Shop the Spring Savings Event
$19.89 with 18 percent savings
Print List Price: $24.38

Promotions are applied when you make a purchase

These promotions will be applied to this item:

Sold by Amazon.com.ca ULC.
You have subscribed to ! We will pre-order your items within 24 hours of when they become available. When new books are released, we’ll charge your default payment method for the lowest price available during the pre-order period.
Update your device or payment method, cancel individual pre-orders or your subscription at
Your Memberships & Subscriptions
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet or computer – no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera, scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle app

Follow the author

G. I. Gurdjieff
Follow
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

Life Is Real Only Then, When "I Am" (All and Everything Book 3) Kindle Edition

by G. I. Gurdjieff (Author), Muriel Draper (Editor), J. G. Bennett (Editor), Format: Kindle Edition
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 189 ratings
4.1 on Goodreads
709 ratings
See all formats and editions

All and Everything: Ten Books, in Three Series, of which this is the Third Series.

FIRST SERIES: Three books under the title of "An Objectively Impartial Criticism of the Life of Man," or, "Beelzebub's Tales to His Grandson."
SECOND SERIES: Three books under the common title of "Meetings with Remarkable Men."
THIRD SERIES: Four books under the common title of "Life Is Real Only Then, When 'I Am.' "

All written according to entirely new principles of logical reasoning and strictly directed towards the solution of the following three cardinal problems:

FIRST SERIES: To destroy, mercilessly, without any compromises whatsoever, in the mentation and feelings of the reader, the beliefs and views, by centuries rooted in him, about everything existing in the world.
SECOND SERIES: To acquaint the reader with the material required for a new creation and to prove the soundness and good quality of it.
THIRD SERIES: To assist the arising, in the mentation and in the feelings of the reader, of a veritable, non-fantastic representation not of that illusory world which he now perceives, but of the world existing in reality.

This unedited edition has been compiled from the typescripts from the papers of Muriel Draper and J. G. Bennett.
The chapters are in the following order:
Book I: The First Chapter of the Third Series, The First Lecture-Talk, Second "Lecture-Talk," Third "Lecture-Speech," The Fourth "Lecture-Talk."
Book IV: Prologue, The Outer and Inner World of Man.
Numeration of each separate paragraph of Book IV has been retained.

ISBN: 978-0-9572481-9-9 (Solita Solano & Jane Heap Typeset Edition)
ISBN: 978-0-9572481-6-8 (Facsimile Typescript Edition)
ISBN: 978-0-9954756-0-1 (The Set)

Previous slide of product details
  1. Print length
    129 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publication date
    Oct. 16 2020
  4. File size
    923 KB
  5. Page Flip
    Enabled
  6. Word Wise
    Enabled
  7. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
Next slide of product details

Product description

About the Author

Gurdjieff was born in Alexandropol, and trained in Kars both as a priest and a physician. For some twenty years, he travelled in the remotest regions of Central Asia and the Middle East - this time was crucial in the moulding of his thought. With his party of followers, he was responsible for the opening of the Institute for the Harmonious Development of Man. Other key works available from Arkana: BEELZEBUB'S TALES TO HIS GRANDSON, VIEWS FROM THE REAL WORLD and MEETINGS WITH REMARKABLE MEN.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B08LBXL2PG
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Book Studio (Oct. 16 2020)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 923 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 129 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 189 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
G. I. Gurdjieff

G. I. Gurdjieff

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read book recommendations and more.

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
189 global ratings

Review this product

Share your thoughts with other customers
Write a customer review

Top reviews from Canada

  • Manu
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great book
    Reviewed in Canada on June 12, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    Good value
    Helpful
     Report
  • robin friedman
    4.0 out of 5 stars A First Reading Of Gurdjieff
    Reviewed in Canada on May 13, 2020
    I became interested in learning about the teachings of George Gurdjieff (1877? -- 1949) after reading philosopher Jacob Needleman's memoir "What is God?" (2009), a book I admired a good deal. What Is God? Needleman is one of many Western thinkers and artists who has been deeply influenced by Gurdjieff. I tend almost invariably to prefer original sources over commentaries or summaries. Thus, I turned to this short, final book of Gurdjieff, "Life is real only then, when 'I am'" published many years after his death by his student Jeanne de Saltzman. Needleman also speaks highly of his experiences with Madame Saltzman. The book is the third series of Gurdjieff's arrangement of his books into three series. There is some suggestion that the book is to be read only after the reader has read the first two series, which I haven't done. On the other hand, the lectures suggest that they were written to be an accessible introduction. In any event, I had the book at hand and it served my purpose of getting an introduction to Gurdjieff in his own words. Needleman's discussion of his teachings helped greatly. Although the book is difficult to read and obscure, it is no more so than many other philosophical or religious works. I am skeptical at the outset of books that require an initiation to understand. And I took the book that was ready to hand.

    The enigmatic title of this book itself suggests something of Gurdjieff's thought in its emphasis on the self and on the relationship between self-understanding and understanding of reality or God. The book is incomplete and is a collection of different kinds of writings, well organized. Autobiographical information and information about the Gurdjieff and his schools in interspersed and related well to his teachings. Madame de Saltzman's Foreward which discusses the history of the book and its place in Gurdjieff's teaching is valuable.

    The most immediately apparent feature of the book is the writing style which is in non-idiomatic English and which probably was deliberately done in this matter to discourage skimming or casual reading. Most of the book is arranged in short paragraphs consisting of long sentences. Gurdjieff is wordy, repetitive, with sentences full of long awkwardly constructed clauses and an inveterate use of the passive voice. It is verbose and to my reading shows in itself a strong personality. Perseverance is needed to read this. The final portion of the book, an incomplete essay, is written more directly. In this review I assume that most of my readers, like myself, have little exposure to Gurdjieff. I will summarize briefly the sections of the book rather than to explain or assess the doctrine. Broadly speaking, I found valuable insights in this book and was glad to have read it. Gurdjieff's path and spiritual teachings are not matters I would likely follow or pursue in detail.

    The longest section of this book is the introductory "Prologue" in which Gurdjieff discusses his early life wandering through Asia, his several illnesses and wounds, his establishment of a school in pre-revolutionary Russia and his move to Paris. In 1924, Gurdjieff nearly died as a result of an auto accident. He changed his approach and determined to write. This section is a difficult, cryptic account of his life and of the background to his teachings.

    The second section of the book is called "Introduction". This section introduces probably the heart of the book, the five lectures Gurdjieff gave upon his second visit to the United States in 1930. There is further autobiography, and explanation of his reasons for coming to America, commentary on American culture, and brief but broad notes on his teachings.

    Next, Gurdjieff gives transcripts of five lectures he delivered in New York City in 1930. He describes a purging and a reorganization of his American followers. He became discontented with the way the American movement was headed under the first American leader, a man named Orage. He required all Orage's followers to disclaim association with him and to sign a pledge to take instruction only from Gurdjieff himself or his designee. Orage himself signed the pledge which moved Gurdjieff to tears. The latter portions of these talks give instruction in doctrine and practice to Gurdjieff's reconstituted American followers. Thus, it seems to me, they are valuable material in getting an overview.

    The final work in this collection is a lengthy, incomplete essay titled "The Outer and Inner Worlds of Man" which I found difficult but valuable in understanding Gurdjieff and his basic approach. The essay combines what are said to be quotations from ancient sources with newspaper articles, with Gurdjieff's reflections on the death of Orage, which came to his attention when he was writing the essay. The core of the essay is that most people tend to be driven by the external and internal demons. They come to selfhood only through reflection on their outer and inner worlds and coming to a third world of autonomy and independence which it is the goal of Gurdjieff's teachings to provide. The teaching holds little or know hope for people in their common state, without the understanding of esoteric spiritual wisdom.

    I found it valuable to explore this book for what it shows about a pattern of modern spiritual search. Adventurous, critical readers with a strong interest in spirituality may benefit from exposure to Gurdjieff.

    Robin Friedman
    4 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • mom of 3 young men
    3.0 out of 5 stars Good stuff in the back
    Reviewed in Canada on September 4, 2001
    The first two thirds are spent talking about the details of his life while travelling and trying to set up his teaching and cultivate his followers.
    Hate to give it away, but the really good material that you want to learn from is the third of the book towards the back. And still, it makes for difficult reading.
    Probably because it has been translated from Russian. In many instances, you will find that the parts of a normal english sentence now come in a very different order, and that one sentence can be full of interjections and are so long as to make one paragraph.
    Gurdjieff is certainly a man ahead of his time and shares with us terrific insights and exercises that could possibly help raise one's consciousness. But Deepak Chopra's works are easier to read and understand. And there are many other author's I would rather recommend to Seekers such as Myss, Williamson, Scovel-Shinn and many others.
    Helpful
     Report
  • Steve Adams
    4.0 out of 5 stars Recall Gurdjieff's wishes about reading in sequence
    Reviewed in Canada on April 24, 2001
    There are some pretty good reviews of this book, which somewhat surprises me given the nature of it and how poor some reviews are of Gurdjieff's first series or, for example, of Pentland's book. I wish to add that Gurdjieff himself, as many of you probably know, requested the reading of his books in sequence, and the third series in particular was to be reserved for his experienced pupils. Perhaps it is too strict to keep to this request - I don't presume to be the best judge. But in spite of being incomplete, this book - as others have indicated - has a depth to it that a superficial reading may not succeed in discriminating. I can vouch for that first hand: The first time I read this book was many years ago, and I was dissappointed. Fifteen years passed and I read it again. My being had changed some in the interim, even if not impressively. Yet it was a "different" reader, and it proved to be a different book. This time I was amazed that I had been so unimpressed the first time. I think it is a mistake to read this book only with the thinking center. This book cannot be understood that way. One must read it with the emotional center actively engaged. I do think Gurdjieff's request was not frivolous, and is worthy of respect and consideration. Like many fourth way books that are among the best, this book can be a mirror in which the being of a reader is more on display from a review than the merits - or lack of merit - of the book. These books are not always easy to review. Fortunately this one has not yet, as I write, suffered the kind of severe abuse and foolishness that some of the others have received from egos with exaggerated perceptions of their understanding.
    2 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • erik
    2.0 out of 5 stars Translationus Horrificus
    Reviewed in Canada on July 5, 2002
    I would have to recomend that you skip this installment of the Guirdjeff triology. If you have read Beelzebub or Remarkable Men then there really is no need to waste your time lumbering through what can only be described as disjointed and stuttering translation. Perhaps the worst translation ever - which is saying alot considering Penguin's long lineage of word butchery. If you must read this - learn French and read the original or skip to the last third of the Penguin version. The last third is really the only information worth reading in either language. The first 100 or so pages has Gurdjieff is a rather false humility trying to matter a factly self grandize his life and work. Not the last taste of his remarkable ideas and life that you want on your lips.
    2 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report

Top reviews from other countries

Translate all reviews to English
  • KK
    5.0 out of 5 stars Words of man who "Was"
    Reviewed in the United States on May 17, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    The words of a man who perceived and sensed more than others.
    Report
  • Darren
    5.0 out of 5 stars Gurdjieff "Life Is Real Only Then, When 'I Am'"
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 1, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    The Parchment edition, so bigger format than all previous versions.

    Superb read
    Report
  • Dina Fran
    5.0 out of 5 stars Gurdjieff, Maestro!
    Reviewed in Mexico on September 15, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    Gurdjieff no es para cualquiera, tienes que alcanzar cierto grado de conciencia para poder entender y recibir todo lo que él tiene para darte. Es un libro que te hace esperar bastante para llegar al punto que estabas esperando, sin embargo eso lo hace excitante.
    Report
  • rajat
    5.0 out of 5 stars A Remarkable book!
    Reviewed in India on October 1, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    G.I.Gurdieff was a Master. This book is his last in the three series of books he wrote. And it is a summarising book of what's he wrote in his other books. It is concerned to search the fundamental aim of mans life on earth and existence. A very remarkable book written by an enlightened master.

    Amazon delivered it by the next day :-)
    Report
  • Amazon Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
    Reviewed in India on December 27, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    Good, very Good infact
    Report

Report an issue


Does this item contain inappropriate content?
Report
Do you believe that this item violates a copyright?
Report
Does this item contain quality or formatting issues?
Report