Pure act : the uncommon life of Robert Lax / Michael N. McGregor.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

McGregor, Michael N., author.

Series:

Catholic practice in North America

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Lax, Robert.

Poets, American--20th century--Biography.

Poets, American.

Poetry--Authorship.

Poetry.

Genre:

Biographies.

Physical Description:

viii, 444 pages, 14 unnumbered pages of plates ; 24 cm.

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

New York : Fordham University Press, 2015.

Summary:

"An illuminating biography of the minimalist poet Robert Lax, a man who embraced simplicity, humility, and poverty and found the pure joy, peace and love he had long sought. Pure Act tells the story of poet Robert Lax, whose quest to live a true life as both an artist and a spiritual seeker inspired Thomas Merton, Jack Kerouac, William Maxwell and a host of other writers, artists and ordinary people. Known in the U.S. primarily as Merton's best friend and in Europe as a daringly original avant-garde poet, Lax left behind a promising New York writing career to travel with a circus, live among immigrants in post-war Marseilles and settle on a series of remote Greek islands where he learned and recorded the simple wisdom of the local people. Born a Jew, he became a Catholic and found the authentic community he sought in Greek Orthodox fishermen and sponge divers. In his early life, as he alternated working at the New Yorker, writing screenplays in Hollywood and editing a Paris literary journal with studying philosophy, serving the poor in Harlem and living in a sanctuary high in the French Alps, Lax pursued an approach to life he called pure act--a way of living in the moment that was both spontaneous and practiced, God-inspired and self-chosen. By devoting himself to simplicity, poverty and prayer, he expanded his capacity for peace, joy and love while producing distinctive poetry of such stark beauty critics called him "one of America's greatest experimental poets" and "one of the new 'saints' of the avant-garde." Written by a writer who met Lax in Greece when he was a young seeker himself and visited him regularly over fifteen years, Pure Act is an intimate look at an extraordinary but little-known life. Much more than just a biography, it's a tale of adventure, an exploration of friendship, an anthology of wisdom, and a testament to the liberating power of living an uncommon life"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Machine generated contents note:

Prologue: Going Back 1

1. A Mutual Wonder-field

2. Ends and Means

3. Portals to a Land of Dusk

4. The Cottage

5. Lo, the sun walks forth!

6. Suicide Notes

7. The Scream

8. Aquinas and the Circus Beckon

9. The Siren Call of Hollywood

10. On the Road with the Cristianis

11. Being a Presence in Post-War Marseilles

12. Entering the Mouth of the Lion

13. Paris, Pax and Kerouac

14. Inspiration in a Greek Diner

15. A New Poetics

16. Original Child Bomb and an Island Home

17. The Sorrow of the Sponge Diver

18. A Saint of the Avant-Garde

19. Alone in the World

20. A Galapagos of the Spirit

21. All Thoughts as They Come

22. The Flaw in the Ideal

23. Hell Hath No Fury

24. Finding a Common Language

25. Pure Act Becomes Pure Love

26. The Peacemaker's Handbook

Epilogue: The Singer and the Song

Source Notes

Bibliography

Index

Acknowledgements.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9780823268016

0823268012

OCLC:

902660862