A Big Sur Podcast Magnus Toren, host

A middle aged couple walks in to the Henry Miller Library sometime in 2019. They come down the path under the redwoods like so many others have done before them. This time however I wonder:

Who is the woman accompanying them!

She looks like she’s from the island.

Turns out the woman is Sonia Haoa Cardinale from Easter Island/Rapa Nui.

We had a wonderful afternoon!
We are now connecting again via Zoom for this podcast. 
I am touched by much of what Sonia says.

Please share this episode with anyone you think may enjoy it.

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Rapa Nui
Sonia Haoa Cardinali
Thor Heyerdahl
Anakena
Kon Tiki
Mata Ki Te Rangi
Link to some of Magnus' photos from 1983

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Henry Miller refers to Easter Island many times when he dreams himself away from ‘civilization.'

“If you elect to join the herd you are immune. To be accepted and appreciated you must nullify yourself, make yourself indistinguishable from the herd. You may dream, if you dream alike. But if you dream something different, you are not in America, of America American, but a Hottentot in Africa, or a Kalmuck, or a chimpanzee. The moment you have a "different" thought you cease to be an American. And the moment you become something different you find yourself in Alaska or Easter Island or Iceland.”
―  Henry Miller,  Tropic of Capricorn

"Christ will never more come down to earth nor will there be any law- giver, nor will murder cease nor theft, nor rape, and yet... and yet one expects something, something terrifyingly marvellous and absurd, perhaps a cold lobster with mayonnaise served gratis, perhaps an invention, like the electric light, like television, only more devastating, more soul rending, an invention unthinkable that will bring a shattering calm and void, not the calm and void of death but of life such as the monks dreamed, such as is dreamed still in the Himalayas, in Tibet, in Lahore, in the Aleutian Islands, in Polynesia, in Easter Island, the dream of men before the flood, before the word was written, the dream of cave men and anthropophagists, of those with double sex and short tails, of those who are said to be crazy and have no way of defending themselves because they are outnumbered by those who are not crazy."

―  Henry Miller,  Tropic of Capricorn


"But I have thought often of a place like Easter Island, I can do without civilized society, without art, without culture: I have enough inside me to last me the rest of my life."
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Big Sur, CA
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# 63 The Questions That Matter Most with Jane Smiley.

We talk about writing, spelling and grammar and learning how to read. We mention Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, Anthony Trollope, Shakespeare, Alice Munro and how to kill!

WELCOME TO Jane Smiley at the Henry Miller Library, July 29.
We will focus on her latest book: :"The Questions That Matter Most"

LIST OF JANE SMILEY'S BOOKS IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER




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the Henry Miller Memorial Library
Big Sur, CA
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We have a wonderful conversation roaming from Jerusalem to Vanuatu, from Atheism to Greek Orthodoxy and from Thomas Merton to Sam Harris!

Oh...and from Dalai Lama to Henry Miller!

The Half Known Life

Best place to visit Pico Iyer online is his website HERE!
Pici Iyer on Wiki: HERE
New Camaldoli Hermitage HERE

THANK YOU FOR LISTENING!
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This podcast is a production of
the Henry Miller Memorial Library
Big Sur, CA
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Magnus speak with Michael Paduano about the soon to be published book
The Book of Conversations with David Edgar
and also about the literary archival detective work that eventually resulted in its publication…it is an exciting story!

Some of you remember Michael from Episode 31 of a Big Sur Podcast - I recommend listening to that episode as well of course.

The Paris Review w/ excerpts from The Book of Conversations with David Edgar
We will have the book at the Library soon, so please stop by and get it here!
Preorder the paperback here.
 Order a copy of the 100-copy limited edition hardcover here. 
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The Waters Reglitterized
Letters to Emil
Order and Chaos Chez Hans Reichel
The Berg Collection
The Rosy Crucifixion
Lawrence Durrell
Keely Richter, archivist at HMML
etc. etc. ...marvelous!
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This podcast is a production of
the Henry Miller Memorial Library
Big Sur, CA
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Ronna Rio Emmons is well known and loved in the Big Sur community perhaps especially because of her many years being our art teacher. Ronna, and her husband Michael and I, have fun talking and we cover a few  good stories. Below are links and comments about some of what we speak of. (Michael, as you will realize, will have to have his own podcast episode!!...so please stay tuned! 😊)

PLEASE SHARE WITH YOUR FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS!

Places and artists:
Kokkola, Finland
Giant slide in 1983
The Greatest Story Ever Told (film)
Agnes Lawrence Pelton
Trancendental Painters
Charles Burchfield
The Group of Seven

Big Sur Artists that are mentioned:
Erlinda Montaño
Carolyn Kleefeld
Erin Gafill
Branham Rendlen
Sula Nichols
Jill Woyt
Ruby Dudley
Sunyata
and others…


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This podcast is a production of
the Henry Miller Memorial Library
Big Sur, CA
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I met Yossi Klein Halevi when I was in Jerusalem in early 2020. We have stayed in touch ever since that fateful day. His voice is important in Israel as you will hear.

I hope you take the time to listen to this podcast and then to read all of Yossi's books, and listen to his talks on YouTube, other podcast etc..
By doing so you will get to know a wonderful man.
LINKS:
Yossi Klein Halevi's website.
Yossi Klein Halevi's Podcast
Recent article in TOI

Yossi Klein Halevi is the author of several books that explore the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the complexities of Israeli society. Here are some more details about his books:
"Memoirs of a Jewish Extremist" (1995): A memoir of Yossi's own journey from being a member of the far-right Jewish Defense League in the United States to becoming an advocate for Israeli-Palestinian peace."At the Entrance to the Garden of Eden: A Jew's Search for God with Christians and Muslims in the Holy Land" (2002): In this book, Yossi explores the religious landscape of Israel and the role that Judaism, Christianity, and Islam play in the country's culture and politics."Like Dreamers: The Story of the Israeli Paratroopers Who Reunited Jerusalem and Divided a Nation" (2013): This book tells the story of the Israeli paratroopers who fought in the 1967 Six-Day War and their divergent paths in the decades that followed. It explores the complex political, social, and cultural forces that have shaped Israeli society since the war."Letters to My Palestinian Neighbor" (2018): In this book, Yossi writes a series of letters to his Palestinian neighbor, seeking to build understanding and empathy across the Israeli-Palestinian divide. The book explores the history of the conflict, the challenges facing both Israelis and Palestinians, and the potential for a peaceful f_________________________________________________


This podcast is a production of
the Henry Miller Memorial Library
Big Sur, CA
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Instagram
Let us know what you think!
SEND US AN EMAIL! 😊