Conversations with My Heart: Contemplations on God and the World

— About the Book — Metropolitan Anastasy was a leading figure of the Russian emigration following the Communist takeover of his country. A man of erudition, he formed a bridge between two worlds -- the Imperial Court of the last Tsar and the transient 20th century Russian diaspora. These reflections from his diary in the calamitous post-revolutionary period offer the groanings of his heart and musings on the eternal mercy of God which he writes “are part of my very essence.” They draw upon wisdom from sources as diverse as writers of classical antiquity, authors, composers and inventors of the age of enlightenment, offering unique perspectives on these. This volume is enhanced by a short life of the author written by Archbishop Averky (Taushev) together with several black and white photographs. — Author Biography — Metropolitan Anastasy (Gribanovsky) (1873–1965) was the second First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia. He was born into a priest’s family in the Tambov Province of Imperial Russia. He went on to study at Moscow Theological Academy under Archimandrite (later Metropolitan) Anthony (Khrapovitsky), the future head of ROCOR. He was ordained a priest and in 1906 consecrated as a vicar bishop in the Moscow diocese. A few years later he became Archbishop of Kishinev. After the Russian Revolution he joined ROCOR and served as the head of the Jerusalem Ecclesiastical Mission. After the death of Metropolitan Anthony in 1936, he was unanimously elected Metropolitan. Under his nearly thirty years as First Hierarch, ROCOR moved its headquarters to the United States from Germany and underwent a great expansion in America. He retired in 1964, seeing the election of his successor Metropolitan Philaret (Vosnesensky) and reposed in the Lord in 1965.  He is buried in a crypt beneath the altar of the main cathedral of Holy Trinity Monastery in Jordanville, NY.   Deacon Nicholas Kotar is a recent graduate of Holy Trinity Seminary and an assistant editor at Holy Trinity Publications in Jordanville, NY. He also has a degree in Russian Literature from UC Berkeley. Having begun conducting with the youth choir in the Holy Virgin Cathedral in San Francisco, Nicholas helped establish the St John of San Francisco Men’s Chorale, which has released two disks to date: Rejoice in Song and Chrysostom. Currently he conducts the monastery and seminary choir at Holy Trinity Monastery in Jordanville. He is also a founding member of Conquering Time, an ensemble of performance, visual, and literary artists inspired by the Inklings that stages original works of storytelling and traditional music and publishes new poetry and prose.