Overview
Written in 1565 at the request of her confessor, St. Teresa's autobiography is at once an extraordinary chronicle of a life governed by the desire to draw closer to God and a literary masterpiece that brings to life a woman of candor, humor, and great spiritual strength. Teresa writes of her early life, the conflicts and crises she faced, and her decision to enter a life of prayer. Her lyrical, almost erotic descriptions of ecstatic experiences call to mind the senuous language of the Song of Songs.
A fresh new edition of a successful title that is both a religious classic and a great work of literature by one of the most dynamic women in history. George Eliot in Middlemarch wrote of Teresa that her "passionate, ideal nature demanded an epic life." This is the story of that life.