Beelzebubs Tales To His Grandson: Amazon.ca: Books

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First Sentence
Among other convictions formed in my common presence during my responsible, peculiarly composed life, there is one such also-an indubitable conviction-that always and everywhere on the earth, among people of every degree of development of understanding and of every form of manifestation of the factors which engender in their individuality all kinds of ideals, there is acquired the tendency, when beginning anything new, unfailingly to pronounce aloud or, if not aloud, at least mentally, that definite utterance understandable to every even quite illiterate person, which in different epochs has been formulated variously and in our day is formulated in the following words: "In the name of the Father and of the Son and in the name of the Holy Ghost. Amen." Read the first page

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31 Reviews

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4.1 out of 5 stars (31 customer reviews)

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4.0 out of 5 stars Warning!, Mar 22 2003

By

Ross James Browne (Atlanta, Georgia United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

This review is from: Beelzebubs Tales To His Grandson (Paperback)

_Beezlebub's Tales to His Grandson_ is the ultimate Russian novel. This book might also be among the first true science fiction novels ever written. Although most of this book is fairly readable, the process is made much more difficult by the fact that Gurdjieff is constantly inventing new words. Not only that, these words have many different sub-definitions and connotations. It is very important that you get out a pad of paper and write down your interpretations of Gurdjieff's new vocabulary as you go along. Try to derive the meanings of these words through the context of the sentence, and write down the meanings as best you can. Then remember to continually add nuances to your definitions as Gurdjieff introduces slightly different usages and connotations for his words. This might sound troublesome, but deriving the definitions of the words from the context clues in the sentence is not that difficult. Just take my advice and WRITE DOWN THE DEFINITIONS. Otherwise, the new words and all their different connotations will prove to be too much to contain in your head all at once, and you will lose the handle on it.

That said, this book is quite fascinating, and very important philosophically. It is unquestionably a great work, and is worth the trouble it takes to read it. If it were not for the extreme length and difficulty, I would have given it five stars.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Not for everyone, July 1 2006

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Mitchell Langbert "Hasnamuss" (Woodstock, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

This review is from: Beelzebubs Tales To His Grandson (Paperback)

This is not a normal book and it should not be purchased or read with that intention. Spiritual development is a complex question and one person may be drawn to one kind of spiritual development while another may be drawn to a different kind. Gurdjieff wrote this book so that different types are drawn to different sections. No one is supposed to be alive to the entire book. Moreover, it should be read in conjunction with a work group that is applying the Gurdjieff work method systematically. The book itself can only be understood in conjunction with practical application of work effort. Someone who attempts to read it as though it were Tolstoy is not likely to get much out of it. In the 1980s I belonged to a group in the Warwick, NY area called the Chardovoyne Barn that had been founded by Wilhelm Nyland, a personal student of Gurdjieff who had founded his group to cater to 1960s types, many of whom were still there. The Gurdjieff work method is a great tool that I gained a tremendous amount from but it is unlikely that everyone would benefit equally. If you are drawn to Gurdjieff I suggest that you contact the Gurdjieff Institute, and the Warwick group may still be there, or another group with direct links to Gurdjieff that doesn't ask for a huge amount of money. Gurdjieff was a bit of a con man, and there has always been a tinge of fraud surrounding some of his followers or would-be followers. It is nonsense to claim that tithing, for instance, is important to the Gurdjieff work.

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5.0 out of 5 stars It's a book!, Dec 24 2003

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Rene Amador (Santa Clara, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Beelzebubs Tales To His Grandson (Paperback)

I read about 100 pages worth of book(s) a day, and I consider myself jaded to literature. This book, however, broke through my assumptions of what literature could be. With every fiber of my being, I consider it one of the chronicles of human achievement. Without this book, the world would be a more difficult place in which to live. I don't suggest everyone read it, but if you do, try to throw everything you know about everything away while reading. Relearn how to read.

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Most recent customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Reading this is itself an act of G's "conscious labor"
This is one of the best works of spirituality ever written. Gurdjieff admits in his forward ("The Arousing of Thought"'s Warning to the reader) that he tried conveying his... Read more

Published on May 16 2003 by C. Gardner

5.0 out of 5 stars Indeed a revelation of all and everything!
This book is a complex book to read. Indeed the author's warning to read the book three times should be followed. Read more

Published on May 3 2003 by Jj Pieterse