Little Flowers of Francis of Assisi: A New Translation

by Robert H. Hopcke, Paul Schwartz

This collection of folk tales, legends, and narratives about the life of Francis of Assisi and his followers appeared about seventy-five years after the saint’s death, in the early fourteenth century. The writings have remained popular ever since due to their beauty and charm, and because they are the nearest thing to a biography of Francis that exists. They are the source of many of the most famous stories about Francis—including the accounts of his preaching to the birds and of his receiving of the stigmata—and they are based on stories that circulated about him in the years after his death. Robert Hopcke and Paul Schwartz provide the first truly new translation of the Fioretti in forty years, and in doing so they bring the spiritual classic up to date, using contemporary language to show Francis to be a living, breathing human being who walked the streets of Assisi in a state of spiritual, physical, and social enlightenment, through his own existence making Christ real in the world. The translators have also edited the work to present the stories that most powerfully present Francis’s spirit and teaching.

Genres: Nonfiction, Biography, Italy

192 pages, Paperback

First published December 12, 2006

Reviews

[Pamela · Rating 3 out of 5]

Worth reading because of its longevity, but not one I'll read again.

[Steffanie Kamper Culp · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this as a part of my daily devotions and meditation really enjoyed this.

[Lorraine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tales of Francis of Assisi, some real, some obscure and some based on legends. This is a new translation, but the only translation I read. Francis was holy, he was real and he was subversive in his day. No wonder his spirit lives on.

[Edie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easy to read and guaranteed to inspire. St. Francis, pray for me!