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In 1982, aged twenty-three, Simon Parkes paid GBP1 for a virtually
derelict building in Brixton. Over the next fifteen years he turned
it into Britain's most iconic music venue. And now he's telling his
story: full of fond - and wild - reminiscences of the famous
musicians who played at the venue, including Robert Plant and Jimmy
Page, Lou Reed, The Ramones, New Order, the Beastie Boys and The
Smiths. This is about one man's burning desire for success against
the odds, his passion for live music and the excitement of those
wilderness years, a far cry from the corporate world that controls
the scene today. From rock-star debauchery and mixing it up with
Brixton gangsters to putting on the first legal raves in the UK and
countless backroom business deals, this is the story of how to
succeed in business with no experience and fulfil your teenage
fantasies.
Alexander McCall Smith on Marylebone House: 'A very interesting and
varied list.'
A murder mystery in a classic enclosed community setting but with
an out of the ordinary approach
An extraordinary story set in the political and religious melting
pot that was England after the Civil War
Vincent van Gogh is best known for two things - his sunflowers and
his ear-cutting. But there are many other ways of knowing this
remarkable son of a Dutch pastor, who left his chill homeland for
the sunshine of Arles in the South of France; and left us over a
thousand frank letters of struggle and joy, to help us glimpse his
inner world. Vincent came late to painting after spending time in
London trying to be a Christian missionary. And though he is now
amongst the most famous artists on earth, in his day, no one saw
him coming - apart from one French art critic called Aurier. It is
possible he never sold one of his paintings in his life time. When
he discovered the sun in Arles, he also discovered energy. Yellow
for him was the colour of hope, and in his last two years he
painted almost a canvass a day. But hope ran out on July 27th ,
1890 when he shot himself, aged 37. He was at this time six months
out of a mental institution, where perhaps he experienced his
greatest calm. Vincent compared himself to a stunted plant; damaged
by the emotional frost of his childhood. 'Conversations with Van
Gogh' is an imagined conversation with this remarkable figure. But
while the conversation is imagined, Van Gogh's words are not; they
are all authentically his. "Speaking with Vincent - which he
insists on being called - was a privilege,' says Simon Parke. 'He's
endlessly fascinating, contradictory, moving, funny, insightful and
tragic. There's a fury in him; but also a great kindness. He found
harmony in human relationships elusive; his love life was a painful
shambles. But with colour, he was a harmonic genius, and he has
much to say about this. And here's the thing: for a man who killed
himself - he died in the arms of his brother on July 29th -
spending time with him was never anything but life-affirming.'
Sometimes we can lose touch with ourselves so much that we don't
even know we have done so, until suddenly we realize with a start
that we have just been going through the motions, without really
experiencing our lives. The simple fact is that in today's world,
we spend so much time looking forward, rushing on to the next
thing, or looking backwards, stressing and worrying about our
perceived mistakes, that we rarely still ourselves and our minds
enough to truly be in the present moment. In One-Minute
Mindfulness, Simon Parke uses stories and simple thoughts to help
us see through clear eyes how we can return to the present moment
and remain there. This subtle change can be startlingly healing,
bringing peace into every area of our lives, allowing us to live
freely and fully, and to honour what is true for each of us. Both
inspiring and practical, this book is for anyone who wants to come
home to themselves.
A book of short meditations for use wherever you find yourself - on
the bus, at the doctors, in your bedroom or by the pool. The third
in Simon's One-Minute trilogy, it's an invitation, in your busy
life, to Pause. Read. Live. For truth-seekers who value awareness
in their life... but don't have all day.
We all grow up somewhere. No two families are the same, but
everyone experiences them in some way. What everyone doesn't do,
however, is consider the effect of these experiences on the person
they become. This lack of awareness can have significant
consequences in their future relationships in the world. Forsaking
the family, full of story and illustration, starts by considering
the surprising approach of Jesus to his own family - in turns,
rude, dismissive and warm. His family values would hardly be
applauded today. The book then reflects on how we perceive,
understand and grow from our family experiences. In his search for
freedom, Jesus sought always the truth - even in the family, and
even at the expense of people's feelings. He celebrated the good in
family, but would not collude in manipulative and negative
behaviour from his nearest and dearest. To what extent are we able
to live in honest relationships? How free can we be in relating?
Perhaps sometimes, you have to leave the family to find it. This is
a book for those who want to come home.
The Enneagram is a time-honoured way of understanding personality
types and human behavior. It is both ancient and modern. Developed
over 1500 years by Sufi and Christian mystics, it was revised and
extensively expanded in the 20th century by the disciplines and
insights of Western psychology. It identifies nine types of
personality, nine ways of being, describes how they interrelate and
is widely used today as a perceptive guide to self-understanding.
In this original and thought-provoking book 'Enneagram' unveils her
insights in the form of letters to and from enquirers. These
finely-drawn portraits of the nine faces of humanity will not only
give you a deeper understanding of who you are, but will also guide
you through the complex inner world of others.
'The Imitation of Christ' first appeared 1418. It was published
anonymously but spread quickly around Europe. A Latin manuscript
from 1441 exists, but there was a German translation as early as
1434. A French translation appeared in 1447, a Spanish edition in
1482, and an Italian one in 1488. The first English translation
appeared in 1503, which was just Book 4, but the other three books
followed in the same year and a complete translation appeared in
1556. In 1663, an Arabic edition was printed in Rome, and in 1837,
a Hebrew version printed in Frankfurt. It has since been translated
into many languages, and has won for itself a variety of celebrity
admirers. John Wesley and John Newton were men of the Evangelical
wing of the Church yet both named this Catholic manual as important
in their conversion, while General Gordon took it into battle with
him. Thomas More, St Francis Xavier and Dr Johnson were other
famous devotees. The work is comprised of four books, though they
are not all found in all manuscripts, and neither are they always
in the same order. This makes little practical difference to the
reader, however. This manual of devotion is pitched at a
challenging level of Christian experience, but does not offer an
ordered journey. Like a merry-go-round, the same themes are visited
again and again throughout the books; Thomas is a teacher who
believes in repetition. Book 4 is unique in that it has a specific
subject, the Eucharist, and explores our attitudes towards the
bread and wine. But even here, the author weaves in themes familiar
from the other three books: human worthlessness, the need for
humility, advice on temptation and adversity, disdain for the
attractions of the world, contempt for scholarship, sorrow for sin,
forgiveness of perceived injustice, submission to God in all things
and ardour for union with the life of Jesus in his death and
resurrection. There is a manic-depressive feel to much of the
writing, which can be disturbing for the modern reader. Although
Thomas calls Christians to an equanimity that is neither too happy
when things go well or too sad when things go badly, the author's
own mood tends to be either one of extreme despair and self-hate or
an ecstatic happiness at the sweetness of God and the joy to be
found in him. To an extent, this mirrors the character of the God
he describes who both loves us unendingly whilst also preparing
eternal punishment for the unfaithful. Kempis offers no resolution
to this paradox; but sensed in all he writes is the fire of
personal dismantlement through which humans must walk in the cause
of their spiritual development. Here is a radical and disturbing
self-help book, penned for the 14th century monk. Thomas writes as
a monk for monks, but clearly his passion and insights spill well
beyond the cloistered world of the monastery. One writer called it
'The diary of a soul on its way to perfection,' which captures well
the author's spiritual ambition both for himself and others. As he
himself says in the second book, 'Disdain that which is
superficial, dedicate yourself to your inner being and you shall
see that the Kingdom of God grows inside you.' St Augustine was
patron of Thomas' monastery and it was he who famously said, 'Oh
God, you have made us for yourself and our hearts are restless
until they find their place in you.' The restless Thomas a Kempis
could not have agreed more.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, a child prodigy who became an adult
genius, died in debt and was buried in an unmarked grave in his
adopted home of Vienna. Mozart needed no formal lessons in
composition. He'd been composing since the age of five, and
possessed astonishing musical memory, able to re-create whatever he
heard or saw. He could mimic different styles and his travels,
which were endless, gave him plenty to imitate whether sacred,
dramatic or instrumental. As he said, 'I can pretty well adapt or
conform myself to any style or composition.' He was not the
tortured artist but could compose whilst playing billiards or
skittles, ordering the musical ideas in his head so exactly that
writing them down was a slightly mechanical affair, requiring
little effort. The music was there in its entirety in his head.
Mozart struggled with relationships, revealing a strong sense of
abandonment beneath the surface. Quick to judge, he possessed a
sharp manner himself, but saw only the upset that others caused
him. He had a long list of foes and his battles with them he
describes in much detail. A difficult relationship with his
controlling father Leopold was partially offset by a happy marriage
to Constanze, a genuine oasis in a world he found frustrating.
Mozart was a phenomenal performer as well as composer, enjoying
moments of great adulation. But these never turned into financial
security. For this reason, he was a reluctant piano teacher
throughout his life. 'Conversations with Mozart' is an imagined
conversation with the man behind the music who died largely
unnoticed at the age of 35. But while the questions are imagined,
Mozart's words are not; they are all authentically his, taken from
his many letters. He was the eternal child. As his sister Nannerl
said, 'Outside of music he was, and remained, nearly always a
child.' But he was a child with a seat at the very top composers'
table; a conduit for the most perfectly shaped musical argument,
sublime harmonies and with a deep understanding of drama and
emotion. 'There's never a dull moment with Wolfgang, ' says Simon
Parke. 'He's fascinating on the subject of music, and beguiling on
the soap opera of his life. He understood music better than he
understood himself, which brought suffering. But he was determined
to be cheerful. Hope was always round the next corner for
Wolfgang.'
Who was Jesus of Nazareth? Many admire his spiritual teachings;
some go further and claim him as the messiah, while a few deny he
ever existed at all. But everyone has an opinion about this obscure
preacher who lived his brief life in one of the less significant
regions of the Roman Empire; and who, in being crucified, died the
traditional death for criminals and trouble-makers. Jesus lived in
turbulent times. Under Roman rule, Judea was a hotbed of
nationalist, political and religious interests, all vying for
power. Jesus was caught in the middle of these, allied to none and
ultimately reviled by all. 'My kingdom is not of this world, ' he
said, though he agreed taxes should be paid to the Romans. 'Give to
Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's.' He taught simply
but challengingly, advocating love for our enemies, a spirit of
forgiveness and respect for children. What else was new about
Jesus? He spoke of a new way of being which he called 'the kingdom
of God.' This was not a place but an inner state, and the doorway
to this kingdom was trust in a heavenly father. As he would often
say: 'Have anxiety about nothing.' It was a trust Jesus himself
required in a life full of conflict; not least with his family who
largely disowned him. 'Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?' he
famously asked when they attempted to rein him in. In
'Conversations with Jesus of Nazareth', the questions are imagined,
but the words of Jesus are not; they are authentically his, taken
from the various records of his life in the gospels of Matthew,
Mark, Luke, John and Thomas. Jesus himself never wrote anything
down, but in a culture of oral transmission, his words, deeds and
stories were well-remembered, and it's not hard to see why. 'It's
the shape of our heart which Jesus is interested in, ' says Simon
Parke. 'This is what comes across when talking with him. It's not
what we do that matters, but who we are, and that's why he upset
the religious people of his day: he didn't give them anything to
hide behind. He's not always easy company, I agree, but his life
and his words - they have the undoubted ring of truth.'
'The Imitation of Christ' first appeared 1418. It was published
anonymously but spread quickly around Europe. A Latin manuscript
from 1441 exists, but there was a German translation as early as
1434. A French translation appeared in 1447, a Spanish edition in
1482, and an Italian one in 1488. The first English translation
appeared in 1503, which was just Book 4, but the other three books
followed in the same year and a complete translation appeared in
1556. In 1663, an Arabic edition was printed in Rome, and in 1837,
a Hebrew version printed in Frankfurt. It has since been translated
into many languages, and has won for itself a variety of celebrity
admirers. John Wesley and John Newton were men of the Evangelical
wing of the Church yet both named this Catholic manual as important
in their conversion, while General Gordon took it into battle with
him. Thomas More, St Francis Xavier and Dr Johnson were other
famous devotees. The work is comprised of four books, though they
are not all found in all manuscripts, and neither are they always
in the same order. This makes little practical difference to the
reader, however. This manual of devotion is pitched at a
challenging level of Christian experience, but does not offer an
ordered journey. Like a merry-go-round, the same themes are visited
again and again throughout the books; Thomas is a teacher who
believes in repetition. Book 4 is unique in that it has a specific
subject, the Eucharist, and explores our attitudes towards the
bread and wine. But even here, the author weaves in themes familiar
from the other three books: human worthlessness, the need for
humility, advice on temptation and adversity, disdain for the
attractions of the world, contempt for scholarship, sorrow for sin,
forgiveness of perceived injustice, submission to God in all things
and ardour for union with the life of Jesus in his death and
resurrection. There is a manic-depressive feel to much of the
writing, which can be disturbing for the modern reader. Although
Thomas calls Christians to an equanimity that is neither too happy
when things go well or too sad when things go badly, the author's
own mood tends to be either one of extreme despair and self-hate or
an ecstatic happiness at the sweetness of God and the joy to be
found in him. To an extent, this mirrors the character of the God
he describes who both loves us unendingly whilst also preparing
eternal punishment for the unfaithful. Kempis offers no resolution
to this paradox; but sensed in all he writes is the fire of
personal dismantlement through which humans must walk in the cause
of their spiritual development. Here is a radical and disturbing
self-help book, penned for the 14th century monk. Thomas writes as
a monk for monks, but clearly his passion and insights spill well
beyond the cloistered world of the monastery. One writer called it
'The diary of a soul on its way to perfection,' which captures well
the author's spiritual ambition both for himself and others. As he
himself says in the second book, 'Disdain that which is
superficial, dedicate yourself to your inner being and you shall
see that the Kingdom of God grows inside you.' St Augustine was
patron of Thomas' monastery and it was he who famously said, 'Oh
God, you have made us for yourself and our hearts are restless
until they find their place in you.' The restless Thomas a Kempis
could not have agreed more.
What does solitude mean to you? Albert Einstein once said: 'I live
in that solitude which is painful in youth, but delicious in the
years of maturity.' In his latest book Simon Parke, author of The
Beautiful Life and One-Minute Mindfulness describes solitude as the
active path to inner silence and takes us on an enthralling journey
there. In a world of haste and distraction he commends the way of
stillness and withdrawal where we can 'recover the power of alone'.
'It's a journey to our selves and a place we can call our own,' he
says. 'It's here, away from the crowd that we reconnect with our
inner knowing - so different to our outer knowing.' A capacity for
silence is what distinguishes us as humans, yet many of us fear to
go there. But there is nothing to fear in solitude and everything
to gain. If you want to be still but wonder how, this book is the
perfect friend.
Reader's note This is an abridged version of Swedenborg's original,
which is about twice the length. When deciding what to omit,
avoidance of repetition was usually the determining factor. Even in
this edition he revisits his main themes frequently. The original
numbering of the paragraphs has been maintained, however, to enable
readers clearly to see which passages have been omitted. Swedenborg
wrote this work in Latin, so it is now two languages away from his
native Swedish, (though he could speak English well.) The only
editing has been to abbreviate some of his sentences which can
creak under the weight of multiple sub-clauses. Thus on occasion,
what was originally one sentence might now be three, though the
literary style remains that of Swedenborg. I have also brought some
variety to the vocabulary, to free Swedenborg and his ideas from
the constraints of the Latin text, and return them to the vivid
colors of his visionary experience. The language has also been made
inclusive, which I'm sure would have been the author's 21st century
wish. But the overall purpose of this new edition is not in doubt:
it is to make Swedenborg entirely clear, entirely fresh and yet
entirely himself. Simon Parke. London 2010 Heaven and Hell These
themes are visited often in 'Heaven and Hell', which was first
published in 1758. It was the result of a series of 'out-of-body'
experiences given to Swedenborg in which he saw the world beyond
and spoke with spirits there. One of the most startling features of
the next world is that it has a remarkable likeness to this one -
only on a spiritual and not physical level. With Swedenborg playing
the role of tourist guide, we discover that in the next life, space
and time do not exist as we know them, but spirits there eat,
sleep, talk, read books, work and celebrate just as humans do here;
but they do so clothed in a spiritual rather than a natural body.
Swedenborg's vivid descriptions of the people he meets and places
he sees, both wonderful and terrible, can't help but stimulate our
thoughts about both this life and the next. And there is a gripping
description of the moments after death, when the human spirit
leaves the body and enters the world of the spirits, before the
journey to heaven or hell.
In many ways, Meister Eckhart has had to wait seven centuries to be
heard. Born in 13th century Germany, much of his life was spent in
a monastery; though not all. The 'Meister' in his name means
'Master', and is an academic title from the University of Paris. An
admired member of the Dominican Order, he was often sent to reform
ailing priories. He was known also as a spiritual counsellor; a
safe haven for many who sought God in their life, but found
themselves troubled by the dire state of the institutional church.
And in a century of flowering female spirituality, he was a
supportive figure for many Dominican nuns and women in the
burgeoning lay communities which arose. He was best known, however,
as a preacher - an original preacher who used his native German
language to startling effect. Eckhart preached a spiritual vision
which distrusted the artifice of both ritual and church dogma.
Instead, he aimed at nothing less than the spiritual and
psychological transformation of those given to his care. To this
end, Eckhart made the disposition of the human heart the key to all
things. 'Conversations with Meister Eckhart' is an imagined
conversation with this 13th century mystic, around such themes as
detachment, which he famously placed above love; spirituality, God,
the soul and suffering. But while the conversation is imagined,
Eckhart's words are not; they are authentically his own. One of his
controversial claims was that God cannot be described. Indeed, in
one sermon, he went so far as to say 'We must take leave of God.'
'The church became very hostile towards him,' says Simon Parke,
'accusing him of heresy; and he spent his last days on trial before
the pope. They also tried to ensure he'd be forgotten when he died,
and nearly succeeded. But he's more popular now than ever.'
Eckhart's teaching is an adventure, not a system; a call, not a
creed. The depth and universality of his work means it can be
contained by no established religion, but draws to itself seekers
of truth from all backgrounds. 'Here we have a teaching open to
all, but possessed by none,' says Parke. 'And therefore free like a
butterfly, in the garden of the soul. Its perhaps my most
challenging and rewarding conversation.'
When most think of Tolstoy, they think of the great author. 'War
and Peace' and 'Anna Karenina' brought him worldwide fame, and a
good deal of money. Had he done nothing else in life, these two
novels would have ensured him status and respect. Few others had
written both a national epic and a great love story; and some might
have been content with that. For his last thirty years, however,
Tolstoy walked a different track. After his spiritual crisis, when
he was 50, he exchanged his author's clothes for those of a prophet
- a prophet who was to have a great influence on Gandhi amongst
others. Through his prolific writing, he now became the scourge of
the rich, the Church and the Government. Neither did he miss an
opportunity to denounce both science and art. Darwin? Dostoyevsky?
Shakespeare? No one was to be left standing. In 'Conversations with
Leo Tolstoy', Simon Parke grants us the honour of sitting with the
great man, towards the end of his life; and gives us the chance to
chat with him. The conversation is imagined, but not Tolstoy's
answers. This is Tolstoy is his own words, drawn from his extensive
books, essays and letters; and the military, vegetarianism,
marriage, non-violence, death, God and sex are all on the agenda.
'I want people to come away feeling they know Tolstoy,' says Simon
Parke, who was keen to use only Tolstoy's authentic words. 'They
will be become aware of his opinions certainly, for he was
forthright in those. He had an opinion on everything! But I hope
also that people leave with a sense of the man beneath the
opinions. I don't always agree with him; but it is hard not to
admire him. He was far from perfect, but as he says: just because
he walks the road like a drunk, doesn't mean it's the wrong road.'
'Conversations with Van Gogh' is an imagined conversation with this
remarkable figure. But while the conversation is imagined, Van
Gogh's words are not; they are all authentically his. ' Vincent van
Gogh is best known for two things - his sunflowers and his
ear-cutting. But there are many other ways of knowing this
remarkable son of a Dutch pastor, who left his chill homeland for
the sunshine of Arles in the South of France; and left us over a
thousand frank letters of struggle and joy, to help us glimpse his
inner world. Vincent came late to painting after spending time in
London trying to be a Christian missionary. And though he is now
amongst the most famous artists on earth, in his day, no one saw
him coming - apart from one French art critic called Aurier. It is
possible he never sold one of his paintings in his life time. When
he discovered the sun in Arles, he also discovered energy. Yellow
for him was the colour of hope, and in his last two years he
painted almost a canvass a day. But hope ran out on July 27th ,
1890 when he shot himself, aged 37. He was at this time six months
out of a mental institution, where perhaps he experienced his
greatest calm. Vincent compared himself to a stunted plant; damaged
by the emotional frost of his childhood. 'Speaking with Vincent -
which he insists on being called - was a privilege,' says Simon
Parke. 'He's endlessly fascinating, contradictory, moving, funny,
insightful and tragic. There's a fury in him; but also a great
kindness. He found harmony in human relationships elusive; his love
life was a painful shambles. But with colour, he was a harmonic
genius, and he has much to say about this. And here's the thing:
for a man who killed himself - he died in the arms of his brother
on July 29th - spending time with him was never anything but
life-affirming.'
At the end of the 19th century, perhaps every man wanted to be
Arthur Conan Doyle. He had written historical novels, short stories
of horror and the supernatural; and displayed huge energy and
talent in a variety of fields. He was a fine cricketer (he once
took the wicket of the great WC Grace); played football, rugby and
golf. He practiced as a doctor; campaigned for underdogs,
introduced skis to Switzerland; and knew both Harry Houdini and
Oscar Wilde. He was an adventurer, a controversialist, war reporter
and knight of the realm. But most famously of all, he had created
Sherlock Holmes, the world's most famous detective - based on his
former medical professor, Joseph Bell. All in all, Doyle was a
Boy's Own dream. Yet for Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, all such
achievements paled into significance when set against his
commitment to spiritualism. Although interested in the subject for
many years, he publicly converted to the cause around time of the
First World War - much to many people's amazement: 'Sir Arthur
Conan Doyle has many striking characteristics,' wrote Ruth Brandon.
'He is gigantically tall and strong. He is a gifted story teller.
He is a man of strong opinions and considerable political
influence. But perhaps the most extraordinary thing about him is
the combination of all the attributes of worldly success with an
almost child-like literalness and credulity of mind, manifested
particularly in relation to spiritualism.' 'Conversations with
Conan Doyle' is an imagined conversation with this remarkable
figure. But while the conversation is imagined, Doyle's words are
not; they are all authentically his. 'For many, Conan Doyle's
commitment to spiritualism is an embarrassing aberration,' says
Simon Parke. 'They want him to go back and just be the creator of
Sherlock Holmes. But people don't fit into boxes, and Doyle
certainly doesn't! So I want people to meet the man, hear him speak
- and then make up their own minds. He's often passionate; but
never dull.'
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