Spiridion

Spiridion

Heresy and corruption in an 18th-century monastery

Abbot Spiridion establishes a monastery in 1690 with virtuous, intelligent monks who soon degenerate into a cruel, mindless community. Withdrawn into his cell he writes the ‘truth’ about Catholic doctrine and the closed world of monasteries, then dies and has the manuscript buried with him. For a hundred years his spirit seeks an intelligent monk bold enough to retrieve it from his coffin guarded by Dantesque spirits. Enter Angel, a sixteen-year-old novice ostracized by his superiors and terrified by Spiridion's ghostly visits.

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About the Book
Review
Steven Fletcher
5.0 out of 5 stars
Welcome Back, Spiridion
4 June 2015Published on Amazon.com
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I feel that someone needs to point out what an important publishing event this English translation of George Sand’s Spiridion (1839) constitutes. According to translator Patricia J. Worth, the only previous English copy of the novel was a very old and virtually unobtainable edition. Her rendering of Sand’s “Gothic philosophical novel,” as she describes it, into clear and flowing modern prose is thus a gift for anyone willing and able to take advantage of it. Although not an easy read, and presumably only for those deeply interested in matters of spirituality and human psychology, the work, set completely in a Catholic monastery (and thus portraying absolutely no women characters), offers great challenges and rewards for believers and non-believers alike (a needful disclaimer—I am an agnostic who nevertheless has often found inspiration in the sacred texts and great teachers of all faiths). (Read more of this review, plus two more, on Amazon)
Details
Authors: ,
Genres: French fiction, Gothic fiction, Historical Fiction, Literary fiction
Tags: French fiction, George Sand, Gothic fiction, Historical fiction, Recommended Books, Spiridion, Supernatural tales, Translated fiction
Publisher: SUNY Press
Publication Year: 2015
Format: Hard copy, paperback, ebook
ASIN: B00VF0YK5K
ISBN: 9781438456256
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