Setting the World on Fire: The Brief, Astonishing Life of St. Catherine of Siena by Shelley Emling, Hardcover, 9781137279804 | Buy online at The Nile
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Setting the World on Fire: The Brief, Astonishing Life of St. Catherine of Siena

The Brief, Astonishing Life of St. Catherine of Siena

Author: Shelley Emling  

Hardcover

The first modern, secular biography of Italy's answer to Joan of Arc.

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Summary

The first modern, secular biography of Italy's answer to Joan of Arc.

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Description

One of only two patron saints of Italy, the other being St. Francis of Assisi, St. Catherine was a political powerhouse in late 14th century Europe, a time of war, social unrest and one of the worst natural disasters of all time - the plague. She worked for peace between Christians while campaigning for a holy crusade against Muslims. Though illiterate, she grew into a great writer. Though frail, she often starving herself. She offered moral guidance and inspiration to kings, queens and popes.

It's easy to see why feminists have sought to claim her patronage. From her refusal to marry to her assertion that her physical appearance was of no importance, the famous Saint is ripe for modern interpretation. How did this girl, the second-youngest of 25 children of a middle-class dyer, grow to become one of the most beloved spiritual figures of all time-a theological giant to rank alongside the likes of Thomas Aquinas? Recalling her example recently, Pope Francis encouraged the young to "learn from her how to live with the clear conscience of those who do not bend to human compromises." In Setting the World on Fire, Emling offers a fascinating portrait of this powerful, charismatic woman.

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Critic Reviews

“"This first modern, secular biography of St. Catherine of Siena details the mystic's brief life from 1347-80, a time of 'tragedy, violence, and corruption' in church and state." -- Library Journal "Shelley Emling has given us a lively contemporary retelling of the life of one of the most amazing women ever. Transporting the reader to a medieval Italy riven by war and plague, she recounts how a headstrong daughter of wool dyers became an emaciated mystic adored by the crowds and an influential reformer at a time of deep division in both Church and state. Catherine of Siena was that most paradoxical of figures: an unlettered nun who was one of the great teachers of her age, a powerless woman who was feared and admired by popes and princes, and a consecrated virgin whose total immersion in Jesus Christ freed her from the constraints of her age. Emling rescues Catherine from the hagiographers but handles her subject tenderly and respectfully, in the process breathing new life into a remarkable figure." --Austen Ivereigh, author, The Great Reformer: Francis and the Making of a Radical Pope "It's a pleasure to revisit the life of Catherine of Siena in Shelley Emling's fast paced but thorough biography of one of the Catholic Church's greatest saints. Catherine struggled with feckless clergy, warring popes, conniving cardinals and her own formidable mother, but the fact that the Church survived her era is in large part due to Catherine and her unwavering confidence in the guidance of the Holy Spirit." --Sarah Gallick, author, The Big Book of Women Saints "Relying on meticulous research, a gift for storytelling and obvious admiration for her subject, Emling conveys the unique and often bizarre life of St Catherine across a seven hundred year span to 21st century readers who will find in her story important lessons for our own morally challenged world." --John Moody, author of Pope John Paul II (Biography)”

"The story of how [St. Catherine of Siena] became one of the most beloved -- and well-respected -- figures of all time is fascinating, and Emling's research is impeccable, filled with vivid descriptions that bring you back in time." --Lois Alter Mark, midlifeattheoasis.com

"Emling's portrait of St. Catherine's brief life and its tremendous influence in Italy and around the world is engaging and enlightening." --Publisher's Weekly

"This first modern, secular biography of St. Catherine of Siena details the mystic's brief life from 1347-80, a time of 'tragedy, violence, and corruption' in church and state." --Library Journal

"Shelley Emling has given us a lively contemporary retelling of the life of one of the most amazing women ever. Transporting the reader to a medieval Italy riven by war and plague, she recounts how a headstrong daughter of wool dyers became an emaciated mystic adored by the crowds and an influential reformer at a time of deep division in both Church and state. Catherine of Siena was that most paradoxical of figures: an unlettered nun who was one of the great teachers of her age, a powerless woman who was feared and admired by popes and princes, and a consecrated virgin whose total immersion in Jesus Christ freed her from the constraints of her age. Emling rescues Catherine from the hagiographers but handles her subject tenderly and respectfully, in the process breathing new life into a remarkable figure." --Austen Ivereigh, author, The Great Reformer: Francis and the Making of a Radical Pope

"It's a pleasure to revisit the life of Catherine of Siena in Shelley Emling's fast paced but thorough biography of one of the Catholic Church's greatest saints. Catherine struggled with feckless clergy, warring popes, conniving cardinals and her own formidable mother, but the fact that the Church survived her era is in large part due to Catherine and her unwavering confidence in the guidance of the Holy Spirit." --Sarah Gallick, author, The Big Book of Women Saints

"Relying on meticulous research, a gift for storytelling and obvious admiration for her subject, Emling conveys the unique and often bizarre life of St Catherine across a seven hundred year span to 21st century readers who will find in her story important lessons for our own morally challenged world." --John Moody, author of Pope John Paul II (Biography)

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About the Author

Shelley Emling is a senior editor at The Huffington Post. Her work has previously appeared in The New York Times, Fortune, Slate, The Wall Street Journal, The Times, The Boston Globe, The Christian Science Monitor, and FoxNews.com. The author of The Fossil Hunter and Marie Curie and her Daughters, she covered Europe for six years for Cox Newspapers. She lives in Montclair, New Jersey.

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Product Details

Publisher
St. Martin's Press | Palgrave Macmillan
Published
11th April 2016
Pages
256
ISBN
9781137279804

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