Last Bohemian

Book Summary

In this day and age, one would be hard-pressed to find any human being living as a complete bohemian, building his life based not upon finances or money, but upon philosophy, love of art, and music. Jonathan David Batchelor was such a man. An unusual child, he evolved into a very eccentric adult with an archetypal free-spirited nonconformist existence. Part I of his story revolves around his upbringing and closeness with his musical father. Sadly, Jonathan's mother succumbed to mental illness when Jonathan was but a wee bit lad. Because she had to be institutionalized, the boy was without a mother for his younger years. Father and son were a family unit unto themselves and struggled through the Great Depression. Jonathan was a self-taught painter, although he did seek instruction from two Southern California artists who set his imaginative heart flaming. As a young adult, he explored Carmel's art colony and eventually landed at UC Berkeley with a WPA job. The WPA work gave Jonathan stability and also brought him together with his first wife.

About the Author

Julia Rosenstein, kindred bohemian, fit well into both the free-spirited community of Canyon and Jonathan Batchelor's life. She grew up in a family of artists and today continues with painting. Writing was unexpected; "Well, someone should write Jonathan's biography, and I guess it might as well be me!" she cheerfully remarked.