Undiscovered Country: In Search of Gurdjieff

by Kathryn Hulme

"The event which compels me into this book was my meeting with the celebrated mystic, teacher and philosopher, George Ivanovitch Gurdjieff, whom I encountered as if by chance and came to love as if by design." Kathryn Hulme's life was radically changed and enriched by the influence of Gurdjieff. Undiscovered Country is a tribute to him and his teachings, a vivid personal memoir of her experience as his student, and of the burning spiritual intensity that dominated her life as a result of his influence. " Undiscovered Country is in the tradition of Kathryn Hulme's best work; painstaking, poetic, and always sincere. In recording her soul's search for 'something more,' she contributes an arresting document for those who believe this to be their function on earth." "This is a 'must' for all interested in Gurdjieff and his school, and strongly recommended for all who are concerned in the Pilgrimage of the Soul. It gives the best intimate picture I know of what it meant to be a 'follower of Gurdjieff's ideas.' "- J. G. Bennett "A picture of the relation between a teacher and his pupil . . . the way he opens her to a wider world through a relation which touches the whole of one's being."- Jeanne de Salzmann

Genres: Memoir, Biography, Spirituality

Paperback

First published January 1, 1966

Reviews

[Lizzie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Her autobiography. She grew up in the Bay Area, then lived in Paris where she was student of Gurdjieff. Later she was a welder in the Kaiser shipyards, and later still ran a huge displaced person camp in Poland. She wrote about her experiences in several books, then about her longtime partner in the book of hers I first read, The Nun’s Story. Quite a fascinating person. When I read this in college I totally missed that she was a lesbian, despite things like her talking about her family of her “friend” and their pets.

[Maureen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kathryn Hulme was part of a Gurdjieff group known as "The Rope." This extraordinary group of women included Jane Heap and Margaret Anderson, editors of The Little Review, who were the first publishers of James Joyce's Ulysses, for which they nearly ended up serving time. Also included were Solita Solano, writer, editor, and partner of Janet Flanner, who wrote the "American in Paris" column in the New Yorker for many years, and the wildly exotic French singer, Georgette LeBlanc. Dorothy Caruso, Enrico Caruso's widow, and Elizabeth Jenks Bennett, a soft-spoken Englishwoman, rounded out the group. Gurdjieff spent much time and attention on this group of women, and their writings on their experiences at the Cafe de la Paix in Paris during the Thirties and Forties form a significant contribution to the Gurdjieff literature.

In Undiscovered Country, Hulme recounts many of her life experiences aside from the time with Gurdjieff - I found her account of working with refugees under the aegis of the United Nations and her time spent as a riveter particularly interesting. Through and under it all, though, there flows a current of working on herself that harkens back to the time she spent with Gurdjieff. Various members of The Rope remained in contact until their deaths, and Hulme was an active participant in this core group.

[Sonic · Rating 5 out of 5]

This incredibly beautiful book is told with a depth of feeling, a passionate sincerity, and a clarity of thought, that are truly remarkable.
Masterfully written, her words are so humble one almost doesn't see how heroic she was. In how she pursued the truth of the ideas and teaching of Gurdjieff, and in how she helped thousands of displaced persons return home after WW II, she always strove to serve something greater than herself.

[Jess Curleyfries · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a beautifully written memoir, that while showcasing the great distances Hulme travels in her outer life, stays centered on her inner strivings in The Work.

She had a marvelously interesting life and I will say- we all should be grateful for her efforts of self remembering and never forgetting, because she could tell her story with such clarity. In the Work, we say that our efforts can result in bringing about more light for others. Hulme does this for us with Undiscovered Country.

[Hope Brady · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book. It's a wonderful memoir. We are welcomed into her inner world and outer adventures with and around her disciple/mentor relationship with G.I. Gurdjieff.

[Scot · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this memoir by Kathryn Hulme that explores her life through the lens of the important life-changing events from her time working with GI Gurdjieff in Paris as a member of an all women's spiritual group in the 30's and 40's. Despite all of the time that has passed and how much the world has changed since then, this is one of the few accounts I have seen from a student of Gurdjieff that felt both endearing and honest. Her style of writing makes you feel as if you were there and she does not seem to cook up amazing schemes and situations to keep the readers attention. Instead she opens her heart and lets you sense and feel her experiences in an authentic way. Recommended for anyone that has explored the writing and ideas of Gurdjieff or is interested in the female, avant garde period of pre-WWII France.

[Mirco · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first part of the book is brimming with good prose and raw vitality. In the end it feels a bit sluggish, but all in all a delightful book, not only for the reminiscences of Gurdjieff, but also for its tasteful glimpses into a WW II world that has lost nothing of its charm

[Connie Kronlokken]

Fascinating reading, most especially about Hulme's work with Gurdjieff, but also her work as a welder during World War II and her work in the refugee camps in Germany after it.

[Lukasz]

recommendation: Joseph Azize