Simone Weil As We Knew Her

Simone Weil (1909-1943) was a defining figure of the twentieth century; a philosopher, Christian (although never baptised), resistance fighter, Labour activist and teacher, described by Albert Camus as 'the only great spirit of our time'. In 1941 Weil was introduced to Father Joseph-Marie Perrin, a Dominican priest whose friendship became a key influence on her life. When Weil asked Perrin for work as a farm hand he sent her to Gustave Thibon, a farmer and Christian philosopher. Weil stayed with the Thibon family, working in the fields and writing the notebooks which became Gravity and Grace and other posthumous works.
Perrin and Thibon met Weil at a time when her spiritual life and creative genius were at their height. During the short but deep period of their acquaintance with her, they came to know her as she actually was. First published in English in 1953, and now introduced by J.P. Little, this unique portrait depicts Weil through the eyes of her friends, not as a strange and unaccountable genius but as an ardent and human person in search of truth and knowledge.

Joseph-Marie Perrin (1905-2002) was a Dominican priest and French Resistance worker. His books include Mary, Mother of Christ and Christians. Gustave Thibon (1903-2001) a native of the Ardeche, received the 'Grand Prix de'l Academie Francaise for literature in 1964, and for philosophy in 2000. J. P. Little, of St Patrick's University College, Dublin, is author of Simone Weil on Colonialism (2003) and Simone Weil: Waiting on Truth (1988).