Saint Johnny: A Study in Historical Imagination

by Owen Dudley Edwards

In his first novel, Owen Dudley Edwards views the story of the pilgrimage and passion of Jesus Christ through the eyes of Johnny, his youngest disciple. "Johnny loved Jesus. Read this breathtaking novel, and you can imagine how he came to write the wonderful Fourth Gospel." Richard Holloway "It is not only a marvellous synthesis of the historical and literary imagination, but also a deeply moving meditation on childhood and its centrality to our culture." Declan Kiberd “Big, bold experiment, and a timely reminder that the greatest stories ever told are always open to fresh retellings.” James Robertson

468 pages, Paperback

First published October 9, 2015

About the author

Owen Dudley Edwards is Reader in Commonwealth and American History at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, UK. He is the general editor of the Oxford Sherlock Holmes series, and is a recognised expert on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, P. G. Wodehouse and Oscar Wilde, about each of whom he has written.

The son of Professor Robert Dudley Edwards, and brother to the Irish writer, Ruth Dudley Edwards, Owen Dudley Edwards attended Belvedere College, Dublin, University College, Dublin, and The Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. In 1966 he married Barbara Balbirnie Lee. They have three children.

Reviews

[Nicholas · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful portrayal of the gospel story and the very important role Saint John has to play in it. The central characters are written faithfully and give us a good window into their often looked over roles in the life of Christ. The most important, of course being Saint John or 'Johnny' himself. Unlike elsewhere, where he is portrayed as a scholarly, grown-up and academic type, here he is shown to be what he really was. A boy who loved the Lord with all his heart and put aside everything to follow him.