Book excerpt: Nikolai de Stjernvall was always close to his "dear father," G.I. Gurdjieff, but especially so during the few months between 1937 and 1938 when he served as his father's attendant and collected such rich experiences. As the only person who lived with Gurdjieff to ever write about him, Nikolai's account is invaluable for providing an intimate and human perspective of his subject unavailable elsewhere. Supplementing his memoirs are two texts by Elizaveta de Stjernvall, his mother, including her account of her trek with Gurdjieff 's entourage across the Caucasus evading the Russian Revolution, and Adele Kafian's account of caring for Katherine Mansfield at Gurdjieff 's Institute during her final days. Nikolai's frankness, Elizaveta's devotion, and Adele's compassion are all faithfully maintained in the translation of Paul Beekman Taylor, Nikolai's boyhood friend who also lived at the Prieure in his youth.