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Everyday Saints and Other Stories
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More than a million copies and several million electronic versions of this book have sold in less than a year. Everyday Saints and Other Stories is the English translation of a work that has soared at the top of the bestseller lists in Russia since its publication in late 2011. Its readership spans philosophical boundaries, from the devoutly religious to the vehemently ath
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Paperback, 490 pages
Published
2012
by Pokrov Publications
(first published 2011)
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Every once in a while a book is destined to become a spiritual classic, one that is appreciated not only by Orthodox Christians, but for people of all persuasions, whether they be Orthodox, Protestant, Catholic, I would even say atheist. This is such a book.
It was recommended to me by my priest, but I quickly discovered that many people in my circle of friends and acquaintances were already reading it (or had just finished it) and all were enthused by what they read.
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It was recommended to me by my priest, but I quickly discovered that many people in my circle of friends and acquaintances were already reading it (or had just finished it) and all were enthused by what they read.
Here ...more
A wonderful, delightful and inspiring book. It provides insight into Russian lives and faith in a way few Americans have known. One book I never wanted to end.
This is a wonderful series of stories written by the Abbot of a monastery in Moscow, all from his personal experience. He is a very good story teller and the book is well translated. Many of the stories revolve around the monastery in Pechory during the Communist era. This was the only monastery in Russia to remain open during the entire communist era. This is true because during the worst of the persecutions it was actually on the other side of the border in Estonia. But it is also true, as we
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This is probably the Orthodox book I’ve appreciated most in the last several years. Clear, approachable, and humorous, it’s one I’ll be returning to again and again.
Lots of wonderful characters and stories in here so far. One from a chapter I just finished relates how the author was under pressure by Soviet authorities to create an "ecumenical" film about how all religions are basically the same, but he refused as he had been properly catechized regarding the profound error of ecumenism. But he eventually devises a plan to make a film about the unity of the Georgian and Russian churches (both Orthodox) which would get past Soviet censors because it being os
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Trivia time… What is the bestselling book in Russia since the fall of Communism (besides the Bible)?
We went to Doma Knegy (House of Books bookstore) across from Kazan Cathedral on Nevsky Prospect. I bought a book that looked interesting. Turns out it is the bestselling book in Russia since the fall of communism. First Published in 2011, within a year the book had sold more than 1 million hard copies and several million e-book copies.
EVERYDAY SAINTS AND OTHER STOREIS by Ar ...more
We went to Doma Knegy (House of Books bookstore) across from Kazan Cathedral on Nevsky Prospect. I bought a book that looked interesting. Turns out it is the bestselling book in Russia since the fall of communism. First Published in 2011, within a year the book had sold more than 1 million hard copies and several million e-book copies.
EVERYDAY SAINTS AND OTHER STOREIS by Ar ...more
The only reason why this is such a big hit in Russia must be that, after the fall of anti-religious communism, people are eager to rediscover the very basics of traditional russian orthodoxy. If you are already familiar with the Orthodox world, you will not learn anything. If you are not, keep it mind this is only the Russian form of Orthodoxy, with a massive emphasis on the unofficial institution of the starestzii, the supernatural, extreme forms of pious ascesis, and a bond of absolute submiss
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I loved this book. It was one of those that I was really really sad to finish. I told Josh the alternate title could very well be "the wacky adventures of Russian monks", and it was just a great mix of funny and inspiring stories of the monks of a particular monastery (mostly during the 80s-early aughts). I'd suggest it to anyone with an interest in monasticism.
This is the kind of book you buy for family and friends so they can read it too. It encouraged my faith profoundly. By the end I slowed down my reading so I could savor each story even longer.
The Russian title of this wonderful, edifying book could be better translated as Unsaintly Saints. Archimandrite Tikhon has gives us a lively, irresistibly readable account of his own conversion and entry into monasticism in the depths of the Soviet period. This leads into his firsthand accounts of the many godly strugglers that he met in one of the only monasteries left open in communist times. The stories are inspiring and at the same time refreshingly free of the varnished style that we usually find
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This book came highly recommended to me by two people I trust implicitly; one of whom is the priest who chrismated me into the Orthodox faith. Everyday Saints, a collection of non-fictional shorts written by Archimandrite Tikhon (Shevkunov), is a stunning treasury of the hidden gems of this faith. Woven through these shorts, which range from excerpts from the ancient Prologue to modern-day vignettes about Archimandrite Tikhon's friends, are many subtle strands: the trials and the sufferings of generations of f
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This book is a very rare treat.
It's contemporary, yet goes back in time, again and again, to give us context and insights into Russian monastic life during the Soviet era to the present day. I found this fascinating and enriching. I learned a lot.
Archimandrite Tikhon Shevkunov gives us a feast of true stories and anecdotes that take us into the fabric of his life over many decades as a Russian monk. He introduces us to the many, many remarkable people and events that framed his jour ...more
It's contemporary, yet goes back in time, again and again, to give us context and insights into Russian monastic life during the Soviet era to the present day. I found this fascinating and enriching. I learned a lot.
Archimandrite Tikhon Shevkunov gives us a feast of true stories and anecdotes that take us into the fabric of his life over many decades as a Russian monk. He introduces us to the many, many remarkable people and events that framed his jour ...more
I could not imagine how an orthodox book became a bestseller in a secular Russia. It all became clear after reading the first few chapters: the pace is sometimes slow and meditative, other times quick and aveturous; the details are so vivid that you get to live and breathe right there, in Moskow or in the Russian wilderness; characters are round and honestly displayed (virtues and weaknesses alike); the good-hearted sense of humour throughout the book makes you laugh out loud in some of the stor
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This is a wonderful book, written in an accessible, modern style, about the monks, priests and saints of Russia. This book allows you to experience a world that is foreign to our daily lives, both in its faith and practice. I inhaled the 4 inches of this book in a few days, but it's also a good book to have on the nightstand to read here and there for a few moments.
Absolutely incredible collection of stories about the priests, deacons, bishops, and patriarchs of Russia during the end of the Communist era and into this century. Wonderfully rendered, one to dip in and out of often.
I finished this book last night, and wish it were longer. Anybody have recommendations for another book like this one?
uplifting, encouraging, illuminating, challenging, brilliant
this book blessed me so much
this book blessed me so much
Great book!
This is one of the best spiritual books I have ever read. It is a very enjoyable and approachable read.
This is one of the best spiritual books I have ever read. It is a very enjoyable and approachable read.
This is an engaging glimpse into the world of Russian monasticism, full of memorable characters and beautiful lessons.
A book much-needed for the deadened heart of the 21st century man.
In those occasional hours when gloom and despondency steal upon me and seek dominion over my soul, or when the same thing is happening to people who are very close to me, I remember that everything that happens is in some way connected to the unfathomable Providence and will of the Lord.
I'm classifying this as biography/memoir, but that's really neither the overall intent nor effect of this book. Archimandrate Tikhon has pulled from the vast reservoir of his life experiences as a monk (as well as t ...more
This is such an amazing work of literature and I hope all Orthodox Christians or anybody interested in the faith will pick up this book. I always have a hard time finding books with people who are dedicated in the faith and people who are normal human beings. In a lot of Christian books I have read the people are to perfect to be someone I could meet in Church or on a regular day basis but this book shows so many lives and people's stories that I could relate to but also look up to in my religio
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Most beautiful book I've ever read. I've wrote a hungarian review of this book already what you can read on http://www.somi.mblx.hu/weblog/keresz....
A true christian book. I've never though that an orthodox archimandrite will direct me back to God, to Jesus, to real christianity. But he did that with humour, love, passion, repsect and with the naivity of an acolyte. It absolutely lacks the greasy theme of religius books, therefore I wholeheartidly recommend it to non-believers or even for agnostics too. Reading Shevkunov's boo ...more
A true christian book. I've never though that an orthodox archimandrite will direct me back to God, to Jesus, to real christianity. But he did that with humour, love, passion, repsect and with the naivity of an acolyte. It absolutely lacks the greasy theme of religius books, therefore I wholeheartidly recommend it to non-believers or even for agnostics too. Reading Shevkunov's boo ...more
This book was a best-seller in Russia under a name that translates as "Unsaintly Saints" It is a series of vignettes about Russian Orthodox monks and ecclesiastics just at the time when the old Soviet Union was cracking up and the new Russia was beginning to emerge. It's very readable, and taken together these little cameos about these characters give a vivid picture of the persistence and revival of the millennium-old faith tradition of Russia.The books is embellished with many photographs of t
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It is a strange thing that I as an Orthodox struggle so much to relate to these narratives. Everyone raved about this book, and I tried to connect with its narrative and insights and it fell flat for me. In this case it is an issue of, not individual narrative events in the book, but the tone and way that the book carries itself through that just doesn't engage. (But then I also could not connect with Fr. Seraphim Rose's writings). Perhaps the monastic life is a culture so far removed from anyth
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This is a brilliant look at two very important areas of knowledge: first of all, the Russian memory of the Church under Communism and the present self-perception of the Russian Church. The very idea of "everyday saints" speaks volumes to the ability of Fr Tikhon to see the miraculous in the ordinary, and reveals much about how the Russian Church survived the Bolshevik yoke.
In addition to the purely scholarly enjoyment I derived from reading this book, I can also say it was just plain ...more
In addition to the purely scholarly enjoyment I derived from reading this book, I can also say it was just plain ...more
It is hard to pinpoint one simple aspect of this book which made it so pleasant to read and so accessible. In very simple stories, concepts of the Orthodox Church come across in living examples. On the surface, one can view the journey from atheism toward Christianity for many of the individuals, which alone is quite powerful. But like an onion, we can peel back the layers and observe examples of the life of the Christian person that are often obscured or lost in intellectual pursuits to underst
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I found this book to be extremely well-written and edifying as well as entertaining. Many spiritual principles are highlighted through modern events and stories and persons. The book gives insight into the daily lives of monastics and those in the Orthodox Church during the end of the Soviet Union. Some names will be familiar to Orthodox Christians, while others are new. There are a few sections that would seem to imply that Bishop Basil Rodzianko of blessed memory was mistreated by the OCA, whi
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A quick, light-hearted read mainly about monks from the Pskov Cave Monastery and how they lived and thrived under the Iron Curtain. If I have a muster seed of faith that some of the very interesting characters this book describes, I might an inkling of a chance. Great book. Should and will be a classic of Christian literature. This should be a given for Orthodox Christians.
Plus, I love the Russian title:Unsaintly Saints.
Plus, I love the Russian title:Unsaintly Saints.
It's the fourth time that I reread this book. One of my absolute favorite works of literature that has always been with me throughout the past five years. I would advice this book to anyone really, regardless of ones faith, beliefs or political ideology. Maybe not so much for hardcore liberals or Dawkins fans, but in any ways. If anyone out there is actually thinking of reading this book, then one should definitely go ahead and give it a try.
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“Тогда вздымается Геннисаретское озеро, и из пучины на берег начинают вылезать давно утонувшие, полные ярости свиньи и кидаются на несчастного, который сам сделал выбор между ними и Богом. Когда нечистый дух выйдет из человека, то ходит по безводным местам, ища покоя и не находит; тогда говорит: возвращусь в дом мой, откуда я вышел. И придя, находит его незанятым, выметенным и убранным; тогда идет и берет с собою семь других духов, злейших себя, и, войдя, живут там; и бывает для человека того последнее хуже первого.
(архимандрит Тихон)”
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(архимандрит Тихон)”
“Everything on our earth—both the simple and the complicated questions, both the little human problems and the challenges of finding the great path to God, all the secrets of the past, the present, and the future ages—all can be resolved only by such mysterious, ineffably beautiful and omnipotent humility. And even if we cannot understand its truth and meaning, and even if it seems for now that we are not ready for this mysterious and all-powerful humility, nonetheless, that humility by itself will reveal itself to us through those incredible persons who are capable of possessing it.”
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