The English Soul - by Peter Ackroyd (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

From celebrated historian and writer Peter Ackroyd, a magisterial portrayal of English Christianity over the centuries.

This book portrays the spirit and nature of English Christianity, as it has developed over the last fourteen hundred years. During this time, Christianity has been the predominant faith of the people and the reflection of the English soul. This fascinating new history is an account of the Christian English soul, which recognizes the fact that Christianity has been the anchoring and defining doctrine of England while accepting respectfully that other powerful and significant faiths have influenced the religious sensibility of this nation. Peter Ackroyd surveys the lives and faith of the most important figures of English Christianity from the Venerable Bede to C. S. Lewis, exploring the mysticism of Julian of Norwich and William Blake; the tumultuous years of the Reformation; the emergence of the English bible; the evangelical tradition, including John Wesley; and the contemporary contest between tradition, revival, and atheism. This is an essential, comprehensive, and accessible survey of English Christianity.

Review Quotes

"Ackroyd is the master of the broad-sweep tour de force. In The English Soul he surveys the lives and faith of the most important figures in English Christianity, from the Venerable Bede to C.S. Lewis, exploring, along the way, the mysticism of Julian of Norwich and William Blake."-- "Tablet"

"Ackroyd, a distinguished novelist and biographer, is a companionable guide. He writes with verve and clarity, and with a steady and unstrained command of a massive field of theological enquiry. . . . The English Soul is well crafted, with twenty-three chapters exploring different facets of religious experience."-- "Australian Book Review"

"The English Soul is a book about the history, spirit and nature of English Christianity. . . . The book is excellent on several notes. Firstly, it vividly describes the huge array of figures in the history of English Christianity, not only well-known individuals but others who are less so--and how they were influenced. It is very well researched. Secondly there are many portraits and photographs of the most famous of those he discusses. This brings their characters to life. Thirdly it is written in a non-partisan way. The book is a brilliant history of the English Church and the people who built and are building it."-- "Arts Centre Group"

"[An] abundantly enjoyable history of English Christianity."-- "Review 31"

"A wonderful, occasionally breathless, often enlightening and always entertaining pilgrimage through 1,400 years in search of the faith of the nation, or, more broadly, the English soul, which exists beyond the confines of institutional religion. As a guide to its history and spiritual drama, Ackroyd is colourful, opinionated and thought-provoking."--Peter Stanford, author of "If These Stones Could Talk: The History of Christianity in Britain and Ireland through Twenty Buildings"

"Ackroyd's history of Christianity in England is a lively and detailed book. . . . In The English Soul, Ackroyd sets himself the task of capturing the 'spirit and nature' of English Christianity."-- "Daily Telegraph"

"Ackroyd's new book is about the evolution of Christianity in England, from the venerable Bede to Justin Welby. The book carries the title The English Soul, what he defines now as 'a convenient shorthand for qualities which we don't understand.' As with all of Ackroyd's books, you arrive at the end of this procession of mystics and evangelists, heretics and headbangers, briefly cleverer than when you began. His history takes in lives of a multitude of believers from Julian of Norwich, through John Donne and John Wesley, to GK Chesterton and CS Lewis, with numerous enjoyable diversions along the way."-- "Observer"

"Anyone interested in the development of Christianity in England--and in the historical journey from which the Church of England emerged--will find much to engage with and reflect upon. Ackroyd has certainly provided an excellent ecclesiastical and theological tour d'horizon, full of well-drawn pen pictures of important divines, both conformist and non-conformist."-- "Arbuturian"

"Discerning the English soul is here performed through twenty-three chapters of biographical sketches from Bede in the seventh century to the present day. . . . If Ackroyd does not convincingly find the English soul, he is agreeable company through the centuries in search of it."-- "Oldie"

"England's history has been interwoven with Christianity for the past 1,400 years. 'The spirit and nature' of that faith is now the subject of this book. . . . This character-led account, from Bede to Wleby, is clear and instructive. At his best, Ackroyd distils with dexterity."-- "Country Life"

"In the Western world today, Ackroyd is one of the finest writers of biography, history, and fiction. His most recent project turns attention to the field of religion, setting out to describe what he calls the 'spirit and nature of English Christianity' as it has developed over the past 1,400 years. The English Soul: Faith of a Nation offers an episodic and biographical account of books, individuals, and communities that have done most to shape this tradition. Consistent with Ackroyd's gifts, the book crafts superb turns of phrase while approaching its subject with curiosity, generosity, and breadth. . . . It is provocative and sometimes baffling but also shrewd, carefully observed, and at its best, brilliant."-- "Christianity Today"

"It is the gift of the historian to accompany a compelling narrative with a passionate intensity that helps the reader see why it matters so much, an analytical detachment that offers rewarding evaluation, and a playful predilection for anecdote that charms and cheers. Ackroyd combines all four in this marvellous episodic depiction of faith in England, which wisely eschews comprehensiveness for the relish of close encounter. In doing so, Ackroyd describes how the word has most characteristically and distinctively become flesh in this green and pleasant land. By the end you know Christianity better--and you know England better."--Samuel Wells, Vicar, St Martin-in-the-Fields, London

"Since before there was an England, the English have been defined by their relationship with Christianity--both positive and negative--in its many, ever-changing forms. Through Ackroyd's calm gaze we see the leading characters and moments of that story, facile judgements suspended in favour of a warm, rigorous humanity."--Alec Ryrie, professor of the history of Christianity, Durham University

"The cameos are often effective and interesting summaries, and the book could be useful for introducing something of the background of English religious history."-- "Living Church"

"Undeterred, Ackroyd takes us on a breezy tour of the nation's religious history, from the Venerable Bede to the present. . . . The story of the English soul."-- "Spectator"

About the Author

Peter Ackroyd is one of Britain's most respected historians and novelists. His many books include London: The Biography, Hawksmoor, and the bestselling History of England series.