by Carlos Eire
First published 2019
Carlos Eire examines the creation and reception of Teresa of Avila's spiritual autobiography, a text that began as a confession written for inquisitors who questioned the nun's mystical experiences. The National Book Award winner explores how this manuscript, once locked away by the Spanish Inquisition, transformed into one of Christianity's most influential spiritual works over five centuries. Eire traces the book's composition in sixteenth century Spain and follows its changing interpretations through different eras. The text served as a Counter-Reformation icon, found reverence in Franco's Spain, and later attracted readers who viewed it as feminist literature or secular writing. Eire argues that beneath these varied readings lies Teresa's authentic cry to God and her bold presentation of mystical theology as a quest for divine love. The book demonstrates how Teresa's personal testimony to mystical experience continues to speak across centuries to mystics, philosophers, artists, and scientists alike.
Genres: history, christian, religion, biography-memoir
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: quest, religious-themes
Setting: Spain
Period: 16th Century
279 pages · Kindle Edition · Princeton University Press