BitterSweetLife

Augustine the Kid




Saint Augustine's Childhood - Garry Wills A+ (formative)

How does one “review” Augustine? In short, one doesn’t—seventeen-hundred years of history already have. It’s not a question of whether his writings are relevant today, but how many hours you’ll dedicate to reading them. Like Henry James or Shakespeare, Augustine’s brilliance is in effect timeless. This review, as a result, focuses not so much on Augustine’s thought (which justifies books) but on one translation.

I’d wanted to read The Confessions for years, and prior to jumping in, I felt compelled to evaluate the translations available. One thing emerged quickly: In terms of clout and immediacy, Will’s work was getting the buzz. I bit.

Now having read Wills’ first installment of “The Testimony,” as he translates Augustine’s title, I’m ready to add my vote to the New York Review’s take: “his translations…sizzle.” Childhood, as communicated and contextualized by Wills, flows smoothly, and the main streams of Augustine’s thought are exposed clearly. Wills’ introduction, annotations and commentary are perceptive, and thoroughly documented with complementary texts from the saint’s other writings; at the get-go, Wills' identification of The Confessions as a long, devotional prayer is enlightening—and other comments are similarly insightful.

To sum up, Wills has put in the time—extensive language work and Augustinian research (including a Penguin Famous Lives biography)—to make his translation the hands-down winner. Wills is a sterling frame for one of history’s keenest minds.