Description
Book SynopsisThis lucidly written biography of Aleksandr Men examines the familial and social context from which Men developed as a Russian Orthodox priest. Wallace Daniel presents a different picture of Russia and the Orthodox Church than the stereotypes found in much of the popular literature. Men offered an alternative to the prescribed ways of thinking...
Trade ReviewWallace Daniel's Russia's Uncommon Prophet provides an authoritative, accessible, and highly sympathetic English-language biography of Aleksandr Men
* Journal of Church and State *
Russia's Uncommon Prophet weaves together Men''s intellectual journey with his biography and makes a valuable contribution to the history of religion in Russia and also to our understanding of late Soviet society.
* Canadian Slavonic Papers *
Russia's Uncommon Prophet is especially valuable for the way it places Fr Men within the context of Soviet history and the political changes of perestroika under Gorbachev, a period when Fr Men was able to fulfil his gifts as a missionary and writer.
* Church Times *
Daniel vindicates Men against his detractors, but this is no hagiography. Rather it is a portrait of a uniquely gifted man and a paean of praise to the possibility, even in the most difficult of circumstances, of a truly human life, lived to the full and crowned with martyrdom.
* Journal of Ecclesiastical History *
This biography of Father Aleksandr Men' is an excellent contribution to the study of Russian religious thought and the history of religious experience in the Soviet period. It is also a great addition to the growing library of biographies of individuals, who have had an exceptional spiritual influence in their lifetimes and beyond. Historians, philosophers, and theologians will find Daniel's insightful exploration of Aleksandr Men's life, ministry, and thought worthy of their consideration.
* Modern Greek Studies Yearbook *
The thorough treatment of the history of the Russian Orthodox Church and Daniel's insights into religious life make the book a must-read for historians specializing in the Soviet Union.
* History: Reviews of New Books *
This magisterial biography portrays Father Aleksandr Men (1935–90) as a most uncommon cleric. Daniel has written a powerful and timely book that will, like Men himself, endure.
* The Russian Review *
