The Temple by John Piper

The Temple by John Piper

The story behind this novel by one of twentieth-century Britain's great poets and men of letters is nearly as remarkable as the book itself. Not long ago, a friend just returned from America told the author that he had read in the Spender manuscript collection of the University of Texas a novel called The Temple and dated 1929. Stephen Spender immediately obtained a copy of his old draft manuscript--admired in the early thirties by his London publisher, but remaining unpublished because of the sensitivity of the contents and fear of libel actions--and read it with astonished pleasure. He then rewrote it in part, taking care not to diminish its ardent youthfulness, its innocence and cynicism, and the immediacy of its view of the last days of Weimar Germany, on the eve of Hitler's rise to power.

It is, as one might expect, an autobiographical novel. Vividly present along with the protagonist, and not much disguised, are the two other members of the famous triumvirate Auden-Spender-Isherwood. Here are the experiences of a twenty-year-old Oxford poet on vacation in Hamburg, who then travels down the Rhine with two companions. We see his response to the bronzed young Germans--the Children of the Sun--their friendships, parties, sexuality, naturism (especially their cult of the naked body), and all the gauche hedonism that was soon to vanish under the Nazis.

Clearly The Temple is a novel of historical and literary importance. But it is, as well, an entertaining and moving story of a young man's awakening.

GEORGE HERBERT (1593-1633) was born at Montgomery, Powys, Wales. He was born at Montgomery Castle as were many of the distinguished Herberts before him. His lineage includes many knights that lived at the Castle. He was educated by Mr. Ireland at Westminster and at fifteen he attended Trinity College, Cambridge. In 1619 he served as Orator of the University for eight years. In 1626 he became Prebendary of Layton Ecclesia in the diocese of Lincoln. He married Jane Danvers, and in 1630 became rector of Bemerton, and at 39 he died of tuberculosis. His largest diversion was music. His most notable work is The Temple which is a large selection of his poems.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9781947644328
ISBN 10	1947644327
Title	The Temple
Author	John Piper
Series	Christian Heritage
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	Canon Press
Year published	2020-03-01
Number of pages	248
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.