Simone Weil: A modern pilgrimage

by Robert Coles

"The French writer and philosopher Simone Weil (1906-43) devoted her life to a search for God - while avoiding membership in organized religion. She had a startling intellect, the social conscience of a grassroots labor organizer, and the certainty and humility of a mystic. And she persistently carried out her spiritual search in the company of the poor and oppressed." "Robert Coles's intriguing study of Weil - who has been called both saint and madwoman - details her short, eventful life, showing why she had a profound spiritual influence on so many others, among them T.S. Eliot, Flannery O'Connor, Adrienne Rich and Albert Camus."
"This most accessible introduction, now updated with a new foreword by the author, shows us why this extraordinary life continues to inspire seekers everywhere."--BOOK JACKET.

Genres: Nonfiction, Biography, Spirituality, Philosophy

203 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1987

About the author

Child psychiatrist, author, Harvard professor.

Robert Coles is a professor of psychiatry and medical humanities at the Harvard Medical School, a research psychiatrist for the Harvard University Health Services, and the James Agee Professor of Social Ethics at Harvard College.

Reviews

[Erik Graff · Rating 3 out of 5]

We were assigned to read a Weil in one of my classes at Union Theological Seminary in New York. At that time, not knowing much of anything about her, I thought her writing neurotic, over-scrupulous. Consequently, when I happened upon this study I picked it up, hoping for some biographical background within which to place her thought.

As it happens, this is more a thematic survey of Weil's thought, the events of her life being treated in a cursory manner. Still, it helped.

[Arielle Stern · Rating 5 out of 5]

A compassionate attempt to understand Simone Weil without turning her into one of the idols she most detested. Commentary on Weil’s personal life and views usually tends to fall into two categories: 1. Romanticization of her anguish or 2. Pure skepticism and dismissal of her every act and thought (brought on by a singular ideological fixation and dispute the author has with something that comes up in Weil’s life or writings). Authors in both of these camps are concerned with affording or depriving her of generosity in order to present a particular image of her. But Coles seems committed, not to an image, but to truth. In this sense, he is a truer appreciator of Weil than those who are overly generous in their portrayals.

I also appreciated that this is not a chronology. Each chapter focuses on one essential part of her being and takes it up holistically, in its several significances in her works and her psychology. For instance, the chapter on “Her Hunger” is not speculation on her eating habits, physical body, and death. Rather, it considers the physical implications of her hunger as one of the many symptoms of an all-encompassing way of being that concerns her view/concept of God and her moral beliefs and commitments. But Coles avoids the trap of creating a purely romantic image of her deprivation, not stopping there and not painting her as a starved saint. Without sensationalizing, Coles conducts a balanced and thoughtful look into her psychology of self, not liberating her from her human insecurity. He also discusses hunger not only as it pertains to Weil herself but as it functions as a metaphor she uses repeatedly in her writings when speaking of spiritual and intellectual hunger and of a “hungry God.” “Hunger” is only one example of the organization and thoroughness of Coles’ account that I so enjoyed. Her politics and relationship to her own Jewishness, among other subjects, are treated with a similar care.

[Ruth · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author starts with explaining that he was fascinated by Simone Weil for a long time but troubled by some aspects of her character that seem often overlooked or glossed over by her fans. He felt he had to stop and really look into those darker aspects.

What's very good about this book is that the author has actually spoken with people who knew Simone. He is also very thoughtful and truly interested in Simones motives. The focus of the book does make it feel rather negative, not very uplifting, but truly thought provoking.

I now want to read more of Simone Weil herself, just to be refreshed again by her own voice.

[Queen Mary · Rating 1 out of 5]

Dr. Coles puts a good bit of himself into his books. I do not like Dr. Coles. The book is also outdated. He opines on Weil's mental health as well as parts of her physical health and several of his comments reflect outdated medical information.

[Kenneth · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book is a sustained reflection on the amazing life and and the more amazing thoughts and writings of the 20th century French philosopher Simone Weil. What comes of this portrayal is a clear, critical yet profoundly enlightening picture of a personage who deliberately doesn't want to be pigeonholed in readymade categories: an anti-intellectual intellectual, a saint outside of the Catholic Church, a mystic and radical left-leaning pilgrim whose short journey in this world was passionately lived to exemplify liberation from all shackles of 20th century existence. One remarkable aspect of this biography is how Simone Weil was read under the light of psychoanalysis revealing the knotted internal conflicts and tensions that underlie her short life, and the liberation that she found in embracing the transcendent that lies deeply in herself. It is justly subtitled "modern pilgrimage" because the author highlights that in her life and thought, we find a path, often not taken, that leads to genuine freedom in a world caught up with false liberties.

[Jim Rowley · Rating 2 out of 5]

I truly love Simone's unique perspective. It's a true challenge. Her works stand alone; they are quite unconventional, resistant to any classification, which is what makes them so refreshing.
What I did not enjoy was all the Cole I needed to slog through. First, keep the psychoanalytic stuff to yourself. If there was ever someone who was not conforming to that view, it was her. I'm glad to stipulate her weirdness. If grace doesn't fit your paradigm, you might want to consult Scott Peck.
Irony abounds! Imagine, Weill not fitting a logical analysis.

[Misty · Rating 3 out of 5]

Informative & authentic accounting of Simone Weil’s life & person. I felt like the author not only used reliable sources, but developed his understanding of Simone as a somewhat acolyte & admirer.

[Dnicebear · Rating 3 out of 5]

Here I am, drawn to read about another woman who was born in 1909. (Last one was Eudora Welty.)

For Simone Weil, Jesus came, and she became a happy slave, a slave with a future.

I wish for more 'scenes' related to these big moments in Simone Weil's life, rather than what feels like continual interpretation by a scholar who has long pondered his subject. However, the information is great and well-written, and there are wonderful quotes from Weil, such as this one from her essay "Reflections on the Right Use of School Studies with a View to the Love of God":

"Above all it is there that we can acquire the virtue of humilty [by taking careful note of our errors, wrong steps as students], and that is a far more precious treasure than all academic progress. From this point of view it is perhaps even more useful to contemplate our stupidity than our sin. Consciousness of sin gives us the feeling that we are evil, and a kind of pride sometimes finds a place in it. When we force ourselves to fix the gaze, not only our eyes but of our souls, upon a school exercise in which we have failed through sheer stupidity, a sense of our mediocrity is borne in upon us with irresistible evidence. No knowledge is more to be desired. If we can arrive at knowing this truth with all our souls we shall be well established on the right foundation."

Reading about her wishes for right thinking of oneself and attempts to cross social boundaries makes me wish Simone Weil could have grown up on a farm.