God Speaks

By Charles Péguy God the Father’s lengthy speeches, delivered in ordinary, unassuming language, are unmistakable evidence of the genius of Charles Péguy. Such was the well-informed account of Julian Green, co-translator of the two volumes of prose and poetry—Basic Verities and Saints and Sinners—from which God Speaks derives. For these speeches show courage, “and genius is a form of intellectual courage, the courage it takes to allow inspiration to carry one as far as possible, sometimes too far in the eyes of many.” These ten poems of God speaking have a sensibility and humor which is in no way obscure or abstruse and carry a “rhythm of thought” which approximates the simple majesty of the Gospels. "I alone am perfect. It is probably for that reason That I know what perfection is…" The still-unequaled achievement of a nonpareil poet, God Speaks performs a miracle of character development, in which the poetry’s protagonist is “eminently le bon Dieu, the good Lord,” and convincingly, compelling so. Charles Péguy (1873–1914) was an acclaimed French poet, essayist, publisher, and editor of the magazine Les Cahiers de la Quinzaine. A staunch patriot and socialist, he converted to Roman Catholicism and his writings are imbued with the Catholic imaginative spirit. He died in the service of his beloved France on the eve of the Battle of the Marne. Paperback: 126pp. ISBN: 978-1952826856