new translation available - Book of All Saints
There will be a new Adrienne von Speyr translation available from Ignatius Press on March 28, 2008. It is call the Book of All Saints.
You can preorder it with them here or with another online bookstore.
This book is the first volume of the collection of posthumous works published by the Johannes Verlag. For English-speaking von Speyr scholars (and it is possible to be such), this is quite exciting. While I have read several of the entries in the German, it will be nice to have a translation of this profound work. Rather than being a biography of the saints, this book gives us an interior image of the saint's prayer life.
I am encouraged by Ignatius Press publishing this very mystical work of hers. When this book becomes available, perhaps the English-speaking world will start to take more notice of Adrienne von Speyr as a major Christian mystical figure of the twentieth century.
Dr. Matthew Lewis Sutton
The translator of the Book of All Saints is Dr. David Schindler Jr. Thanks to Brandon Gallaher for his investigative work.
Dr. Matthew Lewis Sutton
It appears the release date for this translation has been postponed until later in April.
Reader Comments (10)
Who is the translator? Adrian Walker?
BG
Thank you for your question.
I'm not sure who it is. As soon as I find out I will let you know.
Best wishes,
Matthew Sutton
I asked Adrian Walker.The translator is David Schindler Jr.
BG
Excellent. Thank you for finding out.
Personally, I'm mostly wondering if saint Marguerite-Marie Alacoque is portrayed in this book; since she is quite probably my favorite saint, knowing that Adrienne von Speyr talks about her in it would probably help me make up my mind about whether if I should buy this book or not. Could you tell me if it does? Unfortunately, I've searched on the internet, and I can't find this book's table of contents anywhere.
Also, at the end of the book's introduction, which is currently available at http://www.ignatius.com/bookofallsaints/, Hans Urs von Balthasar says that "The second part of the Book of All Saints will fill out things in this first volume in a variety of ways". What does he mean by that? Are there other spiritual portraits in the second volume? If not, what does it contain?
Dear Mr. Blouin,
Thank you for your comment. Von Balthasar's introduction was written when this book was first published in German in 1966. It was published as a two volume work. These volumes and the English translation are being published as one combined volume.
Yes, of the about 260 saints she addresses, von Speyr does speak about Margaret Mary Alacoque. These are all brief yet profound internal prayer life biographies. In this book, you will see the holy diversity of the communion of saints because each saint's prayer life, i.e. their internal communion with the Lord, reveals the ever greater God, whose being is never completely comprehended by one saint.
I hope that helps. Blessings to you.
Thank you for your help!
I got a copy of the Book of All Saints and almost immediately gave it away and bought another! It is profound.
Any insight on why the Blessed Mother's prayer is not included? Do you think she treated it in her Handmaid of the Lord?
Dear Tom,
Thank you for your comment. The importance of this book is quite significant for the study of von Speyr in the English context. I'm happy you think it is profound.
Yes, von Speyr's extensive understanding of Mary's prayer is in her book Handmaid of the Lord as well as her best book on prayer called The World of Prayer. You will enjoy them both.
Blessings to you.
Are any of Von Speyr's other Posthumous Works being translated into English? I'm particularly interested in her works Der Fischernetz and on Subjective and Objective mysticism