Review: Vita Brevis: A Letter to St. Augustine, Jostein Gaarder
Submitted by Doll Noa on May 27, 2010 – 3:00 am7 Comments
Vita Brevis: A Letter to St. Augustine
“Years have passed and much has changed since we two had our arms around each other. Thus what I write will perhaps be equally a letter to the whole Christian church, for today you are a man of great influence.”
In a second-hand bookshop in Buenos Aires, Jostein Gaarder makes an exciting find: a transcript of a letter to St. Augustine, author of the famous Confessions, from Floria Aemilia, the woman he renounced for chastity.
Vita Brevis is both a classic love story, beautifully told and a fascinating insight into St. Augustine’s life and that of his discarded concubine. It is up to the reader to determine its authenticity…
Well before Dan Brown set off shockwaves of religious controversy in the literary world with speculation about the love life of Jesus, Norwegian author Jostein Gaarder put St. Augustine’s private life under the microscope when he published a slim volume, whose Latin title translates as “Life is Short.” Vita Brevis is presented as a translation of a long-hidden Latin manuscript, entitled Codex Floriae, which Gaarder discovered while spelunking in an Argentinean antiquarian shop. It is a lengthy epistle written to St. Augustine, Bishop of Hippo Regius and church father, by a woman calling herself Floria. Gaarder’s “find” provides a heretofore absent female viewpoint on the life and love of one of the Church’s foremost proponents of total sexual abstinence – it’s the tell-all that’s been 1600 years in the making.
The intended recipient of the letter, Augustine (354-430 AD), was an early Christian philosopher and theologian from what is now modern-day Algeria. He wrote prolifically on Christian doctrine and theology, and one of his most well-known works is his Confessions, written between 397 and 398. Generally considered the first Western autobiography, it is Augustine’s recounting of his childhood, his wicked youth (with emphasis on his sexual immorality), and his subsequent conversion to Christianity. The author of the letter, Floria Aemilia, was apparently Augustine’s accomplice in his early life of sin as his lover of 13 years.
When published more than ten years after their separation, Augustine’s Confessions struck Floria as so one-sided and willfully blind to the emotional aspects of their relationship, she was moved to set pen to paper, or rather quill to parchment, in order to set the record straight with him. Divided into 10 stand-alone passages, the letter is Floria’s own Confession, an articulate unburdening of her soul to the man who first loved her, then left her, then ultimately denied and marginalized her.
Floria deals with two distinct topics in these passages. Many of her comments are strong disagreements with Augustine’s theology, and it is more than refreshing to have a female opinion on this subject from a time when women made almost no mark on history, and certainly none on the Church. But the other subject of Floria’s pen is one that should be easily recognized by contemporary lovers: As in any relationship, no matter when or where, the male and female perspectives on events seem to have varied dramatically. It’s not just in our modern society that men and women live on separate planets. Beyond that, though, Floria expresses a deep hurt that Augustine should have so trivialized a relationship of more than a decade, in which they together produced a child, a relationship of which she asks, “Were you and I not two sides of a body that fused together – as a bridge joins the two sides of a river into one body?” Augustine went so far that he never even once mentioned the mother of his son by name, although his mother’s name has been recorded for posterity. Indeed, Floria credits his mother as the first influence to come between them. Yes, even in the fourth century, overbearing mothers were a problem!
Gaarder’s introduction claims that he submitted his discovery to the Vatican for closer analysis, but the Vatican Library denies ever having received such a manuscript. Church conspiracy or fictional gambit? Impossible to know, and Gaarder refuses to this day to confirm or deny the truth of the letter. If the manuscript were real, Gaarder was foolishly naïve not to have demanded a receipt for it. But he had at least photocopied the document before it disappeared into the Vatican archives. The letter is presented in its English translation on the right-hand pages, and that text is heavily annotated on the left-hand pages, with details relating to the original Latin phrases, additional context and deeper explanation of classical references contained within the text, or identifying direct quotations Floria cited from Augustine’s Confessions. The tone and style of the prose, in keeping with its centuries-old origin, has a faintly foreign and exotic flare. Although not archaic, the formality and elegance of the phrases combine interestingly with the often blunt and earthy topics being discussed.
For such a brief manuscript, Vita Brevis accomplishes an astonishing amount. It is a learned critique of Augustine’s Confessions, a paean to the joy of both romantic and sexual love, a window into the richness of classical philosophy and culture, a blunt criticism of Catholic doctrine, the lament of a broken heart, and the confident voice of a woman who knows her own worth and strength. Not a light read, the book leaves the reader with enormous sympathy for Floria and tremendous food for contemplation. The question of whether Floria’s letter is a product of Gaarder’s fertile imagination or an historical fact becomes largely irrelevant as philosophy, theology, romance and tragedy are seamlessly blended into a lyrical and thought-provoking text. Historically dubious, Vita Brevis shines as a fine read.
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About The Author:
Jostein Gaarder (born August 8, 1952 in Oslo) is a Norwegian intellectual and author of several novels, short stories and children’s books, including the internationally bestselling novel Sophie’s World, which has been translated into more than 50 languages.
Publishing information about the version I read:
Vita Brevis: A Letter to St. Augustine, by Jostein Gaarder
Translated from the Norwegian by Anne Born
The book is also available in English published under the title That Same Flower: Floria Aemilia’s Letter to Saint Augustine by Farrar Straus & Giroux.
Noa first fell in love with books when she discovered 100 acre wood and its inhabitants. To this day, the last pages of “The House at Pooh Corner” make her cry. In a good way. From“Calvin and Hobbes” to “The Iliad and the Odyssey” and lets not forget “Martha Stewart’s Cupcakes”. Biographies, mysteries, history books and romances all have a place on her bookshelves. Who needs furniture? This 29 year old singleton’s dream is to invent the zero-calorie chocolate. But until that day arrives, she tries to create sweet confections with whatever chocolate she can find. An MA in conflict studies (need a mediator?) means Noa loves a good debate, especially when she wins. If she were in charge, books would be free for everyone.
Elvie – wonderful review, thsnk you so much!
I just heard today about – "Sophie's World" and how good it is!
Wonderful! Thank you Elvie!
ELVIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So awesome! Thank you. Sounds like this will be in my summer reading pile.
I love Jostein Gaarder. Did yo read Sophie's World? It was one of the first books I read in German and not many people know this but it was marketed as a young adult novel in Germany [and most of Europe] but not in the US. hehehehehe.
You know, they do that a lot in the US. One of my favorites, The Book Thief by Markus Zusak was marketed as an adult book everywhere except the US…what's up with that?
Day, I don't know why they do that but it was pre-Harry Potter, I believe so it could be they didn't know how to market it to young adults. Who knows???!!!
Swinka, I have indeed read Sophie's World, in English and German. It was my first Jostein Gaarder book. I thought about reviewing that one, but even though it's so much more well-known, I just had to go with Vita Brevis. It's one of my favorite books of all time. One that really makes you think about the way you look at life, love, religion, and relationships. SO AWESOME!
Awwww … now I *have* to read it … well Monday is a holiday :)