This volume contains contributions based on the papers presented at the ‘First International Conference on John Bradburne (1921-1979): Poet, Mystic and Martyr’, held at the Università per Stranieri di Perugia, Italy, in March 2017. Each contributor adopts a broad perspective, investigating different elements and domains, such as poetry, literature, translation, spirituality, and mysticism. The essays gathered here reflect the multifaceted experience of John Bradburne’s life and the turbulent times he encountered in mid-20th-century Rhodesia. The volume provides a foundation for further exploration of the literary, theological, and humanitarian legacies of John Bradburne, and will serve to act as a stimulus for his eventual recognition as a saint of the 20th century.

In this book, Riitta Hujanen explores temporality in the context of Catholic enclosed contemplative traditions. It investigates, based on literature and other sources, what enclosed contemplatives might say about temporality through their monastic journeys. What makes a young person decide to dedicate their life inside a cloister? Do contemplatives have a preference for eternity over temporal time? How does the enclosed contemplative life impact one’s concept of time? How is time perceived towards the end of one’s monastic journey? What is seen when looking back to the years in the enclosed contemplative life? What is experienced at the hour of death? The answers to these questions illustrate a paradoxical dynamic in monastic journeys that cover a broad historical scope from the earliest monastic writers to contemporary sources.

From the Foreword by Jean Vanier:'The story of John's life has touched my heart and soul, and brought me closer to God. It has revealed to me a God wonderfully full of surprises, better, more intelligent, more creative than we could imagine. An extraordinary God who cannot be confined in rational concepts or in an "ordinary" religious life.'~John Bradburne (1921-1979) lived an extraordinary life. He was a reluctant hero of the Second World War, a pilgrim and a hermit, a poet and a musician, a joker and a mystic, and a theologian. After many years travelling and searching, he found the place that God wanted him to be - living alongside men and women suffering with leprosy in Mtemwa, Zimbabwe, which he helped transform into a community of peace, joy and love. During the civil war of 1979, John was kidnapped and murdered. Since his martyrdom, word of his life has spread around the world, and miracles have occurred in association with his name.John Bradburne: The Vagabond of God is the most comprehensive biography of this remarkable man, based on three years of research through the archives of the John Bradburne Memorial Society (www.johnbradburne.com), interviews with people who knew John, and travels in his footsteps. The book was published first in France, where it won the Grand Prix Catholique de Litt�rature.