"Anything from Simone Weil's pen is worth reading . .. [she was] one of the most uncompromising and troubling witnesses to the modern travail of the spirit." -SUSAN SONTAG
Simone Weil (1909-1943) was a philosopher, theologian, political activist, and mystic whose work endures among the greatest spiritual thinking in human history. Born and educated in Paris, she was devoted to advocating for disenfranchised citizens around the world. Called "the saint of all outsiders by André Gide, Weil's compassion for the plight of the working class and the armed forces fueled her enlightened treatises and existential inquiries.
Edited and introduced by Siân Miles- a renowned expert on Weil's legacy this anthology presents the most extensive selection of her writing, including a portion from her seminal book The Need for Roots, a gathering of essays from the compilation Gravity and Grace, and the entirety of "The Iliad or the Poem of Force." Throughout the wide-ranging volume, she examines and denounces the dehumanizing control of governments and religious faiths as she expounds the importance of equality and tolerance. These pieces exemplify her groundbreaking metaphysical and ethical beliefs that are as radical and relevant in contemporary society as they were in her generation.
"[Weil was] the only great spirit of our time." -ALBERT CAMUS
"A kind of genius akin to that of a saint?" -T. S. ELIOT
