&sq=Qlik&lang=&file=File:BeingThere.jpg) First edition cover | |
| Author | Jerzy Kosinski |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Harcourt Brace |
Publication date | 1971 |
| Pages | 165 |
| ISBN | 0-370-01453-7 |
| Preceded by | Steps |
| Followed by | The Devil Tree |
Being There is a satirical novel by the Polish-born writer Jerzy Kosinski, published April 21, 1971.[1] Set in America, the story concerns Chance, a simple gardener who unwittingly becomes a much sought-after political pundit and commentator on the vagaries of the modern world. It has been suggested that Kosinski modeled the character of Chance after a former greenhouse manager named Jerry Jarvis who became the national leader of the transcendental meditation movement during the late 1960s and early 1970s,[2] whom Kosinski had met at the local TM Center in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and who embodied the calm and simple manner of Chauncey Gardiner.[3] The Cambridge TM Center was for years located at the corner of Chauncy and Garden Streets.
A film based on the book was made in 1979; Kosinski co-wrote the film's screenplay with Robert C. Jones.
- ^ Date of publication from Kirkus Reviews. Excerpts were published in magazines in fall 1970, confusing the publication date of the book. See https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/jerzy-kosinski/being-there/ Retrieved February 14, 2023.
- ^ "Jerry's Slideshow of Maharishi and Guru Dev".
- ^ "Jerry Jarvis on Jan 12 2009". YouTube.