Robert Benson

What does it mean to pray without ceasing? Is it really that important to pray as the early Christians did? This title explores the ancient practice of fixed-hour prayer, a structure for our lives where we can live in continuous awareness of God's presence and reality.

Robert Benson's Blood and Memory is a wonderfully various memoir that combines family history, exact detail, lively anecdote, droll humor, sustained narrative, and wise reflection upon life's vicissitudes and mysteries. It is a book that rewards reading of any kind. The reader will be repaid by picking up the book at any point and reading a piece at random; the dividends will be considerably greater for intensely engaging the work from beginning to end, for it is artfully shaped, not haphazardly assembled. Its pace is both quick and cumulative in force. The author unfolds the story of his life in and out of the academy: his adventures and misadventures as son and husband and father; his forays as a hunter and his struggles with dogs and other creatures; his vocation as teacher and writer; his brushes with death as crises in his health occur; his meditations on our common mortality. Of particular interest now are the vivid accounts describing hurricanes in and around New Orleans during the late 1940s and early 50s. All in all this dazzling work of reminiscence and reflection enriches and enhances our understanding of life's pitfalls and possibilities. What more can any reader ask of an author?

THE SENTIMENTALISTS represents Robert Hugh Benson's first foray into "non-genre" fiction, as well as a significant and sensational switch from the historical novels by which he had achieved widespread popularity. This novel also marks Benson's change to an increasingly universal outlook, as well as to a more pointed form of satire, a quality that endeared him to Evelyn Waugh.

BY WHAT AUTHORITY? is Robert Hugh Benson's (1871-1914) first published historical novel. In it he portrays the story of the English Reformation in Elizabethan times from the Catholic point of view. This he achieved without the use of the stereotypes that characterized virtually all such productions in his day to the detriment of both sides of the question.

THE QUEEN'S TRAGEDY is Robert Hugh Benson's third in a series of novels designed to tell the story of the English Reformation from the Catholic point of view. Benson handles a difficult subject with skill and compassion, succeeding in breaking through centuries of prejudgment and propaganda about Mary Tudor, one of the least popular of England's rulers.

THE KING'S ACHIEVEMENT is an epic story set during the dissolution of the monasteries under Henry VIII. It is Robert Hugh Benson's second in a series intended to relate the story of the English Reformation in fictional form from the Catholic point of view. Benson's sister Margaret thought it "beautifully written, a pleasure to read."

A MIRROR OF SHALOTT is Robert Hugh Benson's collection of supernatural norror stories, originally published in various periodicals and later collected in book form. In this volume Benson contrives to establish "that horrible sense of silence round about us, in which dreadful forces are alert and watching us." Previous to this publication, A MIRROR OF SHALOTT has been Robert Hugh Benson's rarest title.

In THE NECROMANCERS Robert Hugh Benson sets out to expose the dangers of "Spiritism," interest in which had reached epidemic proportions by the early twentieth century. C. C. Martindale, S.J. commented that, "It is in THE NECROMANCERS that he brings all his heavy artillery to bear on his professed enemy. Here again the uncanny enters, but rises to the heroic level, and achieves the horrible; and I will confess that I can think of no book which reaches so high a pitch of horror, unaided by alien elements."

Praise for "The Body Broken" "The pathos of God for the torn and tearing body of Christ has seized the heart of Robert Benson. This book is a pure, passionate and prophetic cry to transcend all division and discord into reverence one another in obedience to the Master. One more thing: Benson is a helluva writer!" -Brennan Manning, author of A Glimpse of Jesus "In a time when bookstores are full of books and films about the end of the road (everyone seems to want to know), The Body Broken takes us on a journey for the sake of the journey itself, and in the process, it teaches us about loving one another, not by imperative, but by example." -from the foreword by John Fischer, author of Love Him in the Morning: Reflections on God's Faithfulness Jesus prayed for our unity as believers in the hours before His betrayal and crucifixion. Robert Benson tenderly pleads for all of us who follow Him to heed our Lord's petition and concentrate on what unites us instead of what divides us. In a thoughtful and beautifully written volume Benson challenges each of us to reexamine what it means to be a follower of Jesus in the diverse body of Christ.His honesty and heart for the church shine throughout this book. I thoroughly enjoyed it. -Dave Burchett, Author of Bring'em Back Alive: A Healing Plan for those Wounded by the Church and When Bad Christians Happen to Good People "Again and again, Robert Benson speaks to my heart. His search for authenticity and the power of his words to articulate the way stations on that pilgrim pathway resonate for me in a unique way. The Body Broken lifts us into a new dimension of spiritual reality." - Luci Shaw, Writer-in-Residence, Regent College and author of Water Lines "As always, Benson's deceptively simple storytelling sneaks up on you. His style, a fusion of gentleness, raw truth, and quiet power (remind you of anyone?), is put to good use here. The Body Broken is a keeper." - Nikki Grimes, award-winning author of Bronx Masquerade and What Is Goodbye? "It is a great irony that all of us who love Jesus and know that he prays for us, even now, that we "may all be one," have such a difficult time loving one another. Robert Benson doesn't exactly tell us how to do it but he does tell an honest story about the ways that Jesus' prayer is getting worked out in his life."- Eugene Peterson, Professor Emeritus of Spiritual Theology, Regent College, Vancouver, B.C.

In the spirit of Field of Dreams, a remarkable book about baseball and the meaning of life. A game between the Iowa Cubs and the Nashville Sounds at an AAA park in Nashville provides the lens through which Robert Benson explores the game of baseball and the meaning of life in The Game. It is an ordinary week night game in the early part of the season between two teams that will finish far out of first place in the Pacific League. But Benson shows us how in this average game of baseball, just as in our everyday lives, the routine plays-the seemingly minor yet vital moves, empty of bravado-eventually win the game. In beautifully measured prose, Benson links events in his life to the innings in this baseball game. Married to a woman who can quote baseball stats with the best of them, and with two children who share his love for the game (his teenage daughter made the decision early on that she would be the first woman to play for the Yankees), Benson explores the ways in which baseball has always somehow shaped and defined his life. The Game is an extraordinary testament to the everlasting wonder and magic of the great American pastime.

"There is no shortage of good days," writes Annie Dillard. "It is good lives that are hard to come by." Reflecting on what makes a "good life," Robert Benson offers a warmhearted, humorous guide to enriching our lives with the wisdom of Benedict, a 6th century monk. Each chapter is shaped around a Benedictine principle: prayer, rest, community, and work, and reveals the brilliant and infinitely practical ways that Benedictine spirituality can shape our lives today. Benson is honest and wise, sharing his own failings and the constant tension that he feels between the demands of the temporal and the spiritual. For anyone who feels caught in a web of conflicting priorities, or who finds the pace of modern life more draining than fulfilling, A Good Life will come as a welcome treat for the soul.

One man's story of his journey through spiritual uncertainty to a newfound understanding of his relationship to God.For those who have questioned their Christian faith, Robert Benson offers an account of his sojourn in a season of trouble and his journey back to God. In this spiritual self-portrait, Benson's experiences--battling depression and re-examining the deep Christian faith in which he has been immersed since childhood--become poignant testament of one believer's struggle with the mysteries of faith's road.

Living Prayer is the story of Robert Benson's quest across ecumenical and denominational lines in search of windows into the mystery of prayer. Weaving a narrative about his experiences while seeking a prayerful life, he demonstrates how prayer can enter the fabric of one's existence so that life itself becomes prayer. In the manner of Madeleine L'Engle and Kathleen Norris, Benson makes the ordinary events of life seem mystical and the mystical seem ordinary. He illustrates the full power of prayer, illuminates the reasons we are drawn to pray, and bears witness to the grace of leading a life attuned to the voice of God.