The Story

On the first day of my retirement in 2019, I sat down with St. Teresa. I wanted to re-read her great works of prose, but I stumbled on her poems instead.

People ask me why I translated these poems. I don’t know. I just started and kept going.

Order the book

Little things led me along. The St.Teresa mass card slipped into a book I ordered. The woman I met who’s mother recited one of Teresa’s poems every night. And one big thing: Teresa’s unmistakable voice.

Teresa’s voice reminds me of my grandmother—to the point, now and then a little sarcastic. The saints poems are conversational and surprisingly modern in tone. Many commentators have noted that the saint often “goes there” in her unadorned, colloquial language.

Teresa was so sure of God’s love, she spoke to him fearlessly in her poems. She lived fearlessly, too—founding convents across Spain, pursuing philosophy and mysticism in an age pumped on patriarchy. That’s another way she reminds me of my grandmother—another gutsy rule-breaker. Sweet Hunter is dedicated to my grandmothers’ memory.

Listen to Teresa

Hear the philosophical poem, God’s Beauty, in Spanish and English.

Team

Editors who helped turn Sweet Hunter
From hobby project to real book

Andrew Doty
Developmental editor and owner of Editwright

Anne McGrath

Editor and book shepherd, Monkfish Book Publishing

FAQs

I have really been asked

Why did you bother to translate St.Teresa’s poetry?

I honestly don’t know why I started. I wasn’t consciously motivated to do it. It’s more like I was led by one little “coincidence” after another. And Teresa’s voice spoke to me so strongly, I just had to keep going. Besides, ya gotta do something.

Who was St. Teresa of Ávila anyway and why should I care?

Teresa was a nun, philosopher, theologian, mystic, memoirist poet, and reformer. She did all that in patriarchal 16th century Spain. That’s one reason to care—her achievements are all the more incredible against the backdrop of a society where women had little power. Another reason: her work is brilliant, and she speaks a spiritual and emotional language that is open to everyone, regardless of religious views.

Aren’t there two saint Teresa’s?

Yes there are: St. Teresa of Ávila (1515-1582, Spain) and St. Therese of Liseux (France), the Little Flower (1873-1897). They were both Carmelite nuns and writers.

Isn’t this kind of a strange project?

Yes it is. But St. Teresa is pretty “strange”—she had some wild mystical visions and spent her life daring to be a woman intellectual and leader in a patriarchal society. I suppose, too, its strange to write a book like this in retirement, but it just felt like a good way to spend my quiet days, and it was a healing experience.

Find out more about Teresa of Ávila

Resources