Augustine the African

History buffs and Augustine scholars will be delighted by the level of detail here and impressed by Conybeare's own translations of the Latin sources...A scholarly biography that places Augustine's ambivalence toward Africa at the center of his and Christianity's story.-- ""Kirkus Reviews"" A long-needed survey of the great theologian's hinterland. Augustine's African identity both exposed him to condescension and prejudice from his contemporaries and gave him invaluable critical distance from the prevailing ideologies of empire. His contemporary significance becomes clearer than ever in this excellent study.--Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury (2002-2012) Catherine Conybeare has a genius for turning disarticulated details into edifying drama. It will be liberating to get an African Augustine who leaves us with more options than sublime indifference or earnest handwringing.--Jim Wetzel, Director of the Augustinian Institute at Villanova University Catherine Conybeare vividly draws the thread of Augustine's African identity through his life and work in a fresh and elegant way, offering insights for scholars and general readers alike. She has enlarged my perspective on this monumental, complicated man, and I'm grateful.--Madeline Miller, author of Circe and The Song of Achilles Catherine Conybeare's vital and exhilarating biography of Augustine portrays him, newly, in the context of his African society and identity. Through her meticulously researched yet utterly compelling account, we live with [Augustine] through the upheavals that shaped his faith and his work. Conybeare's is an important contribution and this is, simply, a wonderful book.--Claire Messud, author of This Strange Eventful History In this highly readable and innovative account, Catherine Conybeare has performed the challenging task of bringing alive this often-sidelined basis of Augustine's life. With both verve and precision, she makes us see how central his African world was to the man and his ideas.--Brent Shaw, Andrew Fleming West Professor of Classics Emeritus at Princeton University