|  | Author: Vera Bouteneff
Publisher: St Vladimirs Seminary Pr
Category: Book
This item is no longer available
Avg. Customer Rating:  18 reviews
Sales Rank: 3290026
Format: Unabridged
Media: Audio Cassette
Edition: Unabridged
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.7
Dimensions (in): 8.6 x 5 x 1.1
ISBN: 0881412430
Dewey Decimal Number: 200
EAN: 9780881412437
ASIN: 0881412430
Publication Date: October 2002
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| Customer Reviews:
My Audio Book was *ABRIDGED* November 5, 2005
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
I first encountered the book in the audio format. It was excellent! The only drawback, as I experienced it, was the accent of Vera Bouteneff (who reads half the chapters). Her Russian accent sometimes made it a just a bit difficult to understand a word or two, but never sacrificing my overall understanding of so much as a paragraph.
A year after first listening to the audio book, I was given a copy of the paperback, and lo and behold: the print book is about 50% longer than the audio version! And the audio book packaging says nothing about being a shortened version.
Overall, both versions are excellent. Just be warned -- unless the audio book is being released in a new version -- the audio book is missing about the last third of the book. It is *not* unabridged as advertised.
Even with problems, it's perfect... February 28, 2005
13 out of 13 found this review helpful
I am wary of those who write about a book that it "changed their lives" or that "it is a book every person should have to read." In most cases, these are heavy exaggerations and over-dramatic praises. However, I must admit that this book falls into both of these categories. "Father Arseny" is not a perfect book; the translation (from Russian) is imperfect and the chapters are mostly very scattered, not having anything to do with one another. I was hoping for a chronological biography; instead I got many stories broken into 3 sections, the last with some stories which don't even make note of Father Arseny except when mentioning the fact that the people in the story later met Father Arseny or were his spiritual children. However, the impact some of the chapters have - both of the priest and of his spiritual children - is so deep, one does not want the book to end.
The first part of the book describes Father Arseny's time in a Soviet gulag and the many miracles which were performed through him. One of these stories in particular - that of Fr. Arseny and the prisoner Alexei in a cell for three days in -22 degree weather - is so miraculous, it alone makes the book worth picking up. Another - that of the woman being saved by the Mother of God from being raped - also has a profound affect on the reader. These are just two of the many stories which I will never forget, and which I will return to to read again many times in my life.
Mainly, this book taught me two things: First, I find that I see faith in everyone now. The Light of faith exists in all people, even if only a spark. The other main thing this book gave me was a much deeper and poignant respect, love, and trust in the Theotokos; some of the stories are as much or more about her than they are about Father Arseny.
Orthodox or not, I would recommend this book to anyone. Without a doubt, it will make that aforementioned spark of faith grow, and keep it burning for years to come.
(be sure to pick up the second Father Arseny book as well, "Father Arseny: A Cloud of Witnesses")
 Unique February 5, 2005
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
We know all about the Soviet Union's disdain for religion and Stahlin viewing it as a parasite to his regime. We know churches were closed, we know priests, monks, nuns and other religious persons from various faith groups were persecuted. We know there were gulags, we know there was suffering. But this book gives a glimpse into the gulags and show what went on within the soviet regime. Father Arseny is not "holier than thou" nor is he so humble that he is unbelievable. He is a man who suffered for his faith, but who kept it nonetheless. I would say it is comparable to the Diary of Anne Frank and the Dentist of Auschwitz in its presentation as well as in its intensity.
Spiritual classic of modern times February 22, 2003
15 out of 15 found this review helpful
Orthodox Christians like to tell each other that their church is the "best kept secret" in America. That's one way to make sense of the puzzling fact that, though membership estimates range from three to six million (record-keeping is not the faith's strong suit), the church is mostly invisible. Other Americans might recall going to a Greek wedding once, or seeing Russians troop around their church with candles at midnight, but otherwise have little awareness of this non-Protestant, non-Catholic, Christian body.Thus, when something big happens in the world of Orthodox publishing, it's mostly unknown outside church circles. Something big happened four years ago, with the publication of "Father Arseny: Priest, Prisoner, Spiritual Father."
This was a translation of a book that had already sold 400,000 copies in Russia, the first open publication of a battered manuscript which had previously circulated only in carbon copy, underground. American Orthodox immediately recognized "Father Arseny" as a spiritual treasure. The book is a collection of memoirs assembled by someone who calls himself "the servant of God Alexander." The essays describe a Russian priest through the eyes of many who knew him, both during his years in a communist
concentration camp, and in the town where he lived till his death in 1975. Father Arseny's radical compassion and humility embody the distinctive flavor of Orthodox spirituality, and as such his story struck an immediate chord. For example, the book opens with dawn in the sub-freezing gulag, as the feeble, aging priest struggles to light a fire for the barracks. Clergy were despised by everyone, even other prisoners; Christians were believed to be stupid. Yet in the course of this typical day Fr. Arseny endures beatings and
abuse with patience, while caring for two sick prisoners and sharing with them his rations. One invalid is a criminal, and the other a deposed official who had signed Fr. Arseny's own sentence. Through the course of succeeding chapters both become converts, and take the priest as their spiritual father. The character of this kindly, long-suffering priest contrasts with the American expectation of what a successful Christian leader would be like: glib, brisk, upbeat, forceful. Fr. Arseny represents a different kind of Christian spirituality, one associated more with the Desert Fathers and early Christian spirituality. Fr. Arseny differs in another way: he has contact with the supernatural. American Christian spokesmen live in an orderly, corporate sort of world, but Fr. Arseny is frequently shown at crux of miraculous events. In one incident, he and a young man are thrown into a punishment cell, a small metal cubicle
exposed to -22 degree temperatures. The guards expected to find both dead when they unlocked the door 48 hours later. Instead, they found the prisoners rested and radiant, with a thick coat of frost on their clothing. As the young man described it later, when he collapsed in despair he saw the dark cell flooded with light, and Fr. Arseny praying in priestly garments. The young man, like most others who knew Fr. Arseny, was transformed by his encounter. These distinctively Orthodox elements, of humble compassion and spiritual power, are what made the first "Father Arseny" volume so beloved, and why the new volume has been eagerly awaited. "Father Arseny: A Cloud of Witnesses" continues the story with essays by people who knew him in the years after
prison, and like the first includes many tales of personal transformation and miracles. When asked if other, similar samizdat works are waiting to be published, translator Vera Bouteneff says, "I wish, I wish. Everything I've found so far was much too sweet." Her own parents fled Russia soon after the Revolution;
her father had been sentenced to be shot, but the order was commuted to exile. Her practical turn of mind is evident in the straightforwardness of the translation. Many other holy women and men lived during the communist era, but Bouteneff has found those accounts to be overstated and saccharine. "Fr. Arseny," which was written by many different people of different
educational levels, preserves a winning directness. Those who would like to know more about Orthodox Christian spirituality can see it enacted in these books, worked out in human lives rather than in theory. Soon after the publication of the first volume a story went around the internet: an Orthodox nun who had been reading the book one night turned out her light to go to sleep, looked back toward the book "and it was glowing. Though she hadn't heard the story, "I won't deny it," says Bouteneff. "I believe in miracles."
The glory of Christ in a human face February 14, 2003
16 out of 16 found this review helpful
Father Arseny's life and teachings are truly remarkable in their depth of love, humility and wisdom. Born out of deep physical and spiritual suffering, Father Arseny's life is presented to the reader in vivid accounts by some of those who knew him best (spiritual children and fellow prisoners in the "corrective" prisons). This book is one of the few books that I would say actually changed me deeply with each reading. It sounds ridiculous, but even now, if I only look at it there on my shelf I am edified. It as if Fr. Arseny is here with me, praying for me. Perhaps some of you understand what I mean. That just one person such as himself exists in a decade is enough to witness to the power of Christ in the world.This books is highly recommended for spiritual edification and growth.
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