The Diary of a Country Priest (1936)

Read in french.
Belle langue classique mais le thème du doute ou l'esprit "dépressif" très répétitif est à la longue un peu ennuyeux!
Ceci dit livre et auteur intéressant. ( )

Georges Bernanos is one of the greatest Catholic writers of the 20th Century and this book, winner of the 1936 Grand-Prix of the French Academy, is widely recognised as his masterpiece. A tale of a young, apparently inept parish priest in a remote French village, this is indeed a remarkable novel but not necessarily an enjoyable one. Difficult is what it certainly is. First of all because it reflects the contradictions of its author - a devout Catholic who could be outspokenly critical of the Church, a reactionary monarchist with socialist ideals, a supporter of De Gaulle who became disillusioned with post-war France. It is also difficult because, as its title implies, it expresses its (not always obvious) theological/philosophical message through the medium of a fictional diary - which means long monologues and reminiscences of dialogues between the protagonist and fellow clerics and/or parishioners. Bernanos provides no easy or convenient answers and, for a Catholic novel which ends on a note of hope, it has more than its fair share of existentialist angst. A challenging read, but a strangely captivating one. ( )

My Amazon review -

http://www.amazon.com/review/R1UESSBE6TY0AV/ref=cm_cr_rdp_perm ( )

1828 The Diary of a Country Priest, by Georges Bernanos translated from the French by Pamela Morris (read 22 Feb 1984) This was first published in English in 1937. I've heard of it for years and have finally read it. It tells the story of a young priest in France, who dies of cancer. Really quite moving, but of course not really current. ( )

required text Bryan Burton, spring 2008