Just Finished Reading: A Pelican in the Wilderness – Hermits, Solitaries and Recluses by Isabel Colegate

I bought this book completely ‘on spec’ a year or so ago because it was so different from anything I can remember reading before. It probably helped that it was in the 3 for 2 section at my local mass market bookshop. Otherwise I may never have stumbled across this little gem.

The author weaves the history of hermits and recluses intricately with her own experiences of finding a hermitage on her land and travelling across the world to seek out other famous places where hermits have (and in some cases still do) live out their lives in practical solitude. Her interviews with modern hermits and her observations of the conditions they live in bring the subject alive in the way that discussion of the purely historical examples never could. Clearly hermits and reclusive men (and women) are not a thing of the past. In some ways this is hardly surprising. The urge to separate oneself from society must have been growing in those susceptible to such things as what we call modern civilisation encroached more and more into people’s everyday lives. Before the Industrial Revolution it must have been comparatively easy to disappear into the countryside for almost as long as you wanted. Yet it seemed that as far back as Medieval times there are those who needed to retreat from society often, at least back then, to be closer to God. After all, most of the hermits famous to history have been religious men (and women) who sought God in the wilderness and in the silence, away from the constant noise and chatter generated by towns and cities.

I did, rather inevitably, have a few niggles with this book. For one thing it seems a little too unstructured for my liking. The book, interesting enough though it was, suffered as the story jumped all over the place dragging interesting snippet after interesting foible into the mix. A little less eagerness and a little more pause for reflection, deliberation and depth would have improved this work quite a bit. Naturally the result of this butterfly approach was lack of focus. The author tried to cover too much ground and because of that spent too little time with her most interesting subjects. She would have done better to discuss fewer better documented cases in greater depth that hopping all over the world for half page stories and anecdotes – interesting though they were. Saying this, I still found this book to be a fascinating page-turner which basically introduced me to a whole area of world history that previously I had hardly given any thought to. It even, as I read of hermits ancient and modern, made me think of seeking out a retreat or monastery where I could spend a few days in quiet contemplation. I’m sure that there must be places like that not too far away. Inevitably the romance, or at least the suspected romance, of the monastic cell has faded a little after I finished the book but reading it was like a breath of fresh clean country air in my lungs. The author, despite the failings caused by her obvious enthusiasm for the subject, has produced a delightful, fascinating and often intriguing book on a subject that appears to be little examined. For opening my eyes on this aspect of human history I am thankful. Recommended for anyone seeking solitude in an increasingly maddening world.