 | |
| Author | Morris West |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | Fiction |
| Publisher | HarperCollins |
Publication date | 2000 |
| Publication place | Australia |
| Media type | |
| Pages | 214 pp. |
| ISBN | 0732265959 |
| Preceded by | Eminence |
| Followed by | - |
The Last Confession (2000) is a novel by Australian writer Morris West. It was originally published by HarperCollins in Australia in 2000. [1]
It was West's last novel and was published posthumously.
The novel concerns the trials and imprisonment of Giordano Bruno who was burned at the stake for heresy in 1600. It details Bruno's life, his religious beliefs and his final days in prison.
West died while working at his desk on the final chapters of this novel. Giordano Bruno was a person with whom West had long sympathised and even identified. In 1969 he had published a blank-verse play, The Heretic, on the same subject. This was staged in London in 1970. [2] Of all his writings, he said this play had "the most of me in it". [3] In 1998 he converted it into a libretto for an opera, which was set to music by Colin Brumby but which has not been staged. [4] In early 1999 he also contemplated a film script based on the play. [3] He wrote The Last Confession in the form of the diary that Bruno might have written knowing that execution was approaching.
The diary was intended to cover the period 21 December 1599 to 17 February 1600, however it covers just 14 days; the entry West was writing when he died was dated 4 January 1600 and he had written only about half as much as he had intended. Nevertheless, the last paragraph he ever wrote was poignant: I can write no more today … who knows to what nightmares I might wake. West had had several severe heart attacks and undergone double-bypass surgery. [3] Murray Waldren writes: "This is a book written by a man aware death is imminent about a man aware execution is near". West's family decided to publish it in 2000, in an incomplete form and without any editing, leaving readers free to imagine how the story might have ended. It has a foreword by Thomas Keneally, an editor's note by his publisher Angelo Loukakis and an epilogue co-written by his assistant Beryl Barraclough and his widow Joy West.
In his foreword to the first edition, Tom Keneally wrote: "This is a book suffused by the expectation of death and the necessity of love as the sole viable riposte to it. It is not a secret to Morris's friends and readers that he was a man of the broadest compassion. His love of humanity was combined with a confident worldliness and a sharp awareness of the temptations which orthodoxy held out to those of authoritarian, absolutist bent. He knew that passion for the strictest orthodoxy was a besetting human problem, applying equally to the ideologies of the Inquisition as to the devotees of certain modern economic and political theories." [5]
In her literary study of West and his work, Maryanne Confoy noted: "West tired physically as he aged, but he appeared not to have tired of his engagement with God and with God's people whom he took so seriously as readers and as audience. In The Last Confession West invited his readers to share his journey of faith, hope and love of God, each in their own way and from their own starting points." [6]
After its original publication in 2000 in Australia by publishers HarperCollins [7] the novel was later published as follows:
and many other paperback editions. [1]
The novel was translated into Spanish in 2000; and Portuguese in 2001. [1]
George Allen & Unwin was a British publishing company formed in 1911 when Sir Stanley Unwin purchased a controlling interest in George Allen & Co. It became one of the leading publishers of the twentieth century and established an Australian subsidiary in 1976. In 1990 Allen & Unwin was sold to HarperCollins, and the Australian branch was the subject of a management buy-out.
Morris Langlo West was an Australian novelist and playwright, best known for his novels The Devil's Advocate (1959), The Shoes of the Fisherman (1963) and The Clowns of God (1981). His books were published in 27 languages and sold more than 60 million copies worldwide. Each new book he wrote after he became an established writer sold more than one million copies.
James "Jim" Moloney is an Australian children's author. A prolific writer whose books span an age range from seven- to seventeen-year-olds, he is best known for his young adult novels. He has been nominated and won awards for his books in the Children's Book Council of Australia Awards. His books have been translated into French, Korean, Lithuanian and Flemish/Dutch.
Angelo Loukakis (1951-) is an Australian author. He was born in Sydney, Australia, attended Fort Street High School, studied English literature at the University of New South Wales, and acquired a Dip. Ed. from Sydney Teachers College and a doctorate in creative arts from the University of Technology, Sydney. He has worked as a teacher, editor, publisher and scriptwriter.
Confederates is a 1979 novel by the Australian author Thomas Keneally which uses the American Civil War as its main subject matter.
The Big Story (1957) is a novel by Australian writer Morris West.
Maryanne P. Confoy RSC is an Australian religious Sister of Charity who has also been a teacher and scholar, working primarily in the areas of ministry and spirituality.
Summer of the Red Wolf (1971) is a novel by Australian writer Morris West.
Harlequin (1974) is a novel by Australian writer Morris West. It was originally published by Collins in England in 1974.
The Navigator (1976) is a novel by Australian writer Morris West. It was originally published by Collins in England in 1976.
Proteus (1979) is a novel by Australian writer Morris West. It was originally published by Collins in England in 1979.
The Clowns of God (1981) is a novel by Australian writer Morris West. It was originally published by Hodder and Stoughton in England in 1981.
The World is Made of Glass (1983) is a novel by Australian writer Morris West. It was originally published by Hodder and Stoughton in England in 1983.
Cassidy (1986) is a novel by Australian writer Morris West. It was originally published by Hodder and Stoughton in England in 1986.
Masterclass (1988) is a novel by Australian writer Morris West. It was originally published by Hutchinson in England in 1988.
Lazarus (1990) is a novel by Australian writer Morris West. It was originally published by Heinemann in England in 1990.
The Ringmaster (1991) is a novel by Australian writer Morris West. It was originally published by Heinemann in England in 1991.
The Lovers (1993) is a novel by Australian writer Morris West. It was originally published by Heinemann in England in 1993.
Vanishing Point (1996) is a novel by Australian writer Morris West. It was originally published by HarperCollins in England in 1993.
Eminence (1998) is a novel by Australian writer Morris West. It was originally published by HarperCollins in Australia in 1998.