{"product_id":"francis-of-assisi-9780712668149","title":"Francis Of Assisi","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eFrancis of Assisi (1182-1226) was the least dogmatic of saints, seeing himself as God''s troubadour or fool. His life was rich in its succession of dramas. After his debauchery as a young playboy, merchant and soldier - he fought at the Battle of Collestrada - he stripped naked in court, abandoned everything he owned and devoted his life to the poorest and the sick. On his missions he walked over the Pyrenees barefoot, was shipwrecked, and crossed the lines during the Fifth Crusade to parley with the Sultan in Egypt. In 1224 marks similar to Christ''s wounds appeared on his hands, feet and side, the first recorded case of stigmata. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFrancis''s feelings for creation, epitomised in his sermon to the birds, stimulated the realism of the Italian Renaissance artists; his vernacular poems inclined Dante to write \u003ci\u003eThe Divine Comedy\u003c\/i\u003e in Italian not Latin. The first religious order he founded, for men, had a radical effect on social justice and the developing universities in Euro\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA fast moving, fresh and engaging unorthodox account of a man who set his face against the pomp and wealth of the medieval Church, and - in more recent times - has been hailed as the patron saint of the ecological movement -- Jeremy Lewis * Sunday Express *\u003cbr\u003eGentle and reflective...soothing and rewarding...This is a book to be grateful for. It is a beautifully clear exposition of a life that is worth emulating -- Ann Wroe * Daily Telegraph *\u003cbr\u003eA fascinating, exceptionally well-written evocation of the life and times of St Francis...an altogether splendid book -- Eric Newby\u003cbr\u003eA flowing, readable and often immensely elegant account of a remarkable life. It more than manages to accommodate a polished and intelligent retelling with a strong narrative thrust, an absence of arcane language, and a freshness and vitality that grows out of observations made while house followed in Francis's footsteps around the shore of the Mediterranean -- Peter Stanford * Independent *\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Vintage","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51742283694423,"sku":"9780712668149","price":999.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9780712668149.jpg?v=1758383968","url":"https:\/\/bookcurl.com\/products\/francis-of-assisi-9780712668149","provider":"Book Curl","version":"1.0","type":"link"}