Abstract
The British Timothy Radcliffe finished his nine-year term as Master of the worldwide Dominican Order in 2010 and the French Bruno Cadoré succeeded him, serving until 2019. It is a highly demanding role, requiring the Master to give his time listening to fellow Dominican friars and nuns on five different continents. The deeply impressive Dominican commitment to study, prayer, preaching and pastoral care of those in need shines through the pages of these two books. I am a Dominican fan.
Neither book is academic in style but they do have a different bent. Radcliffe makes numerous, fleeting references to novels, films and literary figures. His emphasis is on culture. Cadoré, a trained physician, pays more attention to demographics and is considerably more methodical than Radcliffe. However, they both weave autobiographical details into their books. Radcliffe writes movingly about his serious operation for cancer and Cadoré writes in detail about his medical training and his subsequent novitiate as a friar. Radcliffe’s style is more lively than that of Cadoré, but then the latter first published his book in French, so this English version is mediated through a translator.
Radcliffe also tells the funniest story – a well-rounded, and doubtless oft-told, account of a friar who was born blind but still liked to travel. Trying to cross a road in a busy city, he asked for help. To the sound of screeching brakes and furious horns, he and his helper made it safely to the other side, only for the friar to discover that his ‘helper’ was also blind.
Both authors have engaged in depth with those living with AIDS. Both write with considerable humility, telling many stories about their involvement with those who are disadvantaged. Indeed, until he became Master, Cadoré served on the National AIDS Council of France. Clearly, they both have the respect, not just of their fellow Dominicans, but of many other Catholics and non-Catholics as well. Cadoré gives a more complete account of the global work of the Dominicans, while occasionally recognizing some of their historical lapses (notably taking part in the Inquisition). Radcliffe, on the other hand, is more adventurous in the cultural examples that he sifts through, but he seldom explores them in depth. None of Radcliffe’s playfulness will surprise anyone who has met him in person. Even the cover of his book – featuring the dancing, naked figures of Matisse’s La Danse – points to this. Cadoré’s book cover, in complete contrast, features an unsmiling (albeit caring) photograph of the author’s face.
I suspect that Bloomsbury hopes that these two books will be read together. In my view, they should be. They are identically priced (although unequal in length but not in content) and Radcliffe even writes the foreword to Cadoré’s book. They complement each other nicely. Neither is difficult to read, but both authors repeat themselves quite often, so perhaps they should be read episodically rather than sequentially. Taken together, however, they are a delight and well worth buying.