Grey Eminence
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A gripping biography by the author of Brave New World
The life of Father Joseph, Cardinal Richelieu’s aide, was a shocking paradox. After spending his days directing operations on the battlefield, Father Joseph would pass the night in prayer, or in composing spiritual guidance for the nuns in his care. He was an aspirant to sainthood and a practising mystic, yet his ruthless exercise of power succeeded in prolonging the unspeakable horrors of the Thirty Years’ War. In his masterful biography, Huxley explores how an intensely religious man could lead such a life and how he reconciled the seemingly opposing moral systems of religion and politics.
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Additional information
| Publisher | Vintage Classics (7 April 2005) |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Paperback | 320 pages |
| ISBN-10 | 0099477823 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-0099477822 |
| Dimensions | 12.9 x 1.9 x 19.8 cm |
by Pensato
Huxley’s brilliant investigation into why a 17th century Catholic mystic ended up as the right-hand man of France’s Cardinal Richelieu perpetuating and prolonging the miseries of the Thirty Years War.
An object lesson in why religion and politics do not mix, salutory reading for any number of idiotic bishops and popes who think they know best and are prepared to cause damage and discrimination in the name of their god/faith/prejudice.
The book also paves the way for Huxley’s own visionary experiment in society ‘Island’.
by T. J. Hurrell
I had absolutely no knowledge of the subject matter beforehand but a well written account of a remarkable man’s vocation being slowly subverted by an unacknowledged lust for power. Anybody who thinks that Huxley is a one book wonder should think again. Well worth reading even you haven’t read ‘Brave New World’ .
by North Yorkshire
This is a biography of the original ‘eminence grise’, Father Joseph – the power behind Richelieu who was the power behind the French throne of Louis XIII (1617-43). It is written in Huxley’s elegant style. It’s very readable and even though it is fiercely intelligent and erudite it is never ‘academic’ or dry. This is about the 3rd time I’ve read it and it gets better each time.
So, we get the biographical life of the man, but where Huxley really excels is in explaining both his spirituality (Huxley always respected the power to unlock deep mental resources through ascetic meditation), and the political contexts in which he worked (a weak France about to enter the Thirty Years’ War). Father Joseph was exceptional in both aspects. Ultimately, our author concludes that we all have a side of us turned to spirituality and self-development and an opposing side focused outward on the politics of social power. Few of us are like Father Joseph (phew!), but the lesson we learn is that the spiritual side is the only one that really matters.
In recounting his subject’s formative years there is excellent analysis of Cardinal Bérulle’s reforming spirituality, grounded in Spanish mysticism. We see Father Joseph getting into this spiritual path through the British Catholic exile, Father Benet. Too few modern scholars bother with such Counter-Reformation spirituality, but Huxley respects it and shows it as something meaningful, not just a veneer for power politics (though it was also intensely political!). Huxley also covers the history very well. The Thirty Years’ War is famously complicated, but he guides us through the bits we need to know with great confidence and skill.
Ultimately, though he shared Bérulle’s spirituality, Father Joseph worked with Richelieu to assert the power of France against the Habsburgs (in Spain, Austria and the Netherlands). Even Alexandre Dumas’ Three Musketeers respect Richelieu for making France a great European nation, but Huxley is very rare in arguing that the right was actually with the Spanish-party.