The Community of the Ark: A Visit with Lanza del Vasto, His Fellow Disciples of Mahatma Gandhi, and Their Utopian Community in France (20th Anniversary Edition) - Softcover

Shepard, Mark

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1620355280 ISBN 13: 9781620355282

Publisher: Simple Productions, 2017

Synopsis

France's Community of the Ark is one of the past century's most successful experiments in utopian living. Founded by Lanza del Vasto, a Christian disciple of Mahatma Gandhi, it offers an inspiring model for a nonviolent society. Mark Shepard shared the life of this remarkable community for six weeks in 1979 and reported on what he found.
 
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Mark Shepard is the author of "Mahatma Gandhi and His Myths," "The Community of the Ark," and "Gandhi Today," called by the American Library Association's Booklist "a masterpiece of committed reporting." His writings on social alternatives have appeared in over 30 publications in the United States, Canada, England, Norway, Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Japan, and India.
 
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"A joy to read." -- Ray Olson, American Library Association Booklist, Sept. 1, 1989
 
"Will be welcomed by many. . . . Highly informative and full of little-known information." -- Harmony, Sept.-Oct 1989
 
"Shepard is able to transform the community and its members from mere images or abstractions into real individuals with both their [virtues] and their defects. Anyone interested in the history of contemporary communities will profit from Shepard's keen observations." -- Andre J. M. Prevos, Utopian Studies
 
"Shepard makes the community come alive." -- PRC Newsletter, Spring 1990
 
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SAMPLE
 
Palm Sunday.
 
The bell in the tower tolls, first weakly, but quickly building up strength to a full-bodied tone -- then stops abruptly.
 
When I reach the courtyard of the main building, there are already people there, talking in small groups -- people from La Borie Noble, from the Ark's other villages, and guests from the local area; others are still on their way on the paths from La Flayssiere and Nogaret.
 
The people of the Ark wear their festival clothes, handmade all from white wool: the men with their heavy sweaters and pants, the women with their long dresses, and many of both with hooded cloaks down to their feet. The children rush around among the adults, then after a while pass out boughs for the adults to hold. The sun shines brightly, though the air hanging between the tree-covered mountain slopes is still icy-cold.
 
Now all gather in a circle, each one holding a bough. Soon the singing begins: a hundred voices raised in stately, full harmonies.
 
   Hallelujah!
   Glory to God in the highest heaven
   And peace on earth to men of good will.
 
In the music, in the entire scene, the ancient and the modern seem to blend, giving a sense of timelessness. It is as if this could take place anywhere, in any time -- while it is surprising to find it at all.

About this title

From the Author:

"A joy to read." -- Ray Olson, American Library Association Booklist, Sept. 1, 1989 "Will be welcomed by many. . . . Highly informative and full of little-known information." -- Harmony, Sept.-Oct 1989 "Shepard is able to transform the community and its members from mere images or abstractions into real individuals with both their [virtues] and their defects. Anyone interested in the history of contemporary communities will profit from Shepard's keen observations." -- Andre J. M. Prevos, Utopian Studies "Shepard makes the community come alive." -- PRC Newsletter, Spring 1990 "A unique and spiritual read." -- Midwest Book Review, August 2011 ///////////////////////////////////////////////// SAMPLE Palm Sunday. The bell in the tower tolls, first weakly, but quickly building up strength to a full-bodied tone -- then stops abruptly. When I reach the courtyard of the main building, there are already people there, talking in small groups -- people from La Borie Noble, from the Ark's other villages, and guests from the local area; others are still on their way on the paths from La Flayssiere and Nogaret. The people of the Ark wear their festival clothes, handmade all from white wool: the men with their heavy sweaters and pants, the women with their long dresses, and many of both with hooded cloaks down to their feet. The children rush around among the adults, then after a while pass out boughs for the adults to hold. The sun shines brightly, though the air hanging between the tree-covered mountain slopes is still icy-cold. Now all gather in a circle, each one holding a bough. Soon the singing begins: a hundred voices raised in stately, full harmonies.    Hallelujah!   Glory to God in the highest heaven   And peace on earth to men of good will. In the music, in the entire scene, the ancient and the modern seem to blend, giving a sense of timelessness. It is as if this could take place anywhere, in any time -- while it is surprising to find it at all. 

From the Inside Flap:

MARK SHEPARD'S BOOKS ON GANDHI, NONVIOLENCE, AND SIMPLE LIVING MAHATMA GANDHI AND HIS MYTHS: Civil Disobedience, Nonviolence, and Satyagraha in the Real World (Plus Why It's 'Gandhi,' Not 'Ghandi'). Mahatma Gandhi is one of the least understood figures of all time -- even among his admirers. In this Annual Gandhi Lecture for the International Association of Gandhian Studies, Mark tackles some persistently wrong-headed views of Gandhi, offering us a more accurate picture of the man and his nonviolence. GANDHI TODAY: A Report on India's Gandhi Movement and Its Experiments in Nonviolence and Small Scale Alternatives. What became of the Gandhian tradition in India following the death of Mahatma Gandhi? Did it quietly die away? Or were there still Indians who believed in his philosophy and methods, committed to continuing his work? These were the questions that sent Mark to India in 1978-79, where he found that the tradition begun by Gandhi was very much alive. THE COMMUNITY OF THE ARK: A Visit with Lanza del Vasto, His Fellow Disciples of Mahatma Gandhi, and Their Utopian Community in France. France's Community of the Ark is one of the past century's most successful experiments in utopian living. Founded by Lanza del Vasto, a Christian disciple of Mahatma Gandhi, it offers an inspiring model for a nonviolent society. Mark shared the life of this remarkable community for six weeks in 1979 and reported on what he found. SIMPLE SOURDOUGH: Make Your Own Starter Without Store-Bought Yeast and Bake the Best Bread in the World With This Simplest of Recipes for Making Sourdough (or Sour Dough).  This booklet tells how to make the best bread in the world. And it's made from only wheat, water, and salt! You'll love this tasty, wholesome, easy-to-make bread from a tradition thousands of years old.  GANDHI THROUGH A CHILD'S EYES: An Intimate Memoir. "Gandhi was father to the ashram, leader of the nation, Mahatma to the common Indian. But, to us children, he was above all simply a friend." So says Narayan Desai in this memoir edited by Mark. Son of Gandhi's chief secretary -- and today a major figure in the worldwide nonviolence movement -- Desai spent his first twenty years in Gandhi's ashrams. Drawing on this rich background, he offers a rare, intimate, and revealing portrait of Gandhi and the people around him. 

About this edition

• Publisher: Simple Productions
• Publication date: 2017
• ISBN 10: 1620355280
• ISBN 13: 9781620355282
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 66