The Life of Saint Teresa of Avila by Herself
by St Teresa of Avila
Our Price: $63.52
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions
Book Summary Information
Author: St Teresa of AvilaEdition: Paperback
Published: 1988-01
ISBN: 9992727268
Publisher: Penguin USA (Paper)
Summary of The Life of Saint Teresa of Avila by Herself
Born in the Castilian town of Avila in 1515, Teresa entered the Carmelite convent of the Incarnation when she was twenty-one. Tormented by illness, doubts and self-recrimination, she gradually came to recognize the power of prayer and contemplation - her spiritual enlightenment was intensified by many visions and mystical experiences, including the piercing of her heart by a spear of divine love. She went on to found seventeen Carmelite monasteries throughout Spain. Teresa always denied her own saintliness, however, saying in a letter: 'There is no suggestion of that nonsense about my supposed sanctity.' This frank account is one of the great stories of a religious life and a literary masterpiece - after Don Quixote, it is Spain's most widely read prose classic.Written at the command of her confessors, the books of this 16th century Spanish saint and mystic (a beloved friend to another great Spanish mystic, John of the Cross), St. Teresa's writings remain classics of Christian mysticism. Less abstract and theoretical than her friend, Teresa's works are no less noteworthy for the brilliance of their ability to convey with both warmth and rigor some flavor of this most extraordinary experience: union with God. Her autobiography may well be the best entry point into her work and into the great mystical literature of the Christian church. Here she describes her early life and education, the conflicts and crisis she underwent, culminating in her determination to enter fully into the path of prayer. Following a description of the contemplative life, which she explores in four stages, she returns to her own life in order to describe (in erotic language reminiscent of the Song of Songs) the ecstatic experiences given to her by God.
If the idea of mysticism seems hopelessly otherworldly to you, try a taste of St. Teresa, who can be as down to earth as Oprah--and sometimes just as amusing. --Doug Thorpe
Classics Books
Book Subjects
- Arts & Photography
- Biographies & Memoirs
- Business & Investing
- Children's Books
- Comics & Graphic Novels
- Computers & Internet
- Cooking, Food & Wine
- Entertainment
- Gay & Lesbian
- Health, Mind & Body
- History
- Home & Garden
- Horror
- Law
- Literature & Fiction
- Mystery & Thrillers
- Nonfiction
- Outdoors & Nature
- Parenting & Families
- Professional & Technical
- Reference
- Religion & Spirituality
- Romance
- Science
- Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Sports
- Teens
- Travel
Most talked about in Classics Books
Native sonby Richard Wright
Perennial Library; Published: 1987; Paperback; Book
Best price: $1.75
Native Son: And How Bigger Was Bornby Richard Wright
Perennial; Published: 1993-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $26.84
Raphael and the Noble Taskby Catherine Salton
Harper; Published: 2000-10-24; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $5.49
Price in other shops:
Island (Perennial Classics)by Aldous Huxley
Harper Perennial Modern Classics; Published: 2002-07-30; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.00
Price in other shops:
A Tree Grows in Brooklynby Betty Smith
Harper; Published: 2001-11-13; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $14.73
Price in other shops:
The Great Divorce CDby C. S. Lewis
HarperAudio; Published: 2003-11-25; Audio CD; Book
Best price: $12.64
Price in other shops:
Great Expectationsby Charles Dickens
Macmillan Pub Co; Published: 1979-06; Paperback; Book
Price in other shops:
This Side of Paradiseby Fitzgerald
Scribner Paper Fiction; Published: 1988-09-30; Paperback; Book
Best price: $1.95
Price in other shops:
Black Coffee (Poirot)by Agatha Christie
Harper Collins Pb; Published: 2002-12-02; Paperback; Book
Best price: $68.32
Slouching Towards Bethlehem (1960s)by Joan Didion
Flamingo; Published: 2001-04-17; Paperback; Book
Best price: $22.25
Similar Books and other products
Gargantua and Pantagruel (Penguin Classics)by Francois Rabelais
Penguin Classics; Published: 2006-12-26; Paperback; Book
Best price: $10.78
Price in other shops:
Utopia (Penguin Classics)by Thomas More
Penguin Classics; Published: 2003-05-06; Paperback; Book
Best price: $5.21
Price in other shops:
Don Quixote (Penguin Classics)by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra
Penguin Classics; Published: 2003-02-25; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.83
Price in other shops:
The Civilization of the Renaissance in Italy (Penguin Classics)by Jacob Burckhardt
Penguin Classics; Published: 1990-12-04; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.00
Price in other shops:
The Essential Erasmus (Essentials)by Desiderius Erasmus
Plume; Published: 1964-05-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $9.65
Price in other shops:
Martin Luther : Selections From His Writingsby Martin Luther, John Dillenberger
Anchor; Published: 1958-03-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $9.00
Price in other shops:
The Lives of the Artists Volume 1by Giorgio Vasari
Penguin Classics; Published: 1988-03-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $7.93
Price in other shops:
The Book of the Courtier (Penguin Classics)by Baldesar Castiglione
Penguin Classics; Published: 1976-10-28; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.04
Price in other shops:
The Way of Perfectionby Teresa Of Avila
Image; Published: 1991-06-15; Paperback; Book
Best price: $7.93
Price in other shops:
Interior Castle (Dover Thrift Editions)by St. Teresa of Avila
Dover Publications; Published: 2007-12-17; Paperback; Book
Best price: $0.71
Price in other shops: