Gurdjieff Chronology

by James Moore

APOLOGIA AND WARNING

The special difficulties of Gurdjieffian chronology seem likely to prevail over investigative scholarship. The very date of his birth is in dispute, although Gurdjieff himself stipulates 1866. Bet een then and 1!1" e are chasteningly reliant on Gurdjieff#s o n four impressionistic accounts, hich$in the nature of myth$are innocent of consistency, %ristotelian logic and chronological discipline. &otoriously problematical are #the missing t enty years# from 188' to 1!(') the journals of the epoch#s great *entral %sian geographers +,ven -edin, ,ir %urel ,tein, %lbert von .e *o/, 0aul 0elliot and *ount 1o2ui 3tani4 do not provide the collateral support for Gurdjieff#s account hich, here and there, might be e5pected. 6y chronology for this period is hence offered provisionally and 7 have not follo ed it slavishly in my relevant chapter, The .ong ,earch. &evertheless, punctuating Gurdjieff#s narrative and certainly not offending it, are a fe objective historical events hich 7 differentiate by italici2ing. 8here Gurdjieff himself actually stipulates a date, 7 bracket in the chronology a source reference +using the simple code e5plained in the 9eferences section4. %lthough from 1!1: to 1!;! our chronology appears to stand on the much firmer ground afforded by primary documents, independent itness, cross<reference, and reasonable inference, the difficulty remains that Gurdjieffian memoirists focus on interior content. =or a school hich places a premium on relationship, they seem + ith the honourable e5ception of 0. >. 3uspensky4 strangely oblivious to the correlative value of an honest date. Date Event 1866 1870 72 1873 summer ?@an. G. born in *appadocian Greek /uarter of %le5andropol on 9ussian side of 9usso<Turkish border. Birth of G.#s only brother >mitri 7vanovitch Gurdjieff +?18'(4 and eldest sister +?18'14. G.#s father Giorgios Giorgiades, impoverished hen rinderpest ipes out his large cattle herd, opens a lumber<yard. Birth of t o further sisters.

1874

76 1877 Giorgiades# lumber<yard fails and he opens a small carpentry shop. G. precociously begins to contribute to family income. Russia declares war on Turkey (24 Apr.) and cap ures Turkis! "order ci adel own o# $ars (18 %o&.). Giorgiades moves his family to 1ars, and re<establishes his carpentry shop in the Greek /uarter. =ather >ean Borsh of 9ussian military cathedral assumes responsibility for G.#s private education, co<opting as tutors four graduates of the Theological ,eminary. G. reads intensively in library of 1ars military hospital. G. falls under moral influence of his tutor >ean Bogachevsky.

1878

187' 80 1881

G.#s eldest and favourite sister dies. G. narro ly escapes death in shooting accident on .ake %lageu2. -e becomes fascinated by itnessing certain #paranormal phenomena#. 7n an adolescent duel of sorts ith 0iotr 1arpenko, G. narro ly escapes death on an artillery range. .eaving home, G. moves to Tiflis but fails to enter the %rchdeacon#s choir or the Georgian Theological ,eminary. >uring breaks from casual ork as a stoker for the Transcaucasian 9ail ay *ompany, he makes pilgrimage on foot to Achmiad2in and studies for three months at ,anaine 6onastery under =ather Bevlampios. -e develops close friendships ith ,arkis 0ogossian and %bram Belov. G. crystalli2es his motivational /uestion as to significance of organic and human life. summer G. visits *onstantinople + here he meets Akim Bey4 to study the 6evlevi and Bektashi dervishes. -e returns to %le5andropol, here his parents no again live, via -adji Bektash, 1onya, and %ksehir.

1882

1883

1884

188(

1886

G. and 0ogossian, digging hapha2ardly in the ruined city of %ni, find reference to the #,armoung Brotherhood#, supposedly a isdom school founded in Babylon c. 2(00 )*. %s a courier of the %rmenian protectionist society, the %rmenakans, G. sets out ith 0ogossian for 1urdistan, /ui5otically resolved to #find the ,armoung#. An route ho ever, his chance discovery near Cakho of a #map of pre<sand Agypt# diverts him circuitously to %le5andria + here 0ogossian leaves him4. 7n *airo, G. makes a strong bond ith t o elder seekersD 0rince Buri .ubovedsky and 0rofessor ,kridlov. G. visits Thebes ith .ubovedsky) %byssinia and the ,udan ith ,kridlov) and 6ecca and 6edina alone and in disguise. G. and ,kridlov visit remains of Babylon at &ippur, 7ra/. 9eturning to *onstantinople, G. meets Eitvitskaia and escorts her to 9ussia. %s a political envoy +probably of the ne ly constituted %rmenian ,ocial 9evolutionary 0arty, the >ashnak2utiun4 G. visits , it2erland and subse/uently bases himself in 9ome. +ul an A"dul ,a-id .. ins i/a es -assacre o# Ar-enians !rou/!ou Turkey. %gain centred on %le5andropol, G. is prime mover in the foundation +18!F4 of the #,eekers of Truth#, a heterogeneous and youthful grouping seeking traditional and esoteric kno ledge. G. goes to *rete, seeking traces of the ancient #7mastun brotherhood#, but also as an agent of the Athniki -etairia, a -ellenist ,partacist society. T!e 0reek popula ion re&ol s (1e".) a/ains Turks. 8hile in the ,fakia region, G. is shot GT,'H and evacuated, unconscious, to @erusalem. -e recuperates at %le5andropol. %ccompanying the ,eekers of Truth, G. sets out G618:H from &akhichevan +1 @an.4 through Turkestan to Tabri2 and Baghdad +A5pedition 14. +Apisode of Akim Bey and the 0ersian dervish.4 To facilitate ider travels in *entral %sia, G. becomes a Tsarist political agent and ? establishes some connection ith the Buryat

1887

1888 '

18'0 '3

18'4 (

18'6

18'7

6ongol %g han >ordjieff, a high Tibetan official. 8ith the ,eekers G. travels from 3renburg through ,verdlovsk to ,iberia +A5pedition "4. 18'8 7n &e Bokhara +Aaster4 G. befriends ,oloviev a physical and social derelict. Guided blindfold by intermediaries on a t elve< day pony<trek from Bokhara, G. and ,oloviev gain access to the chief ,armoung 6onastery +purported source of G.#s profoundest insights, symbolism and ,acred >ances4. Ine5pectedly they find .ubovedsky already there but in failing health. To G.#s sorro , .ubovedsky promptly leaves to end his days under spiritual supervision else here. =ollo ing a period of monastic study, G. e5plores the Gobi +?Taklamakan4 desert ith ,kridlov and the ,eekers of Truth +A5pedition :4. %fter ,oloviev#s accidental death G616FH, G. returned to 1eriya 3asis. G. stays in 6erv. 7n dervish disguise he and ,kridlov travel up the river %mu >arya +35us4 into 1afiristan. +Apisode of ,kridlov and =ather Giovanni.4 G. returns to Baku and studies 0ersian magic. 7n %shkhabad he and Eitvitskaia +only oman member of the ,eekers4 earn large sums ith his #Iniversal Traveling 8orkshop#. G. sets out +" @an.4 from *hard2hou ith ,eekers +A5pedition ;4 through the 0amirs to 7ndia G6"F"H. +Apisode of 1arpenko and the e23e2ouna&ouron.4 The ,eekers then disband and separate. ? G. presented to Tsar &icholas 77 +": @uly4 in .ivadia. ? >isguised as a Transcaspian Buddhist, G. enters Ipper Tibet and studies ith the #9ed -at# .amas. ? -e marries a Tibetan. ,hot a second time GT,!H during a mountain clan affray, G. recovers in the Bangi -issar oasis on the edge of the Taklamakan desert. -e takes an oath to abjure hypnotism and animal magnetism e5cept for scientific and altruistic purposes. G. returns to Tibet. *ol. 1rancis 4oun/!us"and in&ades Ti"e (( 5ul.) #ro- .ndia.

18''

1'00

1'01

1'02

1'03

1'04

)ri is! -assacre Ti"e ans a 0uru (31 6ar.) 4oun/!us"and en ers 7!asa (3 Au/.). %nguished at the untimely killing of an initiated lama, G. resolves to combat the mass suggestibility and hysteria hich occasion ars. -ydropsy obliges him to leave Tibet and return to his parents in %le5andropol. -aving recuperated, G. sets out again + inter4 for *entral %sia but, near the *hiatura rail ay tunnel, is accidentally shot a third time GT,!H in a skirmish bet een *ossacks and Gourians. 8ith difficulty he goes via %shkabad to Bangi -issar here he again recuperates. ?%fter t o years in an indeterminate *entral %sian ,ufi community, G. settles in Tashkent, the I2bek capital of 9ussian Turkestan. -e briefly visits ,amara, comforting Eitvitskaia on her deathbed. Based in Tashkent as a #0rofessor<instructor# in supernatural sciences, G. begins teaching in a deliberately charlatanes/ue mode, hile studying the reaction among his Auropeani2ed 9ussian #guinea<pigs#. -e amasses considerable ealth by trading in oil, fish, cattle, carpets, cloisonnJ, etc. ,lo ly he gravitates est to ards metropolitan 9ussia. G. synthesi2es disparate stands of accumulated kno ledge into a cohesive system employing a special and at points /uasi< scientific, vocabulary. 3n 1: ,ept. he rene s his oath G-11H to abjure hypnotism, etc., binding himself for t enty<one years to lead an #artificial life#. c. &e Bear G. arrives in 6osco and attracts his first associates +his cousin ,ergei 6ercourov, Eladimir 0ohl, and 9achmilievitch4. ? G. marries @ulia 3stro ska in ,t 0etersburg. G. reads Ter iu- 8r/anu-, identifying its author 0. >. 3uspensky as a prospective pupil. 7n ,t 0etersburg, under the assumed name of #0rince 32ay#, G. cultivates .ev .vovitch +? and ,ham2aran Badmieff4.

1'0( 7

1'08 10

1'11

1'12

mid.

1'13

inter

7n ,t 0etersburg G. informally takes his first Anglish pupil, the musical student 0aul >ukes. 7n ,t 0etersburg +having abandoned #0rince 32ay# persona4 G. interests >r .eonid ,tjoernval. 0er-any declares war on Russia. (+ 9e er"ur/ rena-ed 9e ro/rad on +ep . 1). G. advertises his ballet, T!e + ru//le o# !e 6a/icians, in 0olos 6osk&i +attracting 3uspensky#s attention4. G. supervises his pupils# riting of sketch, 0li-pses o# Tru !. 7n 6osco G. accepts 3uspensky as pupil. +% eek later 3uspensky returns to 0etrograd.4 G. intermittently visits 0etrograd here he lectures and meets 3uspensky and his associates.

1'14

spring

%ug. 1

&ov. 1:

>ec. 1'1( %pril

autumn

1'16

=eb.K%ug. 0eriod of concentrated activityD increasingly centred on 0etrograd, G. conveys virtually his entire #,ystem# of ideas to a group hich e5pands from si5 +incl. ,tjoernval, 3uspensky, and %ndrei Caharoff4 to thirty. %ug. 3n a visit to =inland, G. promotes in 3uspensky an intense telepathic e5perience.

c. >ec. 16 7n 0etrograd G. accepts as pupil the composer, Thomas de -artmann +and in =eb. 1!1' his ife 3lga4. 1'17 =eb. ": 0arting from his pupils, a #transfigured# G. finally leaves 0etrograd, setting out via 6osco for %le5andropol ith @ulia 3stro ska. Re&olu ion: #orced a"dica ion o# Tsar %ic!olas ..; #or-a ion o#

6ar. 16

$erensky /o&ern-en . 6ar.K@un. G. lives in retirement ith his family in %le5andropol. @ul. +early4 G. sets out for 0etrograd but on reconsideration settles in Assentuki in *aucasus. @ul.K%ug. 8ith thirteen pupils summoned from 6osco and 0etrograd +incl. 3uspensky and Caharoff4, G. undertakes si5 eeks# intensive psycho<somatic e5perimentation at Assentuki.

%ug. +end4 The de -artmanns join G. at Assentuki. 3uspensky#s trust in G. begins to aver. G. moves to Tuapse on Back ,ea *oast. %ug.K>ec. G. and his nucleus +augmented in 3ct. by >r and 6me ,tjoernval4 ander up and do n Black ,ea coast to avoid embroilment in *ivil 8ar. ' &ov. +3, "6 3ct.4 )ols!e&ik re&olu ion "rin/s 7enin o power. 1'18 spring G. returns to Assentuki +@an.4. 0erceiving %le5andropol as under Turkish threat, G. invites his family to join him +all comply e5cept his father and eldest sister4) he summons his pupils +1" =eb.4 and begins intensive ork. 3uspensky separates from G. +6ar.4. G.#s eldest sister and her family reach him in Assentuki as refugees, bringing ne s that Turks have shot his father in %le5andropol on 1F 6ay. %s Assentuki becomes increasingly threatened by *ivil 8ar, G. plants a fabricated ne spaper story of his forthcoming #scientific e5pedition# to 6ount 7nduc. 0osing as a scientist, G. leaves Assentuki ith a follo ing of fourteen + hich does not include G.#s family or 3uspensky4. They go by train to 6aikop here hostilities detain them three eeks.

@ul. +mid4

@ul. +late4

%ug. 6

%ug.K ,ept.

*rossing 9ed and 8hite lines five times, G. leads his party on foot over northern *aucasus range to Black ,ea port of ,ochi + here many pupils, incl. Caharoff, leave him4.

1'1'

@an. +mid4 G., ith his residual nucleus +6me 3stro ska, the ,tjoernvals, and the de -artmanns4, voyages south from ,ochi to 0oti, They entrain for the Georgian capital Tbilisi, here they settle. spring G. meets and accepts as pupils the artist %le5andre ,al2mann and his ife @eanne +Aaster4. 0rompted by the arrival in Tbilisi of his brother >mitri, G. sends 3lga de -artmann +early 6ay4 on a return trip to Assentuki to retrieve possessions and carry messages. 7n collaboration ith @eanne ,al2mann, G. gives first public demonstration of his ,acred >ances +6ovements in Tbilisi 3pera -ouse +"" @un.4. -e summers in Borjom +@ul.K%ug.4. -aving returned to Tbilisi, G. constitutes +midK,ept.4 his 7nstitute for the -armonious >evelopment of 6an +founder membersD >r .eonid ,tjoernval, Thomas and 3lga de -artmann, %le5andre and @eanne ,al2mann, and ? @ulia 3stro ska4. G. continues to teach his #,ystem# under the auspices of the Georgian 6enshevik social democratic republic. %fter accepting Ali2abeta Galumnian and 3lga -in2enberg +#3lgivanna#4 as pupils, G. begins intensive ork on T!e + ru//le o# !e 6a/icians. 6arked de eriora ion in socio3poli ical condi ions in 0eor/ia, and in viability of G.#s 7nstitute. -e accepts as pupil 6ajor =rank 0inder +6ar.4.

summer

autumn

inter

1'20

spring

6ay +late4 G. leads a party of thirty pupils on foot from Tbilisi to Black ,ea port of Batoum, here they embark for *onstantinople +7stanbul4.

@un.

G. settles in *onstantinople +' @un.4 and rents an apartment in 1oumbaradji ,treet in 0Jra. 3uspensky +in *onstantinople since =eb.4 confides his o n group of pupils to G.

@un.K%ug. 8ith 3uspensky and Thomas de -artmann respectively, G. orks on the scenario and music of T!e + ru//le o# !e 6a/icians) they study the ceremony of the 6evlevi dervishes. ,ept. G. rents substantial accommodation at 1: %bdullatif Bemeneci ,okak near the Galata To er. G. re<animates his 7nstitute, giving public lectures and semi< public rehearsals of the ,acred >ances. +3uspensky disassociates himself and ithdra s to 0rinkipo.4 G. learns that his sister %nna %nastasieff and all her children +e5cepting her son Ealentin4 have just been massacred by Turks at Baytar. Thanks to %le5andre ,al2mann, G. receives a letter from @ac/ues<>alcro2e in Geneva, inviting him to settle at -ellerau near >resden. G. accepts and applies for visas. G. rene s contact ith the ,ultan#s nephe , 0rince 6ehmet ,abaheddin, and briefly meets *apt. @. G. Bennett.

3ct.

&ov. +mid4

>ec.

1'21

@an. +early4

6ay +mid4 =ollo ing several months of declining public interest, G. closes his 7nstitute and retires to the island of 0rinkipo. %ug. 3n receipt of visas, G. ith his nucleus travels by train from Turkey to Germany) departs *onstantinople +1:th4) arrives ,ofia, Bulgaria +1Fth4) arrives Belgrade, ,erbia +16th4) arrives Budapest, -ungary +1'th4 and departs +"1st4) transits *2echoslovakia and arrives Berlin +""nd4. +%round this time, 3uspensky leaves *onstantinople for .ondon but his ife ,ophie chooses to accompany G.4 -aving settled in the suburb on ,chmargendorf, G. adopts 3lga

,ept.

de -. as his private secretary. &ov. "; inter 7n Berlin G. gives his inaugural lecture in Aurope. %ccompanied by the ,al2manns, G. visits the >alcro2e 7nstitute at -ellerau, and through -arald >ohrn seeks part possession) a legal case ensues. G. pays his first brief visit to .ondon, capturing the allegiance of 3uspensky#s many prominent pupils, notably the editor %. 9. 3rage. 3n G.#s second and last visit to .ondon, he confirms his ascendancy and clashes ith 3uspensky. 8hile influential pupils seek I1 residential status for G., he returns to Berlin. G. issues his third prospectus in Anglish, German, and =rench.

1'22

=eb. 1:

6ar. 1F

.ate spring @un.

G. loses civil action to ac/uire -ellerau possession, and is effectively barred from settling in Britain. G. brings his pupils from Germany to 0aris, hires facilities at the >alcro2e 7nstitute, and delegates 3lga de -. to seek a large property. 3n the basis of generous financial help from Angland, G. ac/uires and moves to his most famous seatD the 0rieurJ des Basses .oges at =ontainebleau<%von. G. is simultaneously occupied ith 0rieurJ administration and 0arisian business ventures. 3n 1' 3ct. he accepts as a permanent 0rieurJ guest the terminally ill ne Cealand authoress 1atherine 6ansfield. G. begins intense ork on the ,acred >ances. %t end of &ov. he institutes the building of a large ,tudy -ouse in the 0rieurJ

@ul. 1;

3ct. 1

3ct.

&ov.

grounds. >ec. 16 1'23 @an. G. averts a major fire at the 0rieurJ. G. ac/uires notoriety after 1atherine 6ansfield dies +!th4 and is buried on the same day +1"th4 that the ,tudy -ouse is opened. 9eporters +notably A. *. Bo yer4 and academics +notably 0rof. >enis ,aurat4 intervie G. at the 0rieurJ and produce popular but not unsympathetic accounts. G. learns to drive. %t his ne 0aris apartment, ! 9ue du *ommandant<6archand, he entertains A2ra 0ound. G.#s #open evenings# of his music, ,acred >ances, etc., given in the 0rieurJ ,tudy -ouse, are regularly attended by local dignitaries and occasionally by cultural figures, e.g. >iaghilev and ,inclair .e is. %lthough fatigued, G. produces his first major public demonstration of ,acred >ances in Aurope. 0remiLred +16th4 at the ThJMtre des *hamps<AlysJes, it has a mi5ed reception. G. e5tricates his mother and sister from 9ussia and domiciles them at the 0rieurJ. 8ith c. thirty<five pupil<dancers, G. sails +; @an.4 on the s.s. 9aris for %merica, here public demonstrations in &e Bork +@an.K=eb.4 and 0hiladelphia, Boston, and *hicago +6ar.4 secure the interest of significant ne pupils +notably 6argaret %nderson, 6uriel >raper, @ane -eap, Gorham 6unson, *. ,. &ott, and @ean Toomer4. G. founds &e Bork branch of his 7nstitute +8 %pr.4. G. returns to =rance +@un.4. -e loses occupancy of *ommandant< 6archand and ac/uires a ne apartment at ;' Boulevard 0erJire. >riving alone from 0aris to =ontainebleau, G. has a near fatal motor<car crash +8 @ul.4. &ursed by his ife and mother, he makes a slo and painful recovery$against medical e5pectation. ,till convalescent, G. formally #disbands# his 7nstitute +"6 %ug.4

=eb.

6ay

summer

>ec.

1'24

spring

summer

but in fact disperses only his less dedicated pupils. autumnK inter G. empo ers 3rage to supervise the 8ork in %merica +3ct.4. -aving resolved in future to propagate his ideas by riting, G. commences +16 >ec.4 his magnum opusD )eel2e"u". 3rage#s report that the first installment of )eel2e"u" in unintelligible, heralds G.#s long stylistic struggle. G.#s mother dies of chronic liver disease at the 0rieurJ +end @un.4. G. begins intensive period of musical composition ith Thomas de -artmann +"! @ul.4. G.#s ife 6me 3stro ska contracts cancer. &either orthodo5 radiotherapy nor G.#s unorthodo5 treatment gives satisfactory results. 6abel >odge .uhan offers G. substantial property at Taos, &e 6e5ico, but +1 =eb.4 he declines. G. struggles intensely but unavailingly for @ulia 3stro ska#s life but she dies +"6 @un.4. 3uspensky attends her funeral. %leister *ro ley briefly visits 0rieurJ and G. emphatically repudiates him. ,hort of money, G. is obliged to relin/uish his flat in Boulevard 0Jreire +16 %pr.4. G. culminates his musical collaboration ith Thomas de -artmann +1 6ay4. 6any %merican pupils and voyeurists visit 0rieurJ. G. meets, but fails to impress, his future secretary ,olita ,olano. -e repudiates the poet 8aldo =rank. *onvinced by a serious decline in health that he has insufficient time to undertake a necessary and radical revision of )eel2e"u" he undergoes a crisis +6 &ov.4 and contemplates suicide.

1'2(

6ar.

summer

inter

1'26

@an. 8

=eb.K@un.

@ul.

1'27

spring

summer

autumn

1'28

@an. +mid4 %. 9. 3rage, accompanied by his young bride @essie, makes a brief, stormy, and final visit to the 0rieurJ. 6ay F summer +early4 To stimulate his riting G. vo s to #banish# on various prete5ts all those ho make his life too comfortable. G. encourages senior pupils a ay on e5tended visitsD 6me 3uspensky to Angland, and the ,al2manns to =rankfurt. -e discourages @ane -eap from settling at the 0rieurJ, but mandates her to start an #artists# group# in 6ontmartre. %le5andre ,al2mann defends G. against ideological attacks of =rench occultist 9enJ GuJnon. 0rovisionally satisfied ith )eel2e"u", G. commences his second book 6ee in/s. %ccompanied only by the de -artmanns, G. embarks on s.s 9aris for his second visit to %merica. They resist his promptings to make independent lives. Bet een arrival in &e Bork +": @an.4 and departure for =rance +F %pr.4 G. rene s contacts ith pupils and amasses funds. G. again prompts 6me 3uspensky to visit Angland. -e finally prevails on the de -artmanns to leave the 0rieurJ and helps them settle in *ourbevoie. -e appoints .ouise Goepfert as his secretary +@un.4. G. facilitates the departure of =rit2 0eters from the 0rieurJ +,ept.4. 3n visits to =rankfurt and Berlin ith .ouise Goepfert and 3lga de -artmann, G. intentionally alienates 3lga. T!e <all + ree s ock -arke cras! (8c . ) a##ec s 0.=s A-erican #ollowers. %fter burning all his personal papers, and engineering a painful and final parting from 3lga de -artmann, G. sails +=eb.4 aboard s.s. )re-en on his third trip to %merica. 7n &e Bork he intentionally creates difficulties, sabotaging negotiations ith %lfred 1nopf to publish )eel2e"u". -e sails for =rance +%pr.4 leaving 3rage disillusioned. 7n 0aris %le5andre ,al2mann attracts 9enJ >aumal +subse/uently G.#s first =rench pupil4. 3n a fourth trip to %merica, G. effectively breaks ith 3rage. %rriving in &e Bork +1: &ov.4, he demands +1 >ec.4 of 3rage#s pupils that they repudiate their teacher. 3rage himself returns +1( >ec.4 from holiday in Angland and surprisingly endorses G.#s action, repudiating himself. G. leaves for *hicago +"! >ec.4.

summer +late4 autumn 1'2' @an.

spring summer +early4

autumn

1'30

spring

autumn +late4 inter

1'31

@an. 6ar. 1: spring summer

9eturning to &e Bork, G. has an inconclusive encounter ith certain intellectuals, including @ohn 8atson, the behaviourist. %fter a final parting from 3rage, G. sails for =rance, leaving the %merican groups in disarray. G. briefly receives Thornton 8ilder at the 0rieurJ. G. refuses 3uspensky access to the 0rieurJ, creating a final breach. 6me 3uspensky leaves %sniLres and moves permanently to Angland. G. is involved in a theatrical incident ith a revolver. G. sails +&ov.4 on fifth, brief visit to the I,%, focusing on @ean Toomer#s *hicago group. 7n &e Bork the author<adventurer &adir 1han +#%chmed %bdullah#4 mistakes G. for the .ama %g han >ordjieff. G. sails for *herbourg on the s.s. )re-en. 7n 0aris G. is approached by the %merican lesbian authoress, 1athryn -ulme, a member of @ane -eap#s group) he sho s her the 0rieurJ, no run do n. G. supervises the enforced closure of the 0rieurJ and dispersal of its final occupants) he takes a room in the Grand -Ntel, adjoining the *afJ de la 0ai5. 3rage refuses an opportunity to rene contact ith G. G. begins drafting his controversial, autobiographical tract ,erald. 3n a disastrous si5th visit to %merica G. gives an impression of venality, alienating @ean Toomer and his *hicago group. G. rites bi2arre #,upplementary %nnouncement# to ,erald. %le5andre ,al2mann, critically ill, meets G. at the *afJ -enri 7E in =ontainebleau. G. loses the 0rieurJ irrevocably after the mortgagees foreclose. G. commences his seventh visit to the I,%. =rom his apartment at the -enry -udson -otel, he rene s contact ith &e Bork pupils of 3rage. >eath of %le5andre Gustav ,al2mann +: 6ar.4. G. visits the *hicago groups +6ay4, intentionally alienating =rit2 0eters on the train journey. G. pays an e5tended visit to 3lgivanna at Taliesin, 8isconsin +@un.K@ul.4, deeply impressing her husband =rank .loyd 8right.

autumn inter

1'32

@an. 16 =eb.

6ay 11

%ug. ,ept. 1: inter 1'33 6ar. ' %pr. 6ay? autumn

1'34

spring

summer

6abel >odge .uhan refuses G.#s re/uest +18 %ug.4 for the ranch she originally volunteered in @an. 1!"6. Back in &e Bork +,ept.4, G. gives t o unfortunate intervie s to the popular riter 9om .andau. autumnK inter G. repudiates ,erald and calls in all copies +3ct.4. ,hocked to learn of 3rage#s death +F &ov.4, and ishing to avoid a spate of empty condolences, G. travels to 8ashington, Boston, *hicago and certain ,outhern ,tates. G. returns to &e Bork.

1'3(

@an.

%pr.K6ay *onjectural events attend G.#s completion +! %pr.4 of the 0rologue to 7i#e is Real. -e travels to 8ashington anticipating, from a ,enator Bronson *utting, generous financial support to repurchase the 0rieurJ. 0rofoundly depressed hen *utting dies +6 6ay4 in an air crash, G. applies unsuccessfully to return to 9ussia. >oubly disappointed, he abandons riting and disappears. @un.K%ug. G. makes putative but unsubstantiated journeys to? Germany, .eningrad and *entral %sia. ,ept. 3ct. 9om .andau publishes his bestseller 0od is 6y Ad&en ure, vilifying G. and confusing him ith >ordjieff. G. reappears in 0aris. @ane -eap moves +18th4 from 0aris to .ondon. Three of her %merican omen pupils immediately gravitate to G. ho constitutes his first 0arisian group +"1st4 in -Ntel &apoleon Bonaparte. G. constitutes #The 9ope# +early @an.4, an e5clusively lesbian group meeting in 9ue .abie +initially comprising Ali2abeth Gordon, ,olita ,olano, 1athryn -ulme and #8endy#.4 -e makes many tours by car to Auropean locales. G. gives Georgette .eblanc, 6argaret %nderson and 6oni/ue entrJe to his current ork, though not to #The 9ope#. -aving temporarily suspended group ork ith his lesbian pupils, G. makes his first token contact ith 9enJ >aumal and @eanne de ,al2mann#s ,Lrves group. Inable to afford a chMteau he has located on the 6arne, G. moves to a small 0aris apartment at 6 9ue des *olonels 9Jnard. 3n reconvening his lesbian group +3ct.4, G. finds Georgette .eblanc seriously ill, but he alleviates her condition. G. resumes e5tensive car trips. -is brother >mitri contracts

*hristmas G. takes ne apartment in 9ue .abie near the ,alle 0leyel. 1'36 spring

@un. @ul. +end4

%ug. inter 1'37 spring

cancer. %ug. autumn >mitri dies, despite G.#s effort to help him. #The 9ope# and subsidiary lesbian groupings effectively dissolve +as 1athryn -ulme and 8endy settle in %merica, and %nderson and .eblanc in &ormandy4. ,olita ,olano becomes G.#s secretary. >r .eonid ,tjoernval dies near 9eims. +%pr.4. %s @eanne de ,al2mann adds the author .uc >ietrich to her e5isting circle of pupils +9enJ and Eera >aumal, 0hilippe .avastine, -enri and -enriette Tracol, etc.4, G. implicitly confirms her as his deputy. spring %ccompanied by ,olita ,olano, G. sails +6ar.4 on s.s. 9aris on his brief penultimate trip to %merica. T!e in erna ional crisis s eadily worsens. -aving resisted pressure to settle in &e @ersey, G. sails +1! 6ay4 on s.s. %or-andie for =rance. G. contemplates trip to Angland to assist 6me 3uspensky medically, but 3uspensky disapproves and the plan is dropped. 8u "reak (1 +ep .) o# !e +econd <orld <ar. G. remains in 0aris +throughout 8ar4 at 6 9ue des *olonels 9Jnard, hich he stocks ith provisions. @eanne de ,al2mann#s group, meeting at F; 9ue du =our, gro s in si2e and influence. G. consolidates his contact ith 0hilippe .avastine and 9enJ >aumal. <i ! Allied resis ance collapsin/> G.#s follo ers attempt +1"th4 to relocate him in the countryside but he returns to 6 9ue des *olonels 9Jnard +1;th4 ?us as 0er-ans occupy 9aris. =ood being scarce and the eather e5ceptionally harsh, G. begins helping an e5tended family of needy neighbors. @eanne de ,al2mann formally presents her =rench group to G. +3ct.4. G.#s =rench group meeting at 6 9ue des *olonels 9Jnard enlarges. ,i ler=s in&asion o# Russia (22 5un.) and A-erica=s declara ion o# war on 0er-any (11 @ec.) predica e !e ul i-a e li"era ion o# 9aris. Georgette .eblanc dies +"( 3ct.4 of cancer. spring 6ay "! To obtain further credit, G. fabricates story that he has been give a Te5as oil< ell. G. advises his @e ish pupils to #go underground# hen !e 0er-ans o"li/e !e- o wear !e yellow + ar o# @a&id. They are harboured by *hristian group members.

1'38

1'3'

summer autumn

1'40

spring

@un.

inter

1'41

1'42

@un. +late4 @eanne de ,al2mann presents .uc >ietrich to G. @ul. 16K1' G.#s advice is vindicated as 9arisian 5ews are depor ed in

=8pera ion sprin/ <ind=. 9enJ and Eera >aumal no longer have access to G. &ov. 1'43 0er-ans o&errun 1rance=s Anoccupied Bone. =urther influ5 of =rench pupils. G. active in teaching enneagram< based 6ovements at the ,alle 0leyel and developing his ritual #Toasts to the 7diots#. >eath of 9enJ >aumal +"1 6ay4 and .uc >ietrich +1" %ug.4 precedes li"era ion o# 9aris (2( Au/.). 7n autumn G. is arrested for currency offences but discharged. ,i ler=s suicide (30 Apr.) and CD @ay (6 6ay). G. receives first visits of %merican pupils +1athryn -ulme and =rit2 0eters4. -e attracts un arranted criticism over the death of 7rLne<*arole 9e eliotty +11 %ug.4 5apan=s surrender (14 Au/.) ends war. .ise Tracol becomes G.#s residential housekeeper. G.#s relationship ith 1atherine 6ansfield is pilloried in the maga2ines l=.llus ra ion +1! @an.4. =irst influ5 of .ondon pupils to 0aris from @ane -eap#s group. 3uspensky returns to Angland +@an.4 from %merica. G. invites him to 0aris but 3uspensky declines. 8hen 3uspensky dies +" 3ct.4 6me 3uspensky, still at 6endham, makes overtures to G. @an. summer 6me 3uspensky advises her husband#s British follo ers at .yne to contact G. G. summons 3uspensky#s pupils +@un.4 but they still vacillate. -e reintegrates @. G. Bennett in his ork +after t enty<five years4 and cures his ife 8inifred +%ug.4. G. recovers astonishingly after serious injury in a car crash +8 %ug.4 and promptly issues a general invitation to 0arisD pupils of @ane -eap, 3uspensky, 6me 3uspensky, 3rage, Bennett +but not &icoll4 commingle ith =rench. Aager to buy the chMteau de Eoisins and to publish )eel2e"u", G. sails for &e Bork +arr. 1' >ec.4. -ere he raises funds and authori2es 6me 3uspensky to publish 1ra/-en s. %nnouncing )eel2e"u"=s imminent publication, G. nominates three literary e5ecutors +@. G. Bennett, .ord 0entland, and 9enJ Cuber4. -e sails for =rance +=eb.4 in Eueen 6ary ith large entourage +including 7ovanna .loyd 8right4. G. makes car e5peditions to Eichy +@un.4) Geneva +@ul.4 to meet 6me ,tjoernval) and finally 6ontignac +%ug.4 to see the .ascau5 cave paintings. -is ideas are favourably mentioned on 7talian radio in connection ith the 6ontessori system.

1'44

1'4(

1'46

1'47

1'48

inter

1'4'

spring

summer

,ept. 3ct.

G. announces he ill sail for &e Bork on "( 3ct.) he buys .a Grand 0aroisse, ostensibly as a ne centre. Inder intense pressures G.#s health fails. -aving choreographed +&o. :!4 his last 6ovement +11th4, he collapses at 6ovements class +1;th4. &ursed by .ise Tracol and surrounded by doctors, his condition fluctuates. 9eceipt of )eel2e"u"=s proofs +"1st4 suggests the apotheosis of his life#s ork. ,eriously ill, he supervises the Toasts to the 7diots for the last time +";th4. -e is taken by ambulance to the %merican -ospital at &euilly +"6th4, here >r 8elch performs an abdominal puncture. G. gives his final instructions to @eanne de ,al2mann +"'th4, becomes unconscious +"8th4, and dies around 1(.:(am +"!th4. 9eligious services are held on successive days. G. is buried in the family plot at =ontainebleau<%von. Inder the leadership of @eanne de ,al2mann, his groups re<dedicate themselves to practise and transmit his ideas.

&ov. :