"On a par with Alice in Wonderland, a real treasure of our literature... Full of wisdom, the wisdom of life." - Henry Miller, author of Tropic of Cancer

When Fritz first arrived at Gurdjieff's Institute for the Harmonious Development of Man, the mystic asked the boy what he wanted to learn. Fritz replied, "I want to know everything. Everything about man. I think it is called psychology or maybe philosophy." Gurdjieff answered with a sigh, "Your answer makes life difficult for me. I am the only one who teaches what you ask. You make more work for me."

Thus, Fritz became perhaps the most intimate student of this controversial teacher, but Gurdjieff was more than just a guru to Fritz. He was a father figure whose influence Peters never shook, and always struggled to integrate. This stunning memoir covering Peters' first years at the Institute retains a child's naive perspective while offering photorealistic recall of Gurdjieff, the workings of his intentional community, and the eccentric characters who lived there.

Includes an introduction by biographer, art historian, and translator, Roger Lipsey. He is the author of Gurdjieff Reconsidered: The Life, the Teachings, the Legacy (Shambhala Publications, 2019) and received his PhD from the Institute of Fine Arts, New York University.