St. Francis of Assisi: A Biography

by Johannes Jørgensen, Murray Bodo (Selected by), Jens E. Jorgensen

There are few lives of the saints in the vast collection of such literature which are as remarkable as this biography of St. Francis of Assisi. Written in a readable and lively style, its scholarship is unquestioned and it is accepted as the most notable contribution to Franciscan literature in modern times.

Genres: Biography, Religion, Nonfiction, Danish, Christian, Philosophy, History

354 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1907

About the author

Jens Johannes Jørgensen, a Danish contemporary of Jacques Maritain, Gilbert Keith Chesterton, and Sigrid Undset, took part of the Catholic literary revival in the early 20th century. His biography of Saint Francis of Assisi ranks second only to that of Paul Sabatier in influence. He also wrote award-winning biographies of Saint Catherine of Siena and Saint Bridget of Sweden. He lived in Assisi for many years, and people often nominated him for the Nobel Prize in literature.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johanne...

Reviews

[Sotiris Makrygiannis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Think of Gandhi but 1000 years earlier. Francis was a party animal at youth, rich and famous. He delivered all his clothes to his father and left naked from home to become the poorest priest. His order expanded fast but no one was able to accept any money, everything had to be given to the poor. Amazing story, the general historical elements are not well presented in the book, his says and actions probably.

[Bob Mendelsohn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jorgensen covers everything sometimes with a bit of hagiography, but always with clarity. I appreciated the stories, the encounters with Francis' family, his 'brothers', the pope, bishops and so many others. My greatest takeaway was humility, that which I don't come by naturally, but which Francis ever demonstrated. Even when he 'had it all' in the 2nd season of his life, he couldn't keep it up; he had to give it all up again.
May I be found so doing.

[Mary Rubega · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book does a wonderful job detailing the life of St Francis. It is somewhat difficult to follow as it is not in chronological order, however once you get use to the format is much easier read. Jorgensen also provides great detail on the political state and geography of the area if a flowery style.

What made Francis toss all life's advantages aside end embrace a life of austerity and total sacrifice? This book does a great job of detailing why.

*Imprisoned for a year at 19
*Living a life of fun with friends
*Always generous to his friends and the poor
*Early 20s and almost died...life is empty
*Lives in a cave and fasts and prays
*Messages from God
*Deny the physical and turn away from the worldly

The conversion and total commitment
*He never stores anything, food/clothes - God will provide
*He begs for food; and that is a cornerstone of the orders he founds
*Always gives whatever he has to those poorer
*Believed all one needed was God's word
*Seen by other brothers levitating while praying
*Was a stigmatic

Perhaps what is most unsettling is that if someone I knew behaved as Francis did, I would be really concerned......I have a long way to go.

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[B. Barron · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good but I would have preferred a more linear account of the Saints life. Dry facts and figures told in order are my thing.

[Chris Roy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jorgensen did an incredible job telling the ups and downs of Francis's life. I loved hearing about Francis's desire just to live the Gospel simply, using Occam's Razor and taking Jesus's words at face value - and thus if someone says that his rule of life is too hard, they are also saying that living the Gospel is too hard. Then we get some really beautiful paragraphs that are basically Examinations of Conscience for living in community life. And we get to mourn the end of his life, as he sees the Franciscans drifting away from his vision. I loved so much of the book that I'm sticking with my 5 star review, but there are a number of boring parts. Jorgensen also does a frustrating thing where he muddles with the timeline of events, which would be okay if he stated the year more often, but since he doesn't, it can be hard to keep track of what has/hasn't happened yet.

[William · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I read the Flowers of Saint Francis at the age of 12, I was inspired and took the name Francis as my Confirmation name. Reading this comprehensive biography of St. Francis was very moving but made me think that St. Francis and the friars minor of his time were a bit crazy. I was much more sympathetic towards Brother Elias. Maybe I'm less idealistic and more sinful... Anyway, it was a great read that gave a unique insight into one of the most influential saints of all time and of a time very different from ours.

[Zanda Da Silva · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jā.. pirmais žetons autoram un tulkotājam - iesākumā baidījos, ka grāmata būs sausa un ne-katolim nesaprotama. Bet nekā no tā! Tomēr pati Franča dzīve - apbrīna mijas ar pilnīgu neizpratni; līdzjūtība pat ar nosodījumu..ļoti gribēšu ar viņu debesīs aprunāties :)

[David Anusontarangkul · Rating 1 out of 5]

I found this book hard to follow. It was a subject I didn't know much about but it was interesting to see about certain parts ofSaint Francis's life.

[Connor Longaphie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book, definitely not a fan of st. Francis

[Keith Long · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty great anecdotal stories and spiritual advice throughout. A bit of a snooze at times.

[Javier Villar · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book is hard to follow. His life is beyond exceptional.

[Wanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is a good, straightforward biography, well foot-noted, with a thorough appendix of Francis' authenticated writings.
My copy was published in August, 1955, and has been read by so many that it is falling apart. There are many underlined passages and margin notes in several hands. I added my own.
Among lines I highlighted:
"For all beings it is undoubted happiness to exist, and it is their simple duty to thank their Father for life."
"Every being was for Francis a direct word from God. He realized the worth of all things and had reverence for them as for something precious and holy. He understood God's presence among his creatures."
"The sight of a flower in the silence of the early morning or of the mouth of a little bird confidently opened revealed to him the pure beauty of God and the endless tenderness of the creator."
"There is only one God--the God of creation, the God of the Cross, the God of love and the God of nature--one God who has the spirit of life, from worm to cherubim, through all the ages of eternity. Francis felt this for he was a Christian who wanted to live, and loved life--in its purity, in it's golden goodness, in its deepest innermost sweetness."

[Big H · Rating 5 out of 5]

Long, but full of great info!