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The Hound of Heaven at My Heels: The Lost Diary of Francis Thompson
Book by Robert Waldron
93 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 1999
1 person is currently reading
144 people want to read
About the author
Robert G. Waldron
17 books1 followerA native of Boston, Massachusetts, Robert Waldron holds a B.A. in English, an M.Ed., and an M.A. in English from the University of Massachusetts. He has taught English Literature and Language at Boston Latin School—Boston’s first public school, for 33 years.
Waldron is the recipient of four fellowships from the National Endowment for the Humanities; in 1997 he also received first prize from the Catholic Press Association for the best article on spirituality written for a periodical. In addition to scholarly articles, he has written several books including: Poetry as Prayer: the Hound of Heaven, The Lost Diary of Francis Thompson Poetry as Prayer: Thomas Merton, and A Man of a Certain Tread.
Waldron is intrigued by the life inside abbeys, seminaries, and convents, places where people have given up a worldly life to pursue something greater. His novel, Blue Hope takes place in a Cistercian abbey; in this remote New England setting, John Highet comes face to face with the great poet Ethan Seegard, now a reclusive monk at the abbey.
Waldron is the recipient of four fellowships from the National Endowment for the Humanities; in 1997 he also received first prize from the Catholic Press Association for the best article on spirituality written for a periodical. In addition to scholarly articles, he has written several books including: Poetry as Prayer: the Hound of Heaven, The Lost Diary of Francis Thompson Poetry as Prayer: Thomas Merton, and A Man of a Certain Tread.
Waldron is intrigued by the life inside abbeys, seminaries, and convents, places where people have given up a worldly life to pursue something greater. His novel, Blue Hope takes place in a Cistercian abbey; in this remote New England setting, John Highet comes face to face with the great poet Ethan Seegard, now a reclusive monk at the abbey.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
May 6, 2024
Francis Thompson was saved from almost certain starvation on the streets of London by his ‘Hound’, that is, God, in the form of Wilfred Meynell, the editor of the Catholic magazine, Merry England who sent him to the monastery in Storrington, Sussex, where he lived from 1889-1890. It is quite possible he wrote his masterpiece, The Hound of Heaven at My Heels there.
This is a novelized version of the year Thompson spent at the monastery, building back his physical strength, mental acuity, personal confidence, and spiritual resolve. He had thrown away so much of his life and God’s graces so far and he knew it, yet he also knew that God wasn’t finished with him, but where to turn and what to do. Certainly not back to opium, despite its overpowering draw. That was the way of death. But was he strong enough to rebuild a life again after all he had seen and done as a homeless addict?
Robert Waldron gives us a very beautiful look inside this complex individual and the undoubted struggles he must have faced all of his adult life. Someone told me that we are all addicts of something or another, or we are enablers, another form of addiction, I suppose. But most of us aren’t addicted to something as destructive as opium or heroine, so highly and inescapably addicting. Of these unfortunates, even fewer manage to survive and live ‘normal’ lives. With the help of his literary friends, Francis was able to live a few more years after his monastery stay, but his health deteriorated when he returned to opium—or perhaps he began to use the drug when the pain began? In either event, when he died in 1907 it was either from his advanced tuberculous or an overdose, the autopsy was not conclusive.
An amazing poem and there are several others included in the book which I enjoyed.
This is a novelized version of the year Thompson spent at the monastery, building back his physical strength, mental acuity, personal confidence, and spiritual resolve. He had thrown away so much of his life and God’s graces so far and he knew it, yet he also knew that God wasn’t finished with him, but where to turn and what to do. Certainly not back to opium, despite its overpowering draw. That was the way of death. But was he strong enough to rebuild a life again after all he had seen and done as a homeless addict?
Robert Waldron gives us a very beautiful look inside this complex individual and the undoubted struggles he must have faced all of his adult life. Someone told me that we are all addicts of something or another, or we are enablers, another form of addiction, I suppose. But most of us aren’t addicted to something as destructive as opium or heroine, so highly and inescapably addicting. Of these unfortunates, even fewer manage to survive and live ‘normal’ lives. With the help of his literary friends, Francis was able to live a few more years after his monastery stay, but his health deteriorated when he returned to opium—or perhaps he began to use the drug when the pain began? In either event, when he died in 1907 it was either from his advanced tuberculous or an overdose, the autopsy was not conclusive.
An amazing poem and there are several others included in the book which I enjoyed.
October 28, 2015
Well Read Mom Selection - Year of the Spouse. Most enjoyed the analysis of Francis Thomnpson's Hound of Heaven included at the end; powerful metaphor of God as Hound and Man as needing to accept God's love. Regarding the diary, liked the words on vocation: "Faithfully carry the cross of your vocation and you will be sanctified through it".
April 20, 2015
This book is beautifully written. I read it as part of the well read mom's book club. I am so pleased to come across great literature with faith themes and this was spot on.
January 28, 2023
My sister came home this afternoon and handed me this book saying I need to read it right now. I laughed and started it and finished it in one sitting. Having never heard of the poet Francis Thompson, I was totally taken aback by the beauty of his poems and the honesty of the struggles. The Lord relentlessly pursues us. Always at all times no matter how far we try and stray from him. Why do I let myself forget this?
March 16, 2025
God is like the majestic hound from heaven, when we flee from Him, He runs toward us, when we hide, He finds us, when we push Him away, He draws us closer. Just as Christ was abandoned by His disciples in Gethsemane, we too would have acted the same. As Peter denied Christ, so would we all have done. Yet, in His infinite grace, God desires us and relentlessly pursues us, like the hound from heaven.
September 13, 2014
A brilliant epistolary novel imagining what the Francis Thompson went through during his stay in a monastery in Storrington, Sussex. Waldron's novel enlightens so much within Thompson's great poem "The Hound of Heaven" … a man's struggle with failure and addiction, his desire God thwarted by rumination on his past. It also brings one into the experiences of a poet as he lives out St. Augustine's famous line: "You stir us so that praising you may bring us joy, because you have made us and drawn us to yourself, and our heart is unquiet until it rests in you."
Why does one resist God's draw when he tells us that "my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”? Are we afraid to take up that which truly heals? It could be that one does not want to face the pain that sometimes comes while healing. Thompson notes, in this his imagined diary, "How many among us, after repeated lessonings of experience, refuse to comprehend that there is no special love without special pain!"
Read this short novel, or have someone read it to you. Then read the poem "The Hound of Heaven". And you may wonder, as I do, why I run from that which I am truly seeking.
Why does one resist God's draw when he tells us that "my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”? Are we afraid to take up that which truly heals? It could be that one does not want to face the pain that sometimes comes while healing. Thompson notes, in this his imagined diary, "How many among us, after repeated lessonings of experience, refuse to comprehend that there is no special love without special pain!"
Read this short novel, or have someone read it to you. Then read the poem "The Hound of Heaven". And you may wonder, as I do, why I run from that which I am truly seeking.
March 31, 2015
A short read of a fictionalized diary written by Francis Thompson while staying at a monastery as he tries to beat his opium addiction and where he is believed to have written his famous poem The Hound of Heaven. For people who want to learn more about Thompson quickly or like his poetry this would be a nice book. If you want to dive deep into his life, I would recommend other books about Thompson which the author has written.
March 7, 2012
Brilliantly crafted tale of the great poet Francis Thompson. Although somewhat fictional, I was amazed at what could truly have been Francis's piety. This book gave me a greater respect for addicts and for human suffering. A great read during Lent. It also gave me a fond appreciation to "The Hound of Heaven at my Heels" which I was not familiar with before.
September 23, 2015
I don't think I've ever wanted a fictional book to be true as much as this book. From the very beginning to the end, I was entranced by the way this book told the simple story of Francis Thompson's stay at the monastery. This story isn't thrilling or action packed, but it's beautiful and moving on every page.
December 20, 2012
It was interesting reading about this great man's struggles with drugs and how God used him.
May 21, 2015
I loved this book. This is s great story for anyone who is struggling with addiction or questioning god's love. Very powerful!
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews