A TRIBUTE TO A MASTERPIECE

by Ray Jason

In a world poisoned with sensationalism and hype, this little masterpiece entered my life quietly and without fanfare.  I did not know of it, so I did not seek it.  But it found me – and at a dark time when I needed solace.  It renewed my wounded belief in the transformative power of art.  It reminded me that a thinker/writer can touch people deeply and awaken and comfort them.

            It is called THE GRAVE OF THE FIREFLIES and it is a Japanese animated film.  The title alone is steeped in the mysterious inscrutability of the Orient.  One immediately realizes that fireflies don’t get buried, so what could this mean?  But to the sensitive, caring four year old girl, who found their dead bodies in the morning, it made complete sense to give them a respectful funeral.

S G P BOOK ANNOUNCEMENT

Hello Everyone,

I am delighted to announce that a book collection of some of my best essays has just been released.  It is being published by Dmitry Orlov at Club Orlov Press, using Amazon’s CreateSpace platform.  Because I greatly respect and enjoy Dmitry’s thinking and writing, I feel honored to be selected as the first title of his new imprint.

Instead of my normal essay, I am instead sharing with you Dmitry’s Introduction for the book.  Hopefully this, and your familiarity with my work, will inspire you to purchase a copy.  Since we operate in opposition to the mainstream, this book will rely on guerrilla marketing.  This means we are counting on YOU.  So besides buying a copy, please send all of the people on your mailing list a little note alerting them to this worthwhile collection of essays.  To make it even more convenient for you, we have included a link for ordering the book which you can also include in any message you might pass along to your friends.

Club Orlov Press is part of the movement to topple the old monolithic model of publishing, whereby the author makes almost nothing on each book.  The largest share of the price of THE SEA GYPSY PHILOSOPHER will actually find its way aboard AVENTURA.  So if you wish to read more eccentric dispatches from my philosophical wanderings, please buy a copy and spread the word.

Thanks so very much,

Ray

Book synopsis: 

This book is a collection of the best essays from Ray Jason's popular "Sea Gypsy Philosopher" blog, which now has readers in over 130 countries. Although he deals with controversial subjects,