Albert Schweitzer: The Enigma
- Book Review,
by James Bentley
From Publishers Weekly
Mild in tone for a biography of such a driven, charismatic personality, this is nonetheless a thorough exploration of Schweitzer's life (1875-1965). Bentley, a former Church of England minister and author of several books on Christianity and politics ( Martin Niemoller ), traces the theological and philosophical development of this 20th-century avatar of morality, placing him in the German tradition. The author provides ample detail about Schweitzer's tormented childhood, the teachers who shaped his character and intellect, his musical brilliance (for several years the youth debated whether music or theology should be his calling), his visits to a psychiatrist. Entering the long-standing controversy about his missionary work in Africa, Bentley offers evidence to refute those who brand Schweitzer a racist. His is a generally favorable account of this controversial life. Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
Biographies written about Schweitzer in the late 1950s and early 1960s usually viewed him as either an infallible hero or an antihero, but by now Bentley, while admiring him, can write a more objective biography. With access to the Schweitzer archives in Gunsbach, Germany, the author, a former minister in the Church of England, divides his book into four sections covering major aspects of Schweitzer's life. The first part, which focuses on his childhood, discusses Schweitzer's "youthful traumas" as they were revealed in his psychoanalysis after a nervous breakdown years later. The next two sections are devoted to his career as a professional concert pianist, Bach expert, and organ builder and to his work as a philosopher/theologian and Lutheran pastor. We get a well-balanced presentation of Schweitzer's writings, including his controversial The Quest of the Historical Jesus, and of the scholarly and public reactions they created. The concluding section is devoted to Schweitzer's missionary career and to the development of his moral conviction of reverence for life. In the last few pages, Bentley, responding to charges that Schweitzer was a publicity-seeking racist, argues that he was simply a paternalist doing what he could to keep his hospital open. This easy-to-read book is recommended for all libraries.- Eric D. Albright, Galter Health Sciences Lib., Northwestern Univ., ChicagoCopyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Kirkus Reviews
Bentley (Martin Niemoller, 1984), a former Anglican priest, makes use here of hitherto unpublished material in the Albert Schweitzer Archive in Alsace to paint a disquieting portrait of a very puzzling man. In this psychobiography, Bentley seems particularly--even peculiarly--interested in the people and events that formed his subject. Much is made of Schweitzer's boyhood, both that it was ``deeply miserable,'' as Bentley puts it, and that Schweitzer went to great pains to cover up this fact. This typifies Schweitzer's shadowy makeup: although he had an ``almost clinical, even arrogant intelligence,'' he took refuge in ``romantic irrationalism''; though opposed to racism, his hospital in the African jungle was run exclusively by whites. Bentley pores over Schweitzer's obsessions, especially Bach and the historical Jesus, seeing in each evidence of his subject's paradoxical outlook. The author places great emphasis on Schweitzer's mentors, devoting several pages to digressions on now-forgotten figures. Thankfully, he also brings his expertise to bear on Schweitzer's views on the historical Jesus, suggesting that this work, once seen as an invincible monument to Protestant liberalism, now takes its place as another chapter in the history of ideas. Perhaps Schweitzer--who won the Nobel Peace Prize, revolutionized New Testament and Bach studies, played the organ like a maestro, developed a theology based on reverence for all life, and put his Christian beliefs to the test by setting up a hospital in the heart of Africa--looms too large for any one biographer. But Bentley manages to sketch the complexities, no small feat in itself. An admirable if flawed addition, then, to Schweitzer studies. (Eight pages of b&w photographs--not seen.) -- Copyright ©1992, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
From Book News, Inc.
A biography of the legendary musician/missionary (1875-1965). With access to the Schweitzer archives in Gunsbach, Germany, Bentley probes the contradictions in this most-admired of men in the 20th century. Annotation copyright Book News, Inc. Portland, Or.
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