A moving spiritual masterpiece that shows the true meaning of divinity in a hostile world

A young, shy, sickly priest is assigned to his first parish, a sleepy village in northern France. Though his faith is devout, he finds nothing but indifference and mockery. The children laugh at his teachings, his parishioners are consumed by boredom, rumours are spread about him and he is tormented by stomach pains. Even his attempts to clarify his thoughts in a diary fail to deliver him from worldly concerns. Yet somehow, despite his suffering, he tries to find love for his fellow humans, and even a state of grace.

Translated by Howard Curtis

Georges Bernanos was a French Roman Catholic writer and First World War soldier, born in 1888. His notable works - Under the Sun of Satan, Joy and Monsieur Ouine concern themselves with the ironies of good and evil. Despising Fascism and disillusioned with the state of Europe in 1938, he went into self-imposed exile in Brazil with his wife and six children. He died back in France in 1948.

Diary of a Country Priest is considered to be his masterpiece.