Reluctant Saint - Hardcover

Spoto, Donald

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0670031283 ISBN 13: 9780670031283

Publisher: Viking Adult, 2002

Synopsis

An account of the life of one of the great Catholic saints delves into his own unpublished letters to offer a portrait of this complicated man and the movement he spawned.

About this title

About the Author:

Donald Spoto, author of The Hidden Jesus, taught theology, Christian mysticism, and biblical literature at the university level for twenty years. His other eighteen books include internationally bestselling biographies of Alfred Hitchcock, Laurence Olivier, Tennessee Williams, and Ingrid Bergman.

From Publishers Weekly:

It does not seem possible that the world needs another biography of St. Francis of Assisi, but Spoto (The Hidden Jesus) makes a credible case for adding to the glut of books and articles about the medieval saint. (Spoto cites one count taken nearly 40 years ago that puts the number at 1,575.) He argues that new discoveries in several fields and the latest Franciscan scholarship justify this new biography. Although the findings of his research required Spoto to strip away some of the romance surrounding Francis's familiar story, he manages to report them without detracting from the integrity of the saint. He raises, for example, questions about whether Francis actually bore the stigmata, or wounds of the crucified Christ, pointing out that sources interviewed for Francis's canonization denied that he had the marks. Spoto suggests that Francis may actually have suffered from leprosy and that his companions interpreted those wounds as a sharing in Christ's suffering. Spoto's chronological recounting of Francis's life is sufficiently engaging to retain the interest even of those familiar with the basic facts of the saint's story. Occasionally however, he lapses into seemingly misplaced preaching pedagogy, such as when he holds forth on the subject of conversion in a section about Francis's spiritual transformation- but given the saint's diverse appeal, this book should interest a wide audience.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Viking Adult
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 0670031283
• ISBN 13: 9780670031283
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 280