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Penguin Lives
Saint Augustine
Look out for a new book from Garry Wills, What The Qur'an Meant , coming fall 2017.
Pulitzer Prize winner Garry Wills brings the same fresh scholarship, lively prose, and critical appreciation that characterize his well-known books on religion and American history to this outstanding biography of one of the most influential Christian philosophers. Saint Augustine follows its subject from his youth in fourth-century Africa to his conversion and subsequent development as a theologian. It challenges the widely held misconceptions about Augustine’s sexual excesses and shows how, in embracing classical philosophy, Augustine managed to enlist “pagan authors” in the defense of Christianity. The result is a biography that makes a spiritual ancestor feel like our contemporary.
Pulitzer Prize winner Garry Wills brings the same fresh scholarship, lively prose, and critical appreciation that characterize his well-known books on religion and American history to this outstanding biography of one of the most influential Christian philosophers. Saint Augustine follows its subject from his youth in fourth-century Africa to his conversion and subsequent development as a theologian. It challenges the widely held misconceptions about Augustine’s sexual excesses and shows how, in embracing classical philosophy, Augustine managed to enlist “pagan authors” in the defense of Christianity. The result is a biography that makes a spiritual ancestor feel like our contemporary.
176 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 1999
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440 people want to read
About the author
Garry Wills
99 books255 followersGarry Wills is an American author, journalist, political philosopher, and historian, specializing in American history, politics, and religion, especially the history of the Catholic Church. He won a Pulitzer Prize for General Non-Fiction in 1993.
Wills has written over fifty books and, since 1973, has been a frequent reviewer for The New York Review of Books. He became a faculty member of the history department at Northwestern University in 1980, where he is an Emeritus Professor of History.
Wills has written over fifty books and, since 1973, has been a frequent reviewer for The New York Review of Books. He became a faculty member of the history department at Northwestern University in 1980, where he is an Emeritus Professor of History.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 65 reviews
October 4, 2025
History And Spirit
I read and reviewed Garry Wills' "Saint Augustine" in 2001 and thought about Wills' study after reading Augustine scholar Peter Brown's review of Susan Ruden's new translation of Augustine's "Confessions". (New York Review of Books, October 26, 2017) As I read Brown's review, Ruden's translation attempts to bring the reader closer to the Augustine of his own day, and to the feeling of God as a Master, rather than to read Augustine in the light of modern liberal theology, as Wills tends to do. I learned from Brown's review and hope to have the opportunity to read Ruden's translation. Brown made me think about my 2001 reading of Wills and about other ways of understanding Augustine. The remainder of this review consists of an edited version of my 2001 review of Wills' book.
I read Garry Wills' short biography "Saint Augustine" after reading E.L. Doctorow's novel, "City of God", a book I loved, with the allusion in its title to Augustine's great work. I wanted to learn more about Augustine and to think further about the importance of Augustine to Doctorow's novel. I needed a short book such as Wills' that would expand my limited understanding.
Wills's book presents in a clear, accessible way something of the nature of this complex person, thinker, and theologian. But the book is no mere introduction. It in many ways takes issue with other accounts of Augustine and presents him in a manner that shows why he is worthy of the attention of the modern reader, as he has been of readers throughout the ages.
Wills spends a great deal of space arguing that the title "Confessions" for Augustine's most famous work is inappropriate and retitles the book "Testimony". Wills's point has been made many times before, but in the process Wills does teach the reader something important about Augustine's book. The work is not primarily a confession or an autobiography but a record of a spiritual search. Wills argues that Augustine was not a sexual libertine in his youth and, more importantly for the modern reader, that Augustine was not anti-sexual in his old age. He presents a Christianity that does not despise the body (making the simple point that in Christianity God came to the earth in a body) and that Christianity teaches its adherents to use the body for God's purpose in humility and love. In fact, Wills presents Augustine as correcting the anti-physical bias of pagan ascetics of his day.
In addition to discussing the "Confessions", Wills has valuable things to say about Augustine's "City of God". Wills argues against an other-worldly interpretation of the "City of God" and finds Augustine willing to bring the City to earth in a world believers share with nonbelievers through an early form of toleration, through love, and through common purpose. Wills' interpretation reminded me of Doctorow's picture in his own "City of God" of a secular, diverse, and vibrant contemporary New York City. Thus Wills' book helped me with Augustine and helped me as well in understanding Doctorow's novel.
There is a good, if necessarily brief, description in the book of the closing days of the Roman Empire. This history is in itself worth reading and I had known little about it.
I think somebody coming to Augustine for the first time could benefit from the book and be encouraged to think and learn more. I found it useful. Penguin is to be commended for its biographical series, making important lives accessible to modern readers in brief, but not superficial books.
Robin Friedman
I read and reviewed Garry Wills' "Saint Augustine" in 2001 and thought about Wills' study after reading Augustine scholar Peter Brown's review of Susan Ruden's new translation of Augustine's "Confessions". (New York Review of Books, October 26, 2017) As I read Brown's review, Ruden's translation attempts to bring the reader closer to the Augustine of his own day, and to the feeling of God as a Master, rather than to read Augustine in the light of modern liberal theology, as Wills tends to do. I learned from Brown's review and hope to have the opportunity to read Ruden's translation. Brown made me think about my 2001 reading of Wills and about other ways of understanding Augustine. The remainder of this review consists of an edited version of my 2001 review of Wills' book.
I read Garry Wills' short biography "Saint Augustine" after reading E.L. Doctorow's novel, "City of God", a book I loved, with the allusion in its title to Augustine's great work. I wanted to learn more about Augustine and to think further about the importance of Augustine to Doctorow's novel. I needed a short book such as Wills' that would expand my limited understanding.
Wills's book presents in a clear, accessible way something of the nature of this complex person, thinker, and theologian. But the book is no mere introduction. It in many ways takes issue with other accounts of Augustine and presents him in a manner that shows why he is worthy of the attention of the modern reader, as he has been of readers throughout the ages.
Wills spends a great deal of space arguing that the title "Confessions" for Augustine's most famous work is inappropriate and retitles the book "Testimony". Wills's point has been made many times before, but in the process Wills does teach the reader something important about Augustine's book. The work is not primarily a confession or an autobiography but a record of a spiritual search. Wills argues that Augustine was not a sexual libertine in his youth and, more importantly for the modern reader, that Augustine was not anti-sexual in his old age. He presents a Christianity that does not despise the body (making the simple point that in Christianity God came to the earth in a body) and that Christianity teaches its adherents to use the body for God's purpose in humility and love. In fact, Wills presents Augustine as correcting the anti-physical bias of pagan ascetics of his day.
In addition to discussing the "Confessions", Wills has valuable things to say about Augustine's "City of God". Wills argues against an other-worldly interpretation of the "City of God" and finds Augustine willing to bring the City to earth in a world believers share with nonbelievers through an early form of toleration, through love, and through common purpose. Wills' interpretation reminded me of Doctorow's picture in his own "City of God" of a secular, diverse, and vibrant contemporary New York City. Thus Wills' book helped me with Augustine and helped me as well in understanding Doctorow's novel.
There is a good, if necessarily brief, description in the book of the closing days of the Roman Empire. This history is in itself worth reading and I had known little about it.
I think somebody coming to Augustine for the first time could benefit from the book and be encouraged to think and learn more. I found it useful. Penguin is to be commended for its biographical series, making important lives accessible to modern readers in brief, but not superficial books.
Robin Friedman
June 30, 2019
This was a good introduction to the life of St. Augustine.
Granted it only touches on certain aspects of his life, it can be used as a stepping stone to understand what religious life was like 345 C.E. and onwards.
It has me interested in learning more about the schism in Christian belief during St. Augustine’s lifetime.
Granted it only touches on certain aspects of his life, it can be used as a stepping stone to understand what religious life was like 345 C.E. and onwards.
It has me interested in learning more about the schism in Christian belief during St. Augustine’s lifetime.
July 9, 2017
A very sympathetic, clear, and brief introduction to the life of St. Augustine. It covers a lot of the same material as the same author's short introduction to the Confessions--in fact it uses many of the same examples and quotes. The footnotes and citations were sometimes sloppy and inaccurate, though. Wills does most of his own translating from the Latin, and he always goes for the most vivid and emotionally charged English word. This keeps things interesting, but it isn't always accurate. An example: "tristis" is a fairly ordinary word meaning sad or gloomy. Wills translates it "anguished."
January 28, 2010
A young African man with a taste for sex and a highly developed sense of both religion and mission travels across the Mediterranean. He decides to sail. Once in Italy, he communes with the rich and powerful and then, some years later, makes the return journey via the same means of transport, and thereby completes the sum total of his life’s travels.
We know a lot about the man, not only from his own writings which are both extensive and preserved, but also from the accounts of many of those contemporaries who met him, engaged in intellectual and theological debates with him, or merely reported.
The Roman Empire had only recently espoused Christianity. It was an era when the young faith was divided by schism. A strength of this biography of Augustine is that it brings home the passion that characterised these differences. A weakness, however, is tat the different variants of fourth century Christianity are not clearly delineated. This would, perhaps, be too much to ask in a short account of a life, but there are times when understanding of the text is compromised because of this omission. What does come alive, however, is how recent were the memories of persecution under Diocletian. It was a difference in attitude to some of those who succumbed to denial of their faith under that persecution that created one major schism.
Donatists refused to re-admit those who had renounced their faith under threat and were the main expression of Christianity in North Africa. Our young African man chose to ally himself with the Roman church, thus placing himself in a local minority.
Pelagius who was around at the time denied the concept of original sin. Quite often it seems that he didn’t, then he did, and then he didn’t again. It was a heresy, needless to say. But, and I feel it might be an attractive concept even today, the idea that the Church was not full of sinners had its adherents.
Arians stressed the humanity, not the divinity of Jesus Christ. This allowed them to avoid at least some of the problematic concept of three deities in one, a holy trinity. The concept has been a confusion and for many outside of Christianity it appears to be a wholly unnecessary complication. Arian thought, however, Gary Mills points out, is only reported by those who opposed them, so an accurate representation of their philosophy is difficult to establish.
Manicheans, unlike Christians, saw the universe in black and white, a competition between good and evil. There were aspects of light and dark in everything and everyone, but it was the interplay between the two that determined where an individual might be placed in the overall scheme of things. Manichaeism has largely disappeared from world religion, its only remaining bastion being Hollywood, where it provides the basis of most films aimed at the popular audience.
All of these ideas, heresies and religions were themselves in competition in the homeland of Augustine of Hippo. And through Gary Wells’ book we gain an insight into how an individual thinker and philosopher grappled with the contradictions and tried to make sense of what he regarded as the correct line. The book is a window on Augustine’s thoughts , thoughts that often deal with the base as well as the obviously spiritual. Gary Wills provides real insights into Augustine’s charm, the magnetism of his rhetoric and the logical processes of his thought. And he manages to this in just 150 pages, pages that also include significant and poignant quotes from Augustine’s work.
The stained glass analogy on religion applies. If you look at windows from outside, they are merely sold grey. On the inside, they reveal full and splendid colour. There might be many a modern reader who would be confused as to why it matters that a concept is associated with this or that belief. But for a Christian and certainly for someone who sees the windows in full colour it clearly does matter. Gary Wills’s book brings the debates and issues alive even for the general reader, though it has to be said that sometimes the detail of the theological debate is less than penetrable. This is a book of many surprises.
Philip Spires is author of Mission and A Fool's Knot, African novels set in Kenya
We know a lot about the man, not only from his own writings which are both extensive and preserved, but also from the accounts of many of those contemporaries who met him, engaged in intellectual and theological debates with him, or merely reported.
The Roman Empire had only recently espoused Christianity. It was an era when the young faith was divided by schism. A strength of this biography of Augustine is that it brings home the passion that characterised these differences. A weakness, however, is tat the different variants of fourth century Christianity are not clearly delineated. This would, perhaps, be too much to ask in a short account of a life, but there are times when understanding of the text is compromised because of this omission. What does come alive, however, is how recent were the memories of persecution under Diocletian. It was a difference in attitude to some of those who succumbed to denial of their faith under that persecution that created one major schism.
Donatists refused to re-admit those who had renounced their faith under threat and were the main expression of Christianity in North Africa. Our young African man chose to ally himself with the Roman church, thus placing himself in a local minority.
Pelagius who was around at the time denied the concept of original sin. Quite often it seems that he didn’t, then he did, and then he didn’t again. It was a heresy, needless to say. But, and I feel it might be an attractive concept even today, the idea that the Church was not full of sinners had its adherents.
Arians stressed the humanity, not the divinity of Jesus Christ. This allowed them to avoid at least some of the problematic concept of three deities in one, a holy trinity. The concept has been a confusion and for many outside of Christianity it appears to be a wholly unnecessary complication. Arian thought, however, Gary Mills points out, is only reported by those who opposed them, so an accurate representation of their philosophy is difficult to establish.
Manicheans, unlike Christians, saw the universe in black and white, a competition between good and evil. There were aspects of light and dark in everything and everyone, but it was the interplay between the two that determined where an individual might be placed in the overall scheme of things. Manichaeism has largely disappeared from world religion, its only remaining bastion being Hollywood, where it provides the basis of most films aimed at the popular audience.
All of these ideas, heresies and religions were themselves in competition in the homeland of Augustine of Hippo. And through Gary Wells’ book we gain an insight into how an individual thinker and philosopher grappled with the contradictions and tried to make sense of what he regarded as the correct line. The book is a window on Augustine’s thoughts , thoughts that often deal with the base as well as the obviously spiritual. Gary Wills provides real insights into Augustine’s charm, the magnetism of his rhetoric and the logical processes of his thought. And he manages to this in just 150 pages, pages that also include significant and poignant quotes from Augustine’s work.
The stained glass analogy on religion applies. If you look at windows from outside, they are merely sold grey. On the inside, they reveal full and splendid colour. There might be many a modern reader who would be confused as to why it matters that a concept is associated with this or that belief. But for a Christian and certainly for someone who sees the windows in full colour it clearly does matter. Gary Wills’s book brings the debates and issues alive even for the general reader, though it has to be said that sometimes the detail of the theological debate is less than penetrable. This is a book of many surprises.
Philip Spires is author of Mission and A Fool's Knot, African novels set in Kenya
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November 24, 2025Garry Wills’ "Saint Augustine" (is part of the Penguin Lives series) is a concise, intellectual, and challenging biography of one of the most foundational figures in Western thought: Augustine of Hippo (354–430 AD).
Wills, a Pulitzer Prize-winning historian, approaches the subject not just as a biographer but also as a classical scholar and intellectual analyst, leading to a portrait that often counters conventional wisdom about the saint.
Wills argues forcefully against the long-held misconception that Augustine was an extreme sexual libertine in his youth, drawing from a careful translation and reading of the Confessions. Wills suggests that Augustine's "sins" were less about rampant sexual excesses and more about a long-term, common-law, and monogamous relationship that was non-marital, which he later regretted on spiritual grounds.
A central part of Wills's analysis is his insistence on reading Augustine's Confessiones not as a modern autobiography, but as a deep theological "testimony" and a long prayer to God. Wills even offers his own compelling translations of portions of Augustine's work, seeking to capture the rhetorical style, wordplay, and biblical density of the original Latin.
The book is a brilliant exploration of Augustine's mind. Wills illuminates how Augustine, a professor of rhetoric grounded in classical philosophy, integrated and enlisted "pagan authors" (especially the Neo-Platonists) into a defense and a new interpretation of Christian doctrine. This focus makes the book less about a chronology of events and more about the progress of an incredibly dynamic mind.
Wills makes complex theological and philosophical issues accessible, showing how Augustine's own powerful rhetorical skills shaped his legacy and ability to strip away centuries of misunderstanding, and his success in making a spiritual ancestor feel like a contemporary.
Garry Wills's "Saint Augustine" is an incisive, well-researched, thought-provoking intellectual biography that provides a fresh, demystifying perspective on one of the great Christian thinkers.
Wills, a Pulitzer Prize-winning historian, approaches the subject not just as a biographer but also as a classical scholar and intellectual analyst, leading to a portrait that often counters conventional wisdom about the saint.
Wills argues forcefully against the long-held misconception that Augustine was an extreme sexual libertine in his youth, drawing from a careful translation and reading of the Confessions. Wills suggests that Augustine's "sins" were less about rampant sexual excesses and more about a long-term, common-law, and monogamous relationship that was non-marital, which he later regretted on spiritual grounds.
A central part of Wills's analysis is his insistence on reading Augustine's Confessiones not as a modern autobiography, but as a deep theological "testimony" and a long prayer to God. Wills even offers his own compelling translations of portions of Augustine's work, seeking to capture the rhetorical style, wordplay, and biblical density of the original Latin.
The book is a brilliant exploration of Augustine's mind. Wills illuminates how Augustine, a professor of rhetoric grounded in classical philosophy, integrated and enlisted "pagan authors" (especially the Neo-Platonists) into a defense and a new interpretation of Christian doctrine. This focus makes the book less about a chronology of events and more about the progress of an incredibly dynamic mind.
Wills makes complex theological and philosophical issues accessible, showing how Augustine's own powerful rhetorical skills shaped his legacy and ability to strip away centuries of misunderstanding, and his success in making a spiritual ancestor feel like a contemporary.
Garry Wills's "Saint Augustine" is an incisive, well-researched, thought-provoking intellectual biography that provides a fresh, demystifying perspective on one of the great Christian thinkers.
September 20, 2021
This is a gem of a little book. I believe I first read it for a church history class taught by Michael Haykin, though it was so long ago, I can't quite remember. Garry Wills is a brilliant writer and it made reading this book a sheer delight. Wills, a translator of Augustine's "Confessions," (what he calls in this book "The Testimony"), certainly knows his subject. He shows a confident mastery of both first and secondary sources. The beauty of the book is that it doesn't get bogged down in technical details and reads almost like a novel. Wills is also a master of Latin, which would lead him to make some interesting interpretive decisions on key Augustinian texts -- most notably the way he reads Augustine's foray into university, Carthage's "hissing cauldron of lust." I also appreciate the way he filled in details like the likely ongoing relationship Augustine had with his concubine (whom Wills names Una), in light of Augustine's continued silence about her after she was forced away from him.
The book does assume some prior knowledge of Augustine's life, so it might be difficult for first-time readers. But I thoroughly enjoyed this.
The book does assume some prior knowledge of Augustine's life, so it might be difficult for first-time readers. But I thoroughly enjoyed this.
August 28, 2024
It is a daunting task, methinks, for a biographer to tackle a subject who has already written his/her own life story. Augustine's 'Confessions' (author Wills prefers to refer to the book as 'The Testimony') is one of the classics in the field and has stood the test of time. But Garry Wills has tackled the life of the Bishop of Hippo anyway -- and, moreover, has done so succinctly and in a lucid style that helps the reader to clarify many aspects of Augustine's life and, along the way, dispel some misconceptions that have sprung up around him. (I found it particularly poignant that Augustine, realizing his end was near, chose to isolate himself in his monastic cell -- and to have the penitential Psalms, in large lettering, posted around on the walls.) At 160 pages, this is not one of the elephantine biographies that seem to be the darlings of the publishing world these days. -- Recommended to those who want to quick overview of the life of an important Christian thinker or those who are looking for a helpful introduction to Augustine's life and times.
December 1, 2009
I really enjoyed this sharp little biography of Augustine. It was really valuable to read an account by someone who is specifically a writer, not a historian or philosopher or religious scholar. Wills does a good job of evoking life in late antiquity and gearing his approach towards the layman rather than the academic--Peter Brown's biography of Augustine is much more in-depth, but a bit harder to read, as Brown delves more closely into religious theory. The strength of Wills's work is that it's written clearly and gives the reader a good understanding of what Augustine was all about in under 200 pages. The book is an excellent introduction to Augustine's life and works; Wills discusses the works themselves but also strives to put those works in the context of Augustine's life, his place in the world, and the world events (like the fall of Rome) that influenced them. Recommended!
January 15, 2010
As with Karen Armstrong's Buddha (review: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21...), I can't do justice to Garry Wills' biography of Augustine of Hippo because I listened to it via audio cassette as I drove to and from work.
I will say this, despite its brevity (less than 200 pages in print), Wills' manages to present a surprisingly complex and insightful portrait of the man and his thought. He actually managed to turn the saint into a sympathetic figure. I've never liked Augustine much as a person but the author's interpretation made me sympathize with the decisions Augustine made in his life (like sending his long-time concubine and mother of his son away).
Highly recommended, print or audio (in fact, I should read the print version because I know I missed a lot just listening to it). Garry Wills is a brilliant writer and anything he authors is worth the effort to read.
I will say this, despite its brevity (less than 200 pages in print), Wills' manages to present a surprisingly complex and insightful portrait of the man and his thought. He actually managed to turn the saint into a sympathetic figure. I've never liked Augustine much as a person but the author's interpretation made me sympathize with the decisions Augustine made in his life (like sending his long-time concubine and mother of his son away).
Highly recommended, print or audio (in fact, I should read the print version because I know I missed a lot just listening to it). Garry Wills is a brilliant writer and anything he authors is worth the effort to read.
March 26, 2012
Loved this quick look at the meaning of Augustine's life and works. Especially appreciated the ways Wills puts the writer and theologian into context for a modern reader. Carried this book with me all through Florence, and in our neighborhood church, the Chiesa di Ognissanti, saw the original Bottichelli fresco of Saint Augustine in his Study, a reproduction of which graces the cover of my copy of this book.
Want to read
February 5, 2008This is research for a poem I am writing.
After all, what's a greater crowd-pleaser than a Saint Augustine poem?
After all, what's a greater crowd-pleaser than a Saint Augustine poem?
October 10, 2025
A great little book. Written by Garry Wills (Pulitzer Prize winning author of Lincoln at Gettysburg), this short book is a brief and pithy description of the life of St. Augustine, and an explication of his theology and philosophy.
Wills explains the progression of Augustine's intellectual and religious life, from Neoplatonism, through Manicheanism to being truly Augustinian. He explains how much of the writing about Augustine and his works focusses too much on the "earthly" in what he wrote, without understanding the religious points that Augustine was trying to make.
Augustine was a humanist in the sense that he felt keenly the deficiencies that each person has when confronted with God: that we should emphasise forgiveness and mercy rather than exclusion of those who fall from the narrow way. That we should emphasise the love God has for humanity, rather than instilling fear into the hearts of mankind. "Act as you desire, so long as you act with love. If you are silent, be silent from love. If you accuse, accuse from love. If you correct, correct from love. If you spare, spare from love. Let love be rooted deep in you, and only good can grow from it."
Augustine, great thinker and rhetorician that he was, was deeply involved in battling heresy in the early church, particularly Pelagianism and Donatism. Regarding the latter, he was a key member of the council that helped quash the heresy, but acted with compassion to the Donatists in his Diocese, allowing the Donatist bishop to continue worshipping, and not exercising the death penalty against Donatists who killed a priest (Wills explains that as Bishop of Hippo, Augustine was responsible for civil order as well as religious - something he was always uncomfortable with).
Wills has given a good flavour of the type of person Augustine was - as prepared to admit his own flaws as to forgive those in others, a firm friend and an inspired leader. This book is a great introduction to one of the great thinkers of early Christendom.
Check out my other reviews at http://aviewoverthebell.blogspot.com.au/
Wills explains the progression of Augustine's intellectual and religious life, from Neoplatonism, through Manicheanism to being truly Augustinian. He explains how much of the writing about Augustine and his works focusses too much on the "earthly" in what he wrote, without understanding the religious points that Augustine was trying to make.
Augustine was a humanist in the sense that he felt keenly the deficiencies that each person has when confronted with God: that we should emphasise forgiveness and mercy rather than exclusion of those who fall from the narrow way. That we should emphasise the love God has for humanity, rather than instilling fear into the hearts of mankind. "Act as you desire, so long as you act with love. If you are silent, be silent from love. If you accuse, accuse from love. If you correct, correct from love. If you spare, spare from love. Let love be rooted deep in you, and only good can grow from it."
Augustine, great thinker and rhetorician that he was, was deeply involved in battling heresy in the early church, particularly Pelagianism and Donatism. Regarding the latter, he was a key member of the council that helped quash the heresy, but acted with compassion to the Donatists in his Diocese, allowing the Donatist bishop to continue worshipping, and not exercising the death penalty against Donatists who killed a priest (Wills explains that as Bishop of Hippo, Augustine was responsible for civil order as well as religious - something he was always uncomfortable with).
Wills has given a good flavour of the type of person Augustine was - as prepared to admit his own flaws as to forgive those in others, a firm friend and an inspired leader. This book is a great introduction to one of the great thinkers of early Christendom.
Check out my other reviews at http://aviewoverthebell.blogspot.com.au/
December 26, 2019
Well as usual, I wanted to finish this on Christmas Day/Night, but unfortunately as usual.... I didn't, so I finished it this morning.
This was a good look at Augustine's life, but not quite what I was expecting. I was expecting far more of a biography and a history of Augustine, and instead got kind of a break-down of some parts of his life, some thoughts on his writings, and a scholarly look at why Garry Wills version of Augustine thoughts is different (and since he's writing this, better - in his opinion) than those of previous scholars of Augustine. Its a short book, only about 150 pages, but its a slow read due to the writing style, and how the quotes are presented. Long - page long paragraphs that always tend to end in quotes also makes it harder to read and stop since it all kind of runs together, and with no clear chapters (only pauses for location changes, when Augustine moved from Thagaste to Carthage to Rome, to Hippo, etc.) it also makes it harder to read and go like at work or at home with children running around.
This was a good look at Augustine's life, but not quite what I was expecting. I was expecting far more of a biography and a history of Augustine, and instead got kind of a break-down of some parts of his life, some thoughts on his writings, and a scholarly look at why Garry Wills version of Augustine thoughts is different (and since he's writing this, better - in his opinion) than those of previous scholars of Augustine. Its a short book, only about 150 pages, but its a slow read due to the writing style, and how the quotes are presented. Long - page long paragraphs that always tend to end in quotes also makes it harder to read and stop since it all kind of runs together, and with no clear chapters (only pauses for location changes, when Augustine moved from Thagaste to Carthage to Rome, to Hippo, etc.) it also makes it harder to read and go like at work or at home with children running around.
February 17, 2025
"In his opposition to Pelagius and Julian, to their circle of wealthy scholars who claimed to be living perfect Christian lives, Augustine voiced the daily concerns of his own community of far-from-perfect Christians. He pitted their common sense against Julian's boasted mastery of Aristotelian categories, then contrasted his own flock's faith with Julian's reason..."
"Augustine held that God is always creating, instant by instant; is illuminating the mind, even in "natural" thought, about spiritual things; is creating a mysterious echo of the Trinity in every intellectual creature, even Satan."
Garry Wills, Saint Augustine
"Augustine held that God is always creating, instant by instant; is illuminating the mind, even in "natural" thought, about spiritual things; is creating a mysterious echo of the Trinity in every intellectual creature, even Satan."
Garry Wills, Saint Augustine
January 2, 2023
I wish I could have given this book a 2.5 rating because it was honestly as mid as they come. It’s a small book so I wasn’t expecting any great detail but I felt like the writing style tried to both tell the story of Augustine while introducing you to his writings at the same time. Ultimately I thought it did both things half way instead of synthesizing the two. I would have preferred a straight forward biography. That being said it’s useful due to how concise it is but if you want Augustine’s story I’d go somewhere else.
September 25, 2023
St. Augustine of Hippo: A Helpful & Informative Overview written by Garry Wills
The book, "Saint Augustine: A Life," written by Garry Wills gives a good amount of introductory biographical information concerning Aurelius Augustinus (St. Augustine of Hippo.) The book covers the major parts of Augustine's life from his birth to his death, and gives insight to understanding the time in which he lived, as well as insight into Augustine, himself.
The book, in my opinion, is well worth a read for those beginning a study of Aurelius Augustinus.
The book, "Saint Augustine: A Life," written by Garry Wills gives a good amount of introductory biographical information concerning Aurelius Augustinus (St. Augustine of Hippo.) The book covers the major parts of Augustine's life from his birth to his death, and gives insight to understanding the time in which he lived, as well as insight into Augustine, himself.
The book, in my opinion, is well worth a read for those beginning a study of Aurelius Augustinus.
March 24, 2025
I feel Wills thought the Penguin Lives series was not to provide a brief, wise, and informed biography of its subject but instead to provide a running commentary on what the biographer thinks of everyone else’s take on the subject. Augustine does not come alive in these pages, nor do we gain an appreciation for why he was so distinctive and significant. But we do learn what Wills thinks, which I appreciate, since he is an important figure, but I wish I understood Augustine better after reading this.
June 3, 2017
Solid overview of Augustine's life. It places Augustine in history and tells the stories of his personal and religious conflicts. It's a short book and Wills doesn't have the time to drill down deep into some of the major points in his life. Nor does it spend a lot of time on his philosophy and theology. If you want a starting point on Augustine or a summary of his life this book will do just fine.
September 27, 2017
Very clear, impressive, and academic book. It presents a deep and rich sense of the state of theology, philosophy and the church at that time.
This short, chronological biography focuses more on Augustine's thought and intellectual development than on his life events. It seems that he was one of the great philosophers of world history! Wow, who knew. In searching for answers to the nature of the human will, he also made great strides in the understanding of human psychology.
This short, chronological biography focuses more on Augustine's thought and intellectual development than on his life events. It seems that he was one of the great philosophers of world history! Wow, who knew. In searching for answers to the nature of the human will, he also made great strides in the understanding of human psychology.
June 17, 2021
Somehow when I saw this short bio, I was expecting something accessible and for readers not already steeped in catholic history. I came into this knowing nothing of St. Augustine or the early church and while it has its moments of interesting theology and historical information, this book is written for people who already know Catholic history or who are already interested in and knowledgeable of catholic saints.
February 5, 2023
I started this book last year, put it down for a bit, then picked it back up. Augustine is widely considered one of the greatest thinkers in the history of the Church. His life is extremely fascinating, and Garry Willis does a fantastic job of portraying it. There are so many good quotes in here, I’m sure I’ll be going back for references. Now I can’t wait to read more of Augustine’s own writings.
October 13, 2018
A rather interesting biography, with some very interesting episodes, with nevertheless left me a little muddled on the theological positions held by Augustine and the broad strokes of his life story. In spite of its short length, I felt that the author somehow spent the time in (representative, perhaps) details, and left the broadest outlines a little implicit.
February 1, 2019
I’m not sure what my expectations were for this slim bio, as I came in knowing almost nothing about St. Augustine. Wills is a well-regarded, prize-winning author (whom I’ve never read) and I hoped for something more readable and engaging. Perhaps this book is better suited for saint enthusiasts and those more seeped in Catholic history. Two and a half stars.
January 11, 2021
Here is a short study of the life of St Augustine. There is a lot of ground to cover, but not with action. Augustine was a man of letters and spent his time battling the heretics of the day. Life in the 4th and 5th centuries was quite different from today. Much of the saint's work still holds, but I wonder what here would think of today's church.
March 9, 2023
This is not the introduction to Augustine I was hoping for, it is more of an overview of him and his work with a heavy assumption that you have either read his work before or having a basic understanding of his ideas. I wish it was more accessible to the average person. If I didn't have any background in Christianity and its tenets then I would have been completely lost.
April 10, 2025
It’s short and a little dry, and maybe the lack of primary sources hampers Wills a little, but there’s more than a little here to chew on and Wills contrasts St Augustine with everyone from Aquinas to Philip Roth, not to mention early church fathers like St Jerome. Worth it if you’re interested in Augustine but maybe not the best introduction to him
August 1, 2018
I listened to the audio version and probably missed points as I did it traveling back and forth. I, however, learned a lot about this very complex and spiritual man. I want to now read more of his own writings.
January 17, 2023
I've liked Garry Wills' books in the past, but this one, intended as a beginner's intro to the 4th-century Christian theologian, seems to assume too much knowledge on the part of neophyte's like myself. I had trouble getting a sense of who he was.
August 21, 2025
This is a good overview of the life of Augustine that is short and accessible. It does delve into some of the theology but barely. It is a helpful exploration that gives us insight into the roots of Augustine and how the life of the church was forever changed.
January 12, 2019
Superficial and quirky (e.g. Una and Godsend, etc.).
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