000			04714cam a2200433 i 4500
001			ocn902660862
003			OCoLC
005			20180722222046.0
008			150709s2015 nyua b 001 0beng
010			_a 2015009511
040			_aDLC _beng _erda _cDLC _dYDX _dBTCTA _dBDX _dYDXCP _dCDX _dOCLCF _dCOO _dSTF _dCHVBK _dOCLCO _dOCLCQ _dOCLCO _dNUI _dOCLCO _dNFG
019			_a919968815
020			_a9780823268016 _q(hardback)
020			_a0823268012 _q(hardback)
035			_a(OCoLC)902660862 _z(OCoLC)919968815
042			_apcc
043			_an-us---
092			_aLax, R. _bM147
049			_aNFGA
100	1		_aMcGregor, Michael N. _9294997
245	1	0	_aPure act : _bthe uncommon life of Robert Lax / _cMichael N. McGregor.
250			_aFirst edition.
264		1	_aNew York : _bFordham University Press, _c2015.
300			_aviii, 444 pages : _billustrations ; _c24 cm.
336			_atext _btxt _2rdacontent
337			_aunmediated _bn _2rdamedia
338			_avolume _bnc _2rdacarrier
490	1		_aCatholic practice in North America
520			_a"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"-- _cProvided by publisher.
520			_a"A biography of experimental poet and spiritual seeker Robert Lax, who inspired Thomas Merton, Jack Kerouac and many others. Using information and stories drawn from journal entries, letters, interviews and the author's personal recollections, the book chronicles the development of Lax's distinctive poetic style and a spontaneous, spiritual approach to life he called pure act"-- _cProvided by publisher.
504			_aIncludes bibliographical references (pages 425-429) and index.
505	0		_aTable of Contents: -- 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.
600	1	0	_aLax, Robert. _9294998
650		0	_aPoets, American _y20th century _vBiography. _939108
650		0	_aPoetry _xAuthorship. _95183
830		0	_aCatholic practice in North America. _9294999
994			_aC0 _bNFG
942	0	0	_01
999			_c223443 _d223443