Abstract:
The Hermit, an ex-academician living alone in the mountains of North Carolina in a cabin he built himself, replies to a personal ad and thus begins a correspondence covering a wide range of stimulating and provocative subjects from music, literature, philosophy, and drama to the meaning and purpose of life. In an age of instant gratification where cell phones, email and chat bars are the order of the day, The Hermit confides that this exchange of ideas via “snail mail” satisfies his fundamental need for meaningful communication with sentient beings outside himself and his immediate environment.