could learn this job, I could be by myself, listen to music, read books, not be completely hermetic but maybe 90 percent,” she said smiling. “It seemed wonderful to me.”
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“I enjoy being a clock restorer, to make a life that is different from that of other people,” Ms. Gurbuz said. “But mostly I love my job because it has helped me make this dream of a life, to work alone.”

URL: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/03/fashion/a-clock-restorer-makes-time-for-solitude.html

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North Pond “hermit” interviewed

GQ or Gentleman’s Quarterly has published an article by Michael Finkel about Christopher Knight, the so-called North Pond Hermit, who was arrested in April 2014 for stealing from Maine summer camps in the vicinity for 27 years. The article is titled “The Strange Tale of the North Pond Hermit” and is published in the September 2014 issue. The Bangor Maine News has a succinct summary.

The article is based on interviews that are the first public statements of Knight, who insists he was not a hermit but a thief, and indicates that he will have a hard time adjusting to society upon his release from jail, for he is obliged to retain a job and to stay out of the woods. From the Bangor Maine News:

“Sitting here in jail, I don’t like what I see in the society I’m about to enter,” Knight told Finkel. “I don’t think I’m going to fit in. It’s too loud. Too colorful. The lack of aesthetics. The crudeness. The inanities. The trivia.”

URLs (GQ): http://www.gq.com/news-politics/newsmakers/201409/the-last-true-hermit;
(Bangor Maine News): https://bangordailynews.com/2014/08/20/outdoors/north-pond-hermit-tells-gq-people-want-me-to-be-this-warm-and-fuzzy-person/

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Bill Porter Q & A

Bill Porter

A brief New York Times interview with Bill Porter, author of Road to Heaven: Encounters with Chinese Hermits and the most recent book Yellow River Odyssey.

For decades, Porter had been an indigent translator and commentator of ancient Chinese texts, but now that his books (chiefly about historical China and conversations with people he encounters in his travels) are being sold in Chinese translation in China to great popular reception, Porter is economically better off.

He plans to retire after one last book.

URL: http://sinosphere.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/07/17/q-and-a-bill-porter-on-travel-writing-in-china/

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Bernard Wheatley, M.D., Hawaii hermit

The story of Bernard Wheatley (1919-1991) is notable because he was a black American and a physician, but left his career and contacts to move to Hawaii and become a hermit. He cited Jesus and Buddha as his main inspirations, but other psychological motives underlie his decision to quit society and live in solitude. Wheatley’s life is described in an article in Ebony Magazine, December, 1959, reprinted by Hermitary from Google Books.

URL: http://www.hermitary.com/articles/wheatley.html

Bernard Wheatley

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“Walking, Silence”

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Last year, 22 year old Greg Hindy embarked on a solitary year-long walk across the United States from his native New Hampshire to California, in silence. His journey is described in a Boston Globe article, which links to Greg’s website and Facebook pages maintained by his supportive father. The trek is an expression of performance art (Hindy’s chief possession being a large-format camera for documenting what he encounters), but also an experiment in mindfulness and meditation.

URL: http://www.boston.com/travel/destinations/2014/07/08/new-england-native-completes-year-long-silent-journey-foot/vyTYWSXjU270u2UFtKV79H/story.html