The Devil Rides Outside

by John Howard Griffin

No less a critic than Clifton Fadiman called The Devil Rides Outside a "staggering novel." The first novel of John H. Griffin, it written during the author's decade of blindness following an injury suffered during the closing days of World War II. As Time Magazine described it, The Devil Rides Outside "has some things relatively rare in U.S. letters: energy, earnestness and unashamed religious fervor." Written as a diary, the novel relates the intellectual and spiritual battles of a young American musicologist who is studying Gregorian chant in a French Benedictine monastery. Even though he is not Catholic, he must live like the monks, sleeping in a cold stone cell, eating poor food, sharing latrine duties. His dreams rage with memories of his Paris mistress; his days are spent being encouraged by the monks to seek God. He takes up residence outside the monastery after an illness, but he finds the village a slough of greed and pettiness and temptation. Indeed, as the French proverb says, "the devil rides outside the monastery walls."

518 pages, Paperback

Published May 14, 2014

About the author

John Howard Griffin was a white American journalist who is best known for his account, Black Like Me, in which he details the experience of darkening his skin and traveling as a black man through Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia in 1959. (The racism that he encountered was so disturbing that he cut short the time that he had allotted for this very unique experiment, clearly demonstrating that no one would tolerate being treated as many blacks are, if he or she could possibly avoid it.)

Reviews

[Daniel Namie · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The Devil Rides Outside" by Griffin is an extraordinary first novel from a 32 year old man. Interestingly, the journal style of writing Griffin portrays in "The Devil Rides Outside" parallels his later book entitled "Black Like Me."

Even more interesting about "The Devil Rides Outside," which is contrary to "Black Like Me," is that Griffin apparently wrote "The Devil Rides Outside" from his own imagination. Where as, "Black Like Me" was a chronological account of Griffins perilous journey through Southern Black American in the 1960 as a white man who pharmaceutically alter his caucasian skin to negro in order to fully understand the undercurrent and apparent racism between whites and blacks.

What is fascinating about "The Devil Rides Outside" is the seeming symbolism of Griffin's characterization of the Devil as a French woman named Madam Renee. The suggestive Devil characterized of Madam Renee is symbolized by her clever camouflage of a respectable French woman. Madam Renee proves through the 570 page book that she is everything opposite of respectable. By the end, the reader hatred level of Madam Renee rivals the antagonist Iago in Shakespeare's tragedy "Othello."

[A Shan · Rating 3 out of 5]

well written and immersive. was waiting for a defining event that kinda never came. anti-climatic.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very interesting book. It is the journey of a young man into a monastery and focuses on his struggle especially with his sexuality.

[Terri Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

About a young man / student who goes to live with the monks in the monastery for a while to study music. A good read, but i'm too tired at moment to give a good review.