G.I. Gurdjieff: The War Against Sleep [Paperback]

Colin Wilson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1987

The life and work of one of the most influential psychological theorists of modern times. George Ivanovitch Gurdjieff is one of the most enigmatic figures of our time. He attracted legends as easily as disciples. But behind the Gurdjieff myth lies a solid corpus of thought, the importance of which is only now being generally recognized. At its heart was the idea of “the war against sleep”, the fact that man, in Colin Wilson’s words, is like “a grandfather clock driven by a watch-spring”.

This brilliant and much praised examination of a psychologist and teacher of genius has established itself as the most important and accessible account for the general reader of Gurdjieff’s life and work. This edition has been revised and expanded, providing the definitive introduction to the philosophy of Gurdjieff.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Colin Wilson is a renowned authority on the paranormal and is the author of over fifty books, with subjects ranging from mysticism to criminology. He has also written numerous articles and plays and contributed to several newspapers and journals. He regards himself primarily as a philosopher concerned with the meaning of human existence. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 127 pages
• Publisher: Harpercollins; Rev Exp edition (November 1987)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0850305039
• ISBN-13: 978-0850305036
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.3 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,603,617 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good short introduction, August 16, 2003

By 

Michael J. Warby "lorenzo" (Kingsville, VIC Australia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: G.I. Gurdjieff: The War Against Sleep (Paperback)

Although Colin Wilson does engage in the occasional non sequitur, and is perhaps not always sufficiently critical about the implications of some of Gurdjieff's stories about his own life, this is still a good, workmanlike introduction to Gurdjieff's ideas, life and work. In the last chapter, Wilson critically, yet sympathetically, consider Gurdjieff's ideas. A good place to start, or just to get a feel, for a remarkable figure.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A novel view of Gurdjieff, July 26, 2010

By 

Kieran Fox (Alam al-Mithal) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: G. I. Gurdjieff: The War Against Sleep (Paperback)

Aside from being a pretty decent introduction to Gurdjieff's life and ideas, Wilson manages to present a novel take on Gurfjieff and the 'Work.' There are so many ways of looking at it all, from Ouspensky's dense and logical essays, to Gurdjieff's own oft-impenetrable tomes (like Beelzebub) that a fresh point of view is always welcomed by me. I thought Wilson hit the nail on the head by placing almost all of his focus on Gurdjieff's notion of 'super efforts', which for me is the cornerstone of G's whole philosophy and by far the most original part of it. By making efforts far above and beyond our usual endeavors, we are forced to unite various of our usually independent and uncoordinated selves, and this union can persist after the super effort is complete - even if the effort was towards an arbitrary or meaningless goal. This process can be repeated and those small 'unified selves' built upon, over and over. In this way Gurdjieff hoped to develop a 'unified self' in his students, and I have to say the idea and the practice of it itself seem eminently logical and worthwhile to me.

Wilson also sums up with a critical look at G's ideas and his perpetually troubled relationship with P.D. Ouspensky, (arguably) his main disciple. Definitely worth a look, even I think for those who have spent a significant amount of time reading about Gurdjieff or who are involed with the Work.

5 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Extremly Boring, June 25, 2003

By 

John "john68917" (N.J.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: G.I. Gurdjieff: The War Against Sleep (Paperback)

This is the most boring books I've read of all the work-books. Nothing new, but presented in a way, that does not really touch the urgency of the theme and of our times.