All We Know of Heaven: A Novel - Couverture souple

Rougeau, Remy

Couverture souple

ISBN 10 : 0618219226 ISBN 13 : 9780618219223

Editeur : Mariner Books, 2002

Synopsis

With "careful prose and a tone of humble striving" (New York Times Book Review), this revelatory first novel by a cloistered monk traces a young man's search for wisdom among the inhabitants of a Cistercian monastery. In 1973, Paul Seneschal, a shy nineteen-year-old from rural Manitoba, takes flight from the world behind the wrought iron gates of St. Norbert Abbey. Here forty monks grow their own food, wake at three in the morning to pray, and converse largely through a spare but expressive vocabulary of hand signals. Renamed Brother Antoine, Paul strives for wisdom and holiness, yet life within the cloister can't block out all of humanity's foibles. One monk lapses into pyromania; another, a French Canadian, attacks any English-speaker who gets too close; another resembles "a bald Martha Ray." We soon see that even in this rarefied realm, human folly nestles cheek by jowl with the divine. A wise yet refreshingly humorous account of a life of faith, ALL WE KNOW OF HEAVEN offers an a fascinating glimpse into a quiet world that very few people know about.

A propos du livre

Revue de presse

"To read ALL WE KNOW OF HEAVEN is to enter a quiet space--a realm at once exotic and familiar, separate from the whirling world and yet so achingly human in its depiction of the characters' desire for spiritual meaning, also deeply of it. Remy Rougeau's first novel is luminous. The prose is simple and refined; the images ring clear; every word matters."

--Marcie Hershman,

author of SPEAK TO ME: Grief,Love and What Endures [forthcoming] and TALES OF THE MASTER RACE

"It is a rare novel that promises to show us a world about which most of us know nothing; but Remy Rougeau does far more here than simply reveal the daily and nightly life of a cloistered monk. With generous and resonant prose, Rougeau takes us so deeply into the unadorned sensual world of this rural monastery that we--like our passionate protagonist, Brother Antoine--find ourselves in the quiet, constant presence of the ethereal. This is a deeply wise and uplifting book."

Andre Dubus III, author of HOUSE OF SAND AND FOG

"This appealing novel by a born storyteller allows us to enter the odd but very human hamlet of a monastery. Readers who would never consider a monastic life will appreciate the book's humane wisdom, recognizing that a true vocation is hard to discern, and that we are often saved by those who would seem least able to help us. I recommend the book also because it contains the best cemetery story in recent fiction."

Kathleen Norris, author of THE CLOISTER WALK

"A view of the monastic life that's steady, whole, intelligent, and moving."

Kirkus Reviews

"This droll, almost Barbara Pymish debut novel about monastery life--rife with petty jealousies, dawn chores, and repressed lust--is often lovely." The New Yorker

"His scrupulous detail about daily life in the monastery is fascinating to read....'All We Know of Heaven' offers lyrical, richly descriptive prose, thoughtful ruminatons on various ethical issues and an educational glimpse into monastic life." Newsday

"Somehow the whole, like Rougeau's quietly beautiful novel, becomes infinitely greater than its parts." The Washington Post

Présentation de l'éditeur

With "careful prose and a tone of humble striving" (New York Times Book Review), this revelatory first novel by a cloistered monk traces a young man's search for wisdom among the inhabitants of a Cistercian monastery. In 1973, Paul Seneschal, a shy nineteen-year-old from rural Manitoba, takes flight from the world behind the wrought iron gates of St. Norbert Abbey. Here forty monks grow their own food, wake at three in the morning to pray, and converse largely through a spare but expressive vocabulary of hand signals. Renamed Brother Antoine, Paul strives for wisdom and holiness, yet life within the cloister can't block out all of humanity's foibles. One monk lapses into pyromania; another, a French Canadian, attacks any English-speaker who gets too close; another resembles "a bald Martha Ray." We soon see that even in this rarefied realm, human folly nestles cheek by jowl with the divine. A wise yet refreshingly humorous account of a life of faith, ALL WE KNOW OF HEAVEN offers an a fascinating glimpse into a quiet world that very few people know about.

Détails de l'édition

• Éditeur: Mariner Books
• Date d'édition: 2002
• Langue: anglais
• ISBN 10: 0618219226
• ISBN 13: 9780618219223
• Reliure: Broché
• Nombre de pages: 240
• Coordonnées du fabricant: non disponible
• Personne responsable: Fossil (Europe) GmbH; https://www.fossil.com/de-de/; ; Oberwinkl 1; Grabenst�tt; 83355; Allemagne