John M. Sweeney belongs to the people of the book in more ways than one.
The Milwaukee writer, a Catholic married to a rabbi, easily fits into the traditional Islamic description of a follower of a Biblical monotheistic religion. But he’s also literally a hardcore book guy, having worked as a bookseller, salesperson, editor, and publisher.
In My Life in Seventeen Books: A Literary Memoir (Ankou Publishing), Sweeney weaves together the threads of his character, explorer and bibliophile, into a satisfying volume. On May 7th, the publication date, a launch event will be held at Boswell Books in Milwaukee starting at 6:30 p.m.
Sweeney has written dozens of stories about spiritual figures such as St. Francis (a hero of his faith), Meister Eckert, Thomas Merton, Nicholas Black Elk, and other provocative gurus who sneak among us cats. I have written or edited several books. It is therefore not surprising that many of his 17 books here, which prompt his autobiographical reflections, contain spiritual themes.
“Just as Teresa of Ávila said that you often need a book to begin the inner system of prayer, perhaps I too need a book at hand to begin the inner system of prayer for anything meaningful in life. ,” Sweeney wrote. .
As “My Life in 17 Books” repeatedly shows, the book often needs to be a specific physical edition for Sweeney. What fascinates him is not only the words of Rabindranath Tagore’s “Poems,” but also an old book he found in a second-hand bookstore, printed on Indian paper and inscribed with fly leaves. This was the case in the late Middle Ages in Europe. ” I see something incarnate in this, that what is calling out to Sweeney is not just an idea, a mind, a word, but an idea, a mind, a word embodied in something physical. Are you trying?
In one of his more playful confessions, Sweeney admits at the beginning of the chapter: “In some of these chapters I talk about how I organize my business and find used bookstores.”
Sweeney wrote about the “mirror of perfection” and said, “I have always been drawn to small books. “It was something that I had done before.” Sweeney, a convert to Catholicism, declares that when he visits used bookstores, he “stops and looks at almost every old book and odd little book.” It wasn’t until later in life that I learned of the importance of little books in Catholic devotion. , The Book of Blessings, and Penny’s Catechism.
The stories here are honest, but not all sweet. He connects Martin Buber’s The Story of the Hasidim with his first failed marriage. And they are not all ecclesiastical. When Sweeney was a Christian high school student, hearing Rimbaud’s name mentioned in the lyrics of a Dylan song reminded him of the New Directions version of the French poet’s “A Season in Hell and a Drunken Ship.” It would have been.
Sweeney carried around some of the books he had written for more than a year. He understands that in some ways this is less common today. Nowadays, many people read e-books, but many people rarely read books. “With this latest cultural shift underway, my interest in books is already different than before. It feels like the perfect time to document what books mean to me. ”
if you go
John M. Sweeney will speak about “My Life in Seventeen Books” at Boswell Books, 2559 N. Downer Ave., May 7 at 6:30 p.m. Admission is free, but registration is required.visit boswellbooks.com.
