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43 C H A P T E R F O U R T h e A d v e n t u r e o f P u b l i s h i n g I v a n I l l i c h Marion Boyars I became a publisher in 1960 by buying 50 percent of an existing publishing house that eventually changed its name to Calder & Boyars. Young people forty years ago had an indomitable belief in their power to make an impact on the world to better it. I don’t think many young people in their twenties, except perhaps the very active environmentalists, have the optimism or the arrogance to believe in such possibilities today, but certainly, for those in their forties and fifties, such an impulse is negated by the profound materialism and selfishness that inform our Western civilization now. In 1960 I thought quite sincerely that as a publisher I had the soapbox from which I could send forth new ways and new ideas in the arts and in social concerns . In literature, Calder & Boyars had a recognized special forum for the avantgarde (which unlike now was not a dirty word). Then chance or good luck connected me with Ivan Illich, which changed not only my life but the perceptions and goals for a vast number of people throughout the world. This is how it happened. Publishers have a habit of traveling worldwide to see other publishers in order to share in each other’s finds. I had a visit from a highly acclaimed editor working for the American publisher Doubleday. She brought me proofs of a slim volume of essays , Celebration of Awareness: A Call for Institutional Revolution, by Ivan Illich. This was the first book by an intriguing ex-cleric who was now devoting his life to teaching Spanish in Mexico to young American students who wanted to become missionaries in Latin America. Apart from language skills taught by use of the toughest possible course (a hard-working student could learn very good Spanish in six weeks), he discussed with them, and with many American and European intellectuals, professionals , and even politicians who crossed his path, principles that questioned conventional institutions and hierarchical orthodoxies, such as those found in the Church, schools, social services, the state, and established fields such as medicine and welfare; in fact, all the “sacred cows” of society. Not only did he question and criticize, but without any condescension he showed a way in which one might, through one’s own efforts, achieve human dignity and joy for oneself and others. I took the proofs home and read the twelve essays in one go. This was truly subversive and stimulating thought. I published this book in 1971, followed by Deschooling Society and Tools for Conviviality. I did not know Illich when I published Celebration of Awareness but had a polite correspondence with him—and that was it. Our publishing Deschooling Society coincided by chance with a Teilhard De Chardin Conference, and Ivan Illich was a featured speaker. I invited myself and sold the two Illich titles from a big table to the very large enchanted audience. Illich was mobbed. A very tall and extremely handsome man whose public speaking was very clear despite his guttural accent, he provoked the listeners with his courageous attack on received notions and his call for us “to create the humanity, the dignity, and the joyfulness of each one of us.” The reformers in those days were always complaining and whining—here was a revolutionary who, with charm, intellect, and humor, analyzed , dismantled, and built up again. Of course I did not meet him during the conference. I was too shy to approach him and he did not take any notice of me, despite the large name tag I had pinned to my jacket. But there was one more chance. I had been invited to the dinner at a Spanish restaurant which the Teilhard Society was hosting for the speakers. We sat on benches for the predinner drinks, and Ivan Illich came to sit next to me. I introduced myself. He said, rather curtly, “I do not like publishers; I don’t want to talk to you.” I swung around, and with my back to him, spoke to someone I happened to know on my other side. I consoled myself by bravely muttering that one can admire someone without a direct contact. For the dinner, I was placed on the opposite...

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