Dr. D. provides the following quotation which illustrates the similarities between Hesse and Durrell:
"Each man had only one genuine vocation — to find the way to himself . . . His task was to discover his won destiny — not an arbitrary one — and to live it out wholly and resolutely within himself. Everything else was only a would-be existence, an attempt at evasion, a flight back to the ideals of the masses, conformity and fear of one's own inwardness."
— Hermann Hesse, Demian
One can look at Durrell's life as either a spiritual journey with an emphasis on Eastern mysticism and religions or as a personal struggle, an "agon," as seen in the first two sentences of The Black Book: "The agon, then. It begins." Durrell, I think, preferred the former depiction and did his best to portray his life as such. Hence the appropriateness of the Hesse quotation. I, however, emphasize the latter.
ReplyDeleteWe must acknowledge that Larry's formative years (0-9years) were spent in India surrounded and immersed in Hindu and Buddhist stimuli.
DeleteTherefore it is not surprising that Larry maintained an authentic and strong orientation towards Yoga, Taoism, meditation and mysticism throughout his life.
Yes, we should acknowledge the Taoist, yogic, and Buddhist influences on Durrell's life. In fact, he calls himself a Taoist in "A Smile in the Mind's Eye" (1980). But we should also acknowledge that his writings dwell on drinking, incest, suicide, and violence and that these themes manifest themselves, one way or another, in his own life. Which of these two alternatives is more important is a matter of conjecture and personal predilections. — BR
ReplyDeleteAnother way to look at the Hesse quotation re Durrell is through Gnosticism and "The Gospel of Thomas," saying 70: "If you bring forth what is within you, what you bring forth will save you. If you do not bring forth what is within you, what you do not bring forth will destroy you" (Elaine Pagels trans.). Recall the importance of Gnosticism in Durrell's "philosophy." Seems to me Durrell's life always borders on self-discovery as self-destruction. — BR
ReplyDeleteThanks Bruce for raising St Thomas. What a guy! St Thomas, the apostle posted to India. How refreshing it is to imbibe his gospel, brimming with potent aphorisms.
ReplyDeleteTo bring forth the core consciousness, the 'saving' light, from within. Is this our 'soul' or sole purpose which is rewarded with immortality?
And conversely not to explore and engage the inner self, the mental realms with an opened and focused third eye, is to live an un-socratic or unexamined life destined for annihilation.
But how do we access our psychic well, our deep mental womb? How can we ensure our spiritual placenta and umbilical vessels are sustaining the growth of our embryonic soul's awareness?
These were the questions that percolated and bubbled away within Larry's gnostiphilic mind. Surely St Thomas' gospel was amongst Larry's favourite Dead Sea scrolls?"
Dr. D., oh yes. And recall W. Somerset Maugham's The Razor's Edge (1944) and its hero, "Larry Darrell," whose characterization must surely have some unexplored connection to "Larry Durrell." Both Darrell and Durrell make their own passages to India. Maugham takes his epigraph from the Katha-Upanishad: "The sharp edge of a razor is difficult to pass over; thus the wise say the path to Salvation is hard." The quotation is quite apt and applies to both figures.
DeletePoint of fact. The Gnostic Gospel of Thomas is a part of the Nag Hammadi Library, discovered in Upper Egypt in 1945 and possibly dates to sometime before 200 CE. The Dead Sea Scrolls were written earlier. They were discovered in Palestine around 1947 and date to "the time of Jesus and shortly before," according to Hershel Shanks in his book on the scrolls. — BR
DeleteHershel Shanks, "The Mystery and Meaning of the Dead Sea Scrolls" (New York, 1998), xiii.
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