The Veil of Veronica

By Gertrud von Le Fort

Veronica is a young, motherless German girl living with her aristocratic grandmother and her religious aunt in the heart of Rome, the Eternal City. Befriending a poetic compatriot, Enzio, Veronica grows up poised between the pagan and Christian worlds. Afire with a glowing zeal for life and also feeling the call of divine grace, Veronica comes of age, turning toward God amidst a dramatic interplay of nature and grace that exudes monumental strength, emotional integrity, and tremendous poignancy.

“The human soul has place and is fortified in the universe solely through the mercy of God, and so soon as it breaks away from this, it ceases to be recognizable anymore.”

Von le Fort’s debut novel, The Veil of Veronica first appeared in English in 1932 to great acclaim. And understandably so: a deeply moving, lyrically told drama and a compelling confession of faith. Fixed on the foundational truth that “Grace is not force but freedom,” The Veil of Veronica is a novel of unforgettable characters, undeniable appeal, and prodigious spirit.

Grace is not force but freedom. Man is forced into life and he is forced into death, and at almost all points between these two, he is in bondage to this or to that. Only to God alone, is no one forced, here God has given the human soul entire freedom.

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Gertrud von Le Fort (1876–1971) was a German novelist, poet, and essayist. A convert to the Catholic faith, she focused her writings on the beauty and the complexity of religious faith and the nature of the transcendent. Her work was widely and critically appreciated and she was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1950 and was awarded the Gottfried-Keller Prize in 1952.

Paperback: 274pp.

ISBN: 978-1949899351