BOOK REVIEWS
THE ISLE OF MONTE
CRISTO: Finding the Inner Treasure by S.T. Georgiou. Novalis, 10 Lower
Spadina Ave., Suite 400, Toronto, Ont. M5V 2Z2 (www.novalis.ca). ©2010;
304 pages; $24.95. Reviewed by Edwin Buettner, SFO.
“The entire universe
is a kind of spiritual school . . . designed to ready us for our entry
into paradise, our eternal home.” These words succinctly convey
a foundational theme of this series of meditations by Steve Georgiou,
a lecturer in religion and interdisciplinary humanities at San Francisco
State University, Berkley, Calif. For Georgiou, the so-called “outer
world” of people, nature, geography and the arts serve as templates
and beacons for the spiritual journey. This is so because of Christ’s
presence at the heart of all things, what the author calls, “the
sustaining core.” In other words, the Spirit within is nourished
by engaging deeply and prayerfully with the world and remaining open
to its surprises.
Using exquisitely crafted
and evocative language, the author draws upon key encounters, events
and literary sources that have shaped his inner life. Its title is intended
to bring to mind to the classic adventure story by Alexandre Dumas in
which a man travels a path of liberation from revenge to love and forgiveness.
The poet Robert Lax, who in his later years lived as a hermit on the
island of Patmos in Greece, is a strong influence throughout this book.
Most intriguing, however, are the numerous instances of synergy and
synchronicity in which poetry, nature and liturgy become integrated
in ways that transcend the limits of the rational mind.
In reading this book, one
has the sense that Georgiou is engaged in a struggle between his identity
as an academic and the deeper call of the Spirit to remain anchored
in the heart, that mysterious place of God’s presence. For example,
he relates his experience of a major crisis in which his sense of self
felt was felt to be on the verge of extinction: “Whatever
was left of my identity was being squeezed into a pinhole of life, a
sky-blown ember fading fast.” Using the analogy of a bird’s
trust of the wind in flight, the author tells how he came to recognize
that beyond the trappings of ego there exists a “higher love”
of God that will sustain him, even through the darkest of valleys.
Somewhat in contrast to the
vivid and rich imagery evoked by these prose poems, the book contains
a number weakly defined black and white photographs. Though in some
respects its aesthetic appeal may be compromised by the inclusion of
these pictures, on balance they ultimately serve to strengthen the its
open-hearted quality. It is as if the author is sharing a personal family
album with the reader.
A phrase that well captures
the essence of this collection is that of its subtitle, Finding the
Inner Treasure. Read with an open mind and heart, the sheer beauty of
these short meditations will inspire many readers in the pursuit of
their own search of the “pearl of great price,” a treasure
which is nothing less than the revelation of humankind’s authentic
identity and purpose in God.
Originally from the St. Brieux district, Buettner is a retired educator living in Winnipeg. He is a member of the Secular Franciscan Order.
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