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Robert Hugh Benson

Lord of the World Kindle Edition

by Robert Hugh Benson (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

4.3 1,042 ratings

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This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery.

Review

"Interesting it must be to all to whom the deepest convictions of a man's heart are of moment. And in the artistic balance and taste of Father Benson's literary power every reader will find delight." --New York Times

"Mr. Benson sees the world, four or five generations hence [this review was written in 1906], free at last from all minor quarrels, and ranged against itself in two camps, Humanitarianism for those who believe in no divinity but that of man, Catholicism for those who believe in no divinity but that of God." --London Times

"The book as art is beautiful, delicately balanced, deeply inspired, intelligently executed." --Putnam's --This text refers to the paperback edition.

About the Author

Robert Hugh Benson (1871-1914), enjoyed a celebrated and prolific career that lasted little over a decade. In addition to a great many non-fiction works, he authored a series of twenty novels and short story collections that combined a specific moral orientation with an astonishing popularity among the general public of the early twentieth century. As an Anglican and later a Catholic priest, Father Benson was in great demand as a speaker in both England and the United States. The most sensational English convert from the Anglican Communion to Catholicism since John Henry Newman, "Hugh," as his friends and family called him, was a son of the Archbishop of Canterbury. Benson wrote from a Catholic perspective, but with real understanding and sympathy for the Protestant position. --This text refers to the paperback edition.

Print length

201 pages
Language

English
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Publication date

May 16, 2012
File size

400 KB
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4.3 out of 5

1,042 global ratings

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Stephen C. Cross

Even better the second time!

Reviewed in the United States on January 6, 2024

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I read this classic in 2008 the first time. Some images and parts stuck with me.
I started this again in 2024, and is even better and more fitting for this age!
Provided the reader remembers this was written 120 years ago, they will be moved and edified by this grand work.

One person found this helpful

Good copy of this book

Reviewed in the United States on December 23, 2015

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This particular binding has latin translations as footnotes and looks like a real book. I started reading it after learning being Pope Francis suggested reading. He actually have used this book for teaching. This is a very well written book. The story is a futuristic apocalyptic dystopia. It's not an easy reading. I believe it requires taking time to digest. As another reviewer mentioned, it might be good to read a page or two per day and let oneself process its meaning
Msgr Benson was the youngest son of Edward Benson Archbishop of Canterbury. He was first ordained priest at the Church of England by his father. After his death, and after traveling through the Middle East, he decided to turn into the Catholic Church. The book was first published in 1907, only couple of years after changing religions.
The book describes how Catholics are abandoning their faith. I don't believe religion -nor dogma- is to blame. In any case Benson is making an interesting case between free market and religion stepping onto each others feet. Consequently, heightening atheism to exalt of the individual. For instance, Felseburgh is called the "son of man". Benson appears to have been quite right in this point, at least to my understanding. It is interesting to think of the consequences of a world without any form of religion, no countries separated by different interests, etc.
Although published in 1907, the story is supposed to happen somewhere around our times. Therefore it has very interesting visions about how our times looked like to someone over a hundred years ago. For instance, although by 1907 there were designs for aircrafts, Benson already had in mind air travel as being an ordinary way of transportation.

4 people found this helpful

yvette de la harpe

Asusta lo profético que es!

Reviewed in the United States on December 9, 2023

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Así como estamos viendo el desarrollo de la maldad en el presente, es impresionante leer este libro antiguo que describe situaciones tan actuales.

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Fast paced and deserves to be read

Reviewed in the United States on February 11, 2015

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The book is awesome. But this edition with the boat on the cover is just not the one you want, I didn't realize when I ordered it that it is a full 8 1/2x11" size; this is not the best format for reading a novel and it also has some problems of poor editing from an OCR text. There is a similarly priced edition that is a normal size.

I found this book a well-crafted, highly entertaining, thought provoking page turner. This was the most engaging thing I read in a long time. I already had bought it and had it sitting around, but finally got around to reading it after hearing Pope Francis promote it multiple times. The fact it's one of Pope Francis' favorite books makes it even more interesting to read. This is a super Catholic book, you will get the most out of it if you are familiar with the Traditional Latin Mass and for instance Latin Eucharistic hymns. If you are steeped in that then there is nothing difficult about this book. And if that is not as familiar to you, you will probably still make out what is happening though I could imagine the last couple pages to be difficult for a non Catholic to figure out. Like any futuristic book, a lot of the character of it is right from the time when it was written, so the juxtapositions involved in someone in 1907 describing the early 21st century can be pretty amusing. But what this book really explores is not what will happen to technology but much bigger questions, and Benson's vision about the nature and form of the showdown between the progressive anti-Christ "spirit of the world" and Christ is what makes this book compelling enough to be praised by more than one Pope. The basic gist of it simply rings true--he really puts his finger on something--and the only way to convey the idea this well is in a story--an essay or treatise is just not a substitute. The fascinating thing about Benson's scene of "the end of the world" is it is a scene so familiar to many devout and somewhat traditional-ish Catholics that you are right there in the scene. And if you still think after you read the book that Pope Francis is some kind of Communist plant, then you didn't actually read the book, because Pope Francis handily disabuses us of any such notion by recommending "The Lord of the World" as a favorite. Whatever Pope Francis is up to precisely, he understands that the battle lines are drawn, and Whose side he wants to be on.

43 people found this helpful

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Henrique Nery Cipriani

Difícil parar de ler!

Reviewed in Brazil on December 30, 2022

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Como o próprio autor diz no prefácio, o livro é sensacionalista, mas acabou sendo um ponto forte, pois prende o leitor e transmite importantes mensagens sobre as quais vale a pena refletirmos. Acredito que eu tenha gostado muito do livro porque sou católico. Quem é de outra religião provavelmente achará o livro "bobo", pois não compreenderá as ironias do autor. Vai na linha de 1984 e outras literaturas distopicas. Embora antigo, permanence atual.

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inesgaim

Contenido

Reviewed in Spain on October 16, 2023

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Muy interesante y recomendable. También existe en español

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Amazon Customer

Amazing story, so well crafted and very prophetic in ...

Reviewed in Australia on March 7, 2018

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Amazing story, so well crafted and very prophetic in nature. Love it.

Hopeland

Lord of the World

Reviewed in Germany on February 22, 2016

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LORD OF THE WORLD ist kein einfacher Roman. Das liegt erstaunlicherweise nicht an Sprache und Erzählstil, welche beide sehr eloquent daher kommen, sondern vielmehr an thematischen Schwerpunkten und Zukunftskonstruktionen in den Gebieten Philosophie, Religion, Politik und Ethik. Es ist dementsprechend empfehlenswert (wenn nicht gar erforderlich) sich abseits des Romans mit den genannten Themen auseinanderzusetzen. Doch gerade dieses gedankliche Erfordernis ist ein gewaltiger Pluspunkt für den Roman, welcher aus einer Zeit stammt, in dem der Leser noch nicht möglichst simple und klein gestampfte Gedankenspiele serviert bekommen hat.

Doch überraschenderweise offenbart sich eine weitere Stärke des Romans in der Erzählung selbst: Die ersten hundert Seiten sind möglicherweise die besten ersten hundert Seiten, welche ich jemals das Vergnügen hatte zu lesen. Sie ziehen vorbei in einem Rausch, bildgewaltig und eindringlich, intelligent und fast prophetisch bezüglich unserer Gegenwart; die Konstruktion der Handlung ist schlicht überragend, mit vergleichsweise kleinen Abschnitten, fließenden Übergängen zwischen den Handlungssträngen, in meisterhafter Verflechtung zueinander; die Darstellung von Mensch und Gesellschaft, und nicht zuletzt der Technik ist ein schier nicht endender Hort der Genialität, der Voraussagekraft des Autors. Zu bedenken ist dabei, dass vorgestellter Roman 1907 abgeschlossen wurde, also vor zwei Weltkriegen, welche eine zuvor nicht dagewesene Zäsur in der modernen Menschheitsgeschichte darstellen. Doch vor allen diesen positiven Merkmalen steht die sprachliche und darstellerische Gewalt, mit welcher Benson die Geschehnisse der ersten hundert Seiten präsentiert. Über den Inhalt möchte ich nicht zuviel preisgeben, denn ich selbst hatte vor dem Lesen lediglich eine grobe Ahnung. Was ich jedoch sagen kann, ist, dass ich vermutlich noch nie zuvor beim Lesen eine solang andauernde Gänsehaut hatte wie beim Lesen diesen Romanes.

Halten kann der Roman dieses unwirkliche Level nicht; ein solches zu erwarten wäre jedoch illusorisch. Mit Beginn des zweiten Teils flacht das Erzähltempo merklich ab; man merkt nunmehr die kirchliche Herkunft des Autors, dessen Gedankengut nun vermehrt in den Vordergrund tritt. Das Rätsel, dass sich im ersten Teil aufgetan hat, bleibt ungelöst. Es geht vielmehr um den Menschen, die Hinwendung zu einer neuen Ethik; und vorallem den Gefahren eines solchen gedanklichen Umbruchs in der Gesellschaft. Gräuel und Schrecken, wenngleich natürlich anders gelagert, finden sich im Kern in der tatsächlichen europäischen Geschichte alsbald wieder; und dies sogar wesentlich früher, als im Roman veranschlagt.

Teil III fährt den vorgeebneten Weg zu Ende. Der Tod rückt in den Vordergrund, in vielerlei Hinsicht: Der Punkt, ab dem keine Umkehr möglich ist, wird gesellschaftlich und an einem Einzelschicksal erkennbar; wieder einmal werden Sprache und Geschehnisse so eindringlich und intensiv, dass man zu meinen glaubt, der Himmel würde sich tatsächlich vor dem eigenen Fenster verdunkeln. And then, without warning, something resembling sound or light, tore across it...

Das Buch ist in meinen Augen ein Faszinosum. Nicht nur in Weitblick und visionärer Gewalt, sondern auch im Erzählstil und der Offenheit des Gedankenguts, die man zugebenermaßen nicht unbedingt bei einem englischen Priester im beginnenden 20. Jahrhundert erwarten würde.
Es ist erforderlich, sich auf diesen Roman einzulassen und nicht vor gedanklichen Aufgaben zurückzuschrecken. Eine Reise in die Vergangenheit, nur im eine nicht allzu alternative Gegenwart zurückzureisen. Ein wahrer Augenöffner, eine Bereicherung für Geist und Verstand, bildgewaltig und ergreifend; ein aufwühlender Pfad zur Natur des Menschen.

2 people found this helpful

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Timothée Denis

Insightful book to be read

Reviewed in France on July 25, 2015

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Visionary book written a century ago.
Everyone should read it, especially deciders !
A bit lengthy at times though.
Nice indeed

2 people found this helpful

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