Our Life with Mr. Gurdjieff

by Thomas de Hartmann, Olga de Hartmann

This eyewitness account of Gurdjieff's early teaching years in Russia and France, is written by two of his followers. This edition includes material based on the authors original Russian notes.

Genres: Philosophy, Biography, Spirituality, Memoir, Nonfiction

320 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1964

Reviews

[Joselito Honestly and Brilliantly · Rating 2 out of 5]

Early in the 20th century there was this enigmatic man espousing esoteric theories who some how gained some followers, among them this author, a Russian composer, and his wife. And while Russia was in turmoil during the Bolshevik Revolution they, like true disciples, followed him to where he fancied going and dutifully did those weird "exercises" he preached were good for the body and soul.
Even written from the perspective of an obvious fan, while I was reading this I could sense already that this Mr. Gurdjieff was a charlatan yet the author and his wife, who were no ignorant hillbillies, looked up to him with complete faith and adoration.

He must have had hypnotic eyes.

[Maureen · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Remember why you are here..."

Thomas and Olga deHartmann met Gurdjieff in Moscow in 1916, and were immediately attracted to his ideas. In the turbulent times that ensued, they followed him across the Caucasus Mountains from Essentuki to Tliflis, avoiding conflict with both the White Russian army and the Bolsheviks along the way. They ended up with Gurdjieff in Paris, and were a part of the opening of the Institute for the Harmonious Development of Man at the Chateau du Prieure in Fontainebleau. In 1929, as Gurdjieff leaves for America, they part company, but the deHartmanns remain lifelong adherents of the Gurdjieff Work.

While that may be the timeline in a nutshell, it comes nowhere close to describing the utter sincerity with which their story is told. These two extraordinary people underwent physical danger, privation, illness, and intense personal inner scrutiny in order to remain with Gurdjieff. It is the details, such as Olga deHartmann walking though the mountains in high heels, or Thomas recounting his ability to calmly face a shelling on the battlefield because he remembered himself that make the deHartmanns so endearing, and their book so highly recommended.

[Frederick Reed · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fascinating read about the author and his wife's time with Gurdjieff, a controversial Russian mystic who fled Russia during the revolution.

This is one of the best written first hand accounts of life with Gurdjieff in my humble opinion.

[Akshunya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really a very strange guy, Mr. Gurdjieff.
And the account of their (De Hartman couple) lives with him has plenty of interesting things to learn from.
What is a true (and not a blind) devotion towards a master can be learnt from this book.

Reading this book leaves one with a realization of how limited lives we are leading, without any possibility of exposure to a thousand of different experiences required for our inner growth.

Mr Gurdjieff's version of spirituality might be a little strange, but his understanding about the life experiences seems to be very rich, considering the fact that he himself had a lot of experiences in his tough life.

Overall definitely recommend for everyone to read.

[Peter Klok · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read the first version years ago but I am younger than that now. This definitive edition has more valuable material. I consider it one of the basic books on the Gurdjieff teaching, obligatory for all who wish to understand about it.

[Sue Dounim · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a unique and somewhat harrowing view into what it was like to study and live with Gurdjieff during the political and military upheavals in Russia in the early 1920s.
Although the book had been sitting on one of my shelves for some years, some impulse caused me to pick it up. Only after reading it did it occur to me that I read it just after re-reading Lama Govinds's "The Way of the White Clouds", which has these similarities: it is also the story of a man and his partner's incredible experiences and trials on a spiritual pilgrimage. I also have some comments on that book on Goodreads.
Note: I read the original 1964 book, but apparently there is a much-expanded edition called "the definitive edition." This is only available in libraries or as expensive secondhand copies, but I located a readable PDF at a site called "Anna's Archive" for free and am reading that one.

[Saint Android · Rating 4 out of 5]

A delightful glimpse into the wonderful and difficult world of the Work and Mr. Gurdjieff. The perfect primer for someone curious about this saint and his teachings

[Antonio Cardarello · Rating 4 out of 5]

Testimonianza diretta, utile e affascinante, degli anni di vita che de Hartmann e la moglie hanno trascorso con Gurdjieff.

[Scot · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a gem of a book for anyone interested in the work of G.I. Gurdjieff. It is a very personal account from two of his earliest students, Thomas and Olga de Hartmann. They first me Gurdjieff in his early days in Russia and followed him to Armenia, Turkey, Berlin, and finally Paris. It gives one a glimpse of what it was like to be in the presence of and work with Gurdjieff. They were two very important figures in his work with Thomas co-composing much of the music and Olga serving as his personal assistant. Combining this with "Gurdjieff, a Master in Life: Recollections of Tcheslaw Tchekkhovitch," gave me two wholly different, but equally important views of the times. The de Hartmann's book was a quick, but impactful read and was one part reflection, one part travel adventure, and one part memoir.

Highly recommended for anyone that has delved deeply into the work of G.I. Gudjieff and is interested in a taste of what it was like in the early days and his approach to helping people see themselves.

[Mimi Duffy · Rating 4 out of 5]

very interesting

[Sue · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was referenced in another book I was reading, and I decided to check it out. What I gleaned from the book is that this Gurdjieff guy was some kind of pioneer of new age religion. The book didn't go into his philosophy very much. More about his travels and strange quirks. Interesting. Set in the early 1900's mostly in Russia.

[Christina knox · Rating 4 out of 5]

this book is hillarious. it's basically this bored rich woman singing the praises of getting dragged through brutal mountain terrain in high heels while he feet bleed (etc). gurdgeiff, what a clown...

[C.J. Prince · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this very personal insight into Gurjieff!

[Ben · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rather charming little account by the De Hartmanns about their flight from Bolshevik Russia with Gurdjieff, and subsequent life at the Prieure.