Readers of Dowry will no doubt be interested to see Silverstream Priory’s recent release of two historical novels by Robert Hugh Benson. Each of these classic Reformation novels includes a new foreword by Catholic literary scholar Joseph Pearce (author of biographies of Chesterton and Tolkien), seven specially commissioned illustrations, and entirely re-typeset text.
‘Enjoyable as it is edifying,’ Fr Armand de Malleray, FSSP writes, ‘Benson’s historical novel The King’s Achievement helps us third-millennium readers become more familiar with the heroic times of anti-Catholic persecution in England.’ Benson’s inspiration for this novel comes from the time of the dissolution of the monasteries during the reign of Henry VIII. Love of the Mass and our Lord vie with love of wealth and power as the actual deeds of historic figures such as Thomas More, John Fisher, and Cromwell are woven into a ‘harrowingly romantic tale’ of the Faith in England. Fr John Hunwicke describes this novel as ‘exciting and as page-turning as a modern thriller.’ Dr Timothy Kelly, Fellow of Blackfriars Hall, says: ‘in an age of Hilary Mantel, this eagerly awaited republication provides an urgent corrective to the popular notion that King Henry VIII’s reign amounted to anything but the greatest tragedy in the history of the British Isles. This…is essential reading to all those interested in the national and personal complexities of the English Reformation.’
A loose sequel to The King’s Achievement, the story of ‘two young people caught in a conflict of ideals’ is the subject of By What Authority. Set in the England of Elizabeth I, Benson engages with the difficulties of Puritans and Catholics ‘in a manner that contradicts the biased narrative still taught in many schools,’ according to Fr Patrick O’Donohue, FSSP. From another quarter, Dr Melinda Nielsen, a home-schooling mother and professor of Classical Literature at Baylor University (Texas, USA), welcomes this new edition with high praise: ‘At last in print again, By What Authority? brings to life one of the most crucial stories in Church history—the battle for the soul of England. Blending wit, chivalry, theological insight, and deep sympathy with all Christians of goodwill, Benson leads the reader inside the minds and hearts of Reformation England, dramatizing how the Lord uses small acts of fidelity to raise up joyful saints and martyrs in every generation. With its lively illustrations and helpful notes, Cenacle Press’s new edition is a must-have for every Catholic home (and home-schooling) library.’
An apostolate of the monks of Silverstream in Ireland, the goal of the Cenacle Press is ‘to show something of the Highest Good to every reader who picks up our books’ and to show that the Benedictine tradition has ‘something beneficial, worthwhile, and encouraging in it for every believer.’ These and other fine books are available for purchase from The Cenacle Press website cenaclepress.com, as well as amazon.co.uk and other retailers.
Article first published in Dowry No54, Summer 2022