Thérèse d'Avila and John of the Cross: Mystical Union on Bible Paper

A new volume of works by Thérèse d'Avila and John of the Cross, published in the Bibliothèque de la Pléiade by Gallimard, presents their mystical writings with a focus on literary asceticism rather than hagiography. Edited by Jean Canavaggio, the edition includes only the texts themselves, stripped of biographical embellishment beyond chronology and limited notes on composition and reception. Thérèse's letters, though abundant, are excluded, as are John's largely destroyed correspondence. The volume highlights the poets' shared mystical experience, with Thérèse's 'Book of Life' autobiography and John's 'Dark Night' and 'Spiritual Canticles' exploring union with the divine through bodily and erotic language. The edition avoids hagiographic tradition, allowing the literary quality to speak for itself.