Letters to Father: Suor Maria Celeste to Galileo, 1623-1633 (Penguin Classics) [Paperback]

Suor Maria Celeste (Author), Dava Sobel (Translator, Introduction, Contributor)

Book Description

Series: Penguin Classics | Publication Date: December 31, 2002

Placed in a convent at the age of thirteen, Virginia Galilei, Galileo's eldest daughter, wrote to her father continually. Now Dava Sobel has translated into English all 124 surviving letters that Virginia (renamed Suor Maria Celeste at the convent) wrote to Galileo. The letters span a dramatic decade that included the Thirty Years' War, the bubonic plague, and the development of Galileo's own universe-changing discoveries. Suor Maria Celeste's letters touch on these events, but mostly they focus on details of everyday life that connect her and her father: descriptions of confections she sent to him; news of his estate, which she managed while he was on trial; a request for Galileo to fix the convent clock. Her prose reveals an exceptional woman and presents a memorable portrait of deep affection between a father and daughter.

Translated and annotated by Dava Sobel

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Suor Maria Celeste's story is well known to readers of Sobel's bestselling Galileo's Daughter. At 13, she boarded as a student at the Convent of San Matteo, near Florence, Italy; three years later she professed her vows. During her two decades with the Franciscan order known as the Poor Clares, Suor Maria Celeste and her sisters prayed constantly for the well-being of the world's souls (among other things, asking God to rid Florence of the bubonic plague), and Suor Maria Celeste maintained a close correspondence with her father during those years (124 letters are offered here both in the original Italian and in translation). Suor Maria Celeste urged her "`Most Illustrious Lord Father'" to guard his health, encouraged his work, and asked him for favors, such as food and wine, and, one time, for funds that would allow her to purchase a private cell within the convent. In an early letter, she promised to write him daily, read his letters eagerly and think of him always. Once, she described the indiscreet behavior of some confessors "who fraternize" with several nuns. She reproved Galileo for not writing her often enough; in fact, none of his letters to her now exist. Suor Maria Celeste mentions Galileo's heresy charge and imprisonment only once in these letters. However, while the letters are models of fervent filial devotion and shed some light on the daily life of a convent, they reveal little about the milieu in which they were written or their addressee. (Nov. Forecast: These letters may have been eagerly awaited by Sobel's readers, but the book's high price (the attractive design pads the book out with wide margins), may dissuade some buyers. Both Sobel and Walker will donate all profits from the book to the Poor Clares in Roswell, N.Mex.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Library Journal

Collected and translated by the author of Galileo's Daughter, this book offers 124 letters to Galileo from his older, illegitimate daughter Virginia (later Suor Maria Celeste), documenting her life from the time she entered the Convent of San Matteo in 1613 at the age of 13 with her sister Livia. The hardship of their living conditions with the Poor Clares and resultant poor health is obvious from the earliest letters and continues throughout but is accepted almost matter-of-factly. Occasionally, when conditions deteriorate too drastically or when a sick sister would benefit from something "special," Maria Celeste would ask her father for assistance. The references to the plague that swept the area in the 1630s and her father's trial for heresy are touched on gently and sometimes indirectly but certainly indicate that Maria Celeste knew what was happening in the "outside" world. Maria Celeste died in 1634, shortly after Galileo's release, and the letters conclude before his return. Both the original Italian and English translation with annotations are included. The book will appeal to the general reader, particularly those who enjoyed Sobel's previous book. Recommended. Hilary Burton, Lawrence Livermore National Lab., Livermore, CA
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Penguin Classics (December 31, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0142437158
• ISBN-13: 978-0142437155
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #190,454 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Loving Daughter's Relationship with her Illustrious Father, July 11, 2005

By 

W. M. Robbins "The Badger" (The Beautiful Blue Ridge) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Letters to Father : Sister Maria Celeste to Galileo, 1623-1633 (Hardcover)

Virginia Galilei entered the Convent of San Mateo near Florence at the age of thirteen, taking the name Maria Celeste. From then on Suor Maria rarely saw her father, though she wrote to him nearly every day. Although the letters Galileo wrote to his daughter do not survive, he kept the letters he received from Suor Maria, hence this volume. "Letters to Father" is a collection of 124 of her letters spanning the years 1623 to 1633, translated into English by best-selling author Dava Sobel ("Galileo's Daughter") and printed alongside the original Italian.

The period in history during which Suor Maria wrote these letters witnessed the occurence of such events as The Thirty Years War, the outbreak of the Black Plague, the election of a new Pope and, last but certainly not least, the arrest and trial of Galileo for heresy. Suor Maria, though cloistered in a convent, exhibits considerable knowledge of current events of the day through her commentary contained in her letters.

Sour Maria's letters also illustrate the loving relationship she shared with her father (apparently Galileo had a great love for candied fruits, which Suor Maria cheerfully made for him), as well as details of her day to day management of his estate while he was being held by church authorities, such as maintenance of the house, decanting casks of wine in the cellar (lower quality wine was given to the servants, who presumably wouldn't know better), etc.

Suor Maria's letters provide insights into Galileo's private life as well as the important events of the day. In reading these letters I felt as though I were getting to know Suor Maria, and I found the experience to be fascinating and sometimes moving.

Sadly, Suor Maria fell ill and died shortly after the last letter reprinted in "Letters to Father". Her letters are a fitting memorial to her life and her love for her father.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Expressions of Adoration, October 2, 2009

By 

Stephen Parrish (Germany) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Letters to Father: Suor Maria Celeste to Galileo, 1623-1633 (Penguin Classics) (Paperback)

This collection of all surviving letters from Suor Maria Celeste to Galileo Galilei, translated by the author and published for the first time in English, constitutes a portrait of a young nun devoted to her internationally famous father.

LETTERS TO FATHER is a fast read; the even numbered pages contain the original Italian, the odd numbered pages contain their English translations. Ms. Sobel provides unobtrusive annotations in the margins that clarify allusions in the text, provide context in light of world events, and explain gaps in the dialogue: Galileo's responses to his daughter's letters are no longer extant.

Suor Maria Celeste's (Virginia Galilei's) adoration for her father is abundantly evident during the ten year correspondence. As is her nearly constant need for financial assistance. LETTERS TO FATHER provides a window into life in an early 17th century Italian monastery.

Despite Virginia's dire poverty and excruciating toothaches, her optimism and wry sense of humor show through. My favorite line: "If Vincenzio remains suspicious of your possible contagion, Sire, that will be to your advantage, since no one takes money from a person infected with the plague; and thus he, who has such great fear of the disease, will demand no funds from you." I would also like to quote, from a different letter, "I implore you not to confuse yourself with drink, as I hear you have been doing." The latter was written during Galileo's deposition before the Inquisition.

I believe LETTERS TO FATHER should be read after Ms. Sobel's companion book, GALILEO'S DAUGHTER, a biography of Suor Maria Celeste that (necessarily) includes a portrait of Galileo's personal life, one I consider to be the best in print.

Ms. Sobel no doubt published this book in an effort to fill a gap in the scholarly literature. When I read it, I read a love story.

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful Glimpse of Everyday Holiness, November 14, 2007

By 

M. OMalley - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Letters to Father: Suor Maria Celeste to Galileo, 1623-1633 (Penguin Classics) (Paperback)

Beautiful, well written glimpses into Galileo's daughter's life in the convent, her relationship with her father, his scientific work, and interactions with the Church. Easy, engaging, and rich read.