Chapter 2, My Father Summary and Analysis

Gurdjieff describes his father as being an ashokh, a name given to men in Turkey who tell or sing the old traditional stories of the culture. Even during Gurdjieff's youth the ashokhs were becoming scarce, and he reports that nobody has carried on the ashokh tradition since his father's generation. However, his father did take him to ashokh contests, and these greatly impressed Gurdjieff. Among the stories told included the legend of Gilgamesh from ancient Babylon, the importance of which Gurdjieff does not realize until much later in life.

His father and his future tutor, Dean (also Father) Borsh, often carried on long conversations and debates regarding philosophy, especially along theological paths, Gurdjieff remembers. He also remembers the talks having greater meaning for him later on in life and thinks of his father as an older brother...