Simone Weil: A Sketch for a Portrait

Simone Weil was a remarkable woman: a teacher, a factory worker, a field hand, a traveler, and a frontline volunteer in the Spanish Civil War; yet she found time to write and to philosophize about life and religion. Her short life (1909-43) spanned two world wars, al­though she did not live to see the end of the second one. The reac­tions of this French Jewish woman to some of the facets of these conflicts may seem surprising; her sympathies and affirmations were perhaps too extreme, but she did think for herself in an un­orthodox and challenging way and had a passionate sense of justice. Mr. Rees believes that this book may contain more illumina­tion for the present world's spiritual needs than any other twentieth-­century commentary. Some of Simone Weil's proposals concerning patriotism, obligations, freedom of expression, and the needs of the soul may seem Utopian, but they would not be unreasonable in a society adopting her moral code. Simone Weil was an intellectual with an essentially tragic view of life, but she was not removed from the everyday life. Her thought was unique and cannot be classified. She was neither a re­actionary nor a progressive but a great soul and a brilliant mind, as T. S. Eliot expressed it, "with a kind of genius akin to that of the saints." Since she explored problems which confront modern man, the reader will find thoughtful stimulation in her work. In a previ­ous book, Brave Men, the author likened her to D. H. Lawrence--both lonely visionaries suffering from a devouring spiritual hunger. This book gives a condensed but penetrating account of Miss Weil's interests. Since her writings cover more than philosophy and religion, the reader will feel compelled to become more familiar with her work.

About the Author :
Sir Richard Rees was co-editor of The Adelphi from 1930 to 1936.He is the author of George Orwell: Fugitive from the Camp of Vic­tory,previously published in the CROSSCURRENTSseries.

Review :
“There have been other, more personal attempts to paint her portrait. . .But this effort to string her thought to­gether, to give some picture of her in­tellectual attitudes is the best we have had in English so far.”—Times Literary Supplement “Having previously edited some of Weil’s works, Rees is well prepared to provide this sketch of her life. . .He gives a good survey and exposition of her numerous writings on philosophy, religious thought, science, and social questions. . . For those who seek a fairly complete knowledge of Weil, particularly for the English speaking, itwill be necessary to consult this book.”—Choice