Books About Saint Francis of Assisi

In a used bookstore, I started searching through the shelves for an interesting book. Since they were on the shelves, I could only see the spines, though every now and then I pulled one out to check the cover. After a while, one appeared. It was a biography about a Nobel laureate whose main work took place in the first half of the 20th century—someone I had already read a bit about. I liked this particular book mostly because it seemed a bit more complete and included period photographs.

Even so, I kept browsing, and as luck would have it, I stumbled upon another book. I flipped through it and saw a quote that could be connected to the first book I had found. This second book was about Saint Francis of Assisi. Since the price seemed a bit high for a used book (and its cover was lined with transparent self-adhesive paper), I decided to leave it at the store and look for it online. That’s what I did, but on my way back, I forgot the title of the book. I only remembered that it was about Saint Francis of Assisi. "Well, that information should be enough," I told myself. A clear mistake—too naive.

When I started searching, books and more books about this Catholic saint began to flood in. And it makes sense: being considered one of the most relevant saints in the Catholic Church, there are countless writings dedicated to him. Of course, I couldn't find it online; I got dizzy searching—it could be this one or that one. I remembered something about the cover and its color, but there were still too many similar ones. I searched for full texts or previews, but even then, the one I had seen in the bookstore wouldn't show up. I decided to cut my losses: I canceled the web searches, went back to the bookstore, searched the shelves, found it, took a picture, and that was it—matter settled.

However, the sheer amount of books about this saint stuck in my mind, and I decided to create a list with the ones I come across. Of course, I won't read them all—in fact, I already read one once and that's enough for me—but while searching, I couldn't find a single list that collected books related to this saint either. Instead, what exists are partial lists from some bookstores and slightly more complete ones on Franciscan websites.

For some years now, following the Pope's choice of the name, the prices of these books skyrocketed. Not only that, but old and abandoned editions were reprinted, and that's how one discovers that besides the many friars of the order who wrote about the saint, classic writers whom one knows for other works wrote about him as well.

Among the recognized writings of Francis of Assisi are:

• Canticle of the Creatures
• Praises at All Hours
• Letter to the Entire Order
• Blessing to Brother Leo
• True Joy
• Letter to the Rulers of the People, etc.

First biographies, with probable dates of authorship:

• First Life (Legenda Prima) by Thomas of Celano (1228–1230).
• Mirror of Perfection (Speculum Perfectionis), author unknown.
• Second Life (Legenda Secunda) by Thomas of Celano (1247).
• Major Legend of Saint Francis (Legenda Maior) by Saint Bonaventure (1263).
• Legend of the Three Companions (Legenda Trium Sociorum) (1270–1300).

Works, Biographies, and Related Works:

• The Little Flowers of Saint Francis (Fioretti). (Anonymous Latin compilation made from oral traditions based on the deeds and miracles of the saint and his monks from the late 13th century. Most of its material comes from oral sources about the saint and his circle, gathered by a friar from the Marches, Ugolino Brunforte, assisted by others. They wrote them in Latin under the title Actus Beati Francisci et sociorum eius between 1327 and 1337, consisting of fifty-three chapters.) (Wikipedia).
• Lauds by Jacopone da Todi (13th Century). (Praises)
• To Saint Francis of Assisi by Torquato Tasso (16th Century). (Poem)
• Paradise, Canto XII in The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri (1313–1321). (Poem)
• Este es el Floreto de Sant Francisco... (This is the Booklet of St. Francis: which treats of the life [and] miracles of the blessed lord St. Francis and the rule of the friars minor) by Meinardo Ungut; Estanislao Polono (1492).
• Lives of Saint Francis and Saint Clare by Saint Bonaventure (1221–1274); Gutiérrez, Juan (1560).
• Epitome of the Prodigious Life and Miracles of the Saint Especially Favored by God... Saint Francis of Assisi... by Bozal Andrés de Ustarroz, Antonio, O. Cist.; Muñoz, Francisco Vicente (1770).
• Life of the Seraphic Father and Patriarch Saint Francis of Assisi: Annotated by R. P. Candido Chalipe (1796). (Annotated biography)
• Panegyric Sermon of the Great Father and Patriarch Saint Francis of Assisi by Juan González (1816).
• Seraphic Gallery, or Life of the Great Father and Patriarch Saint Francis of Assisi... by Francisco de Asís Mestres (1857).
• Legend No. 1: St. Francis of Assisi Preaching to the Birds by Franz Liszt (1863). (Piano composition)
• Saint Francis of Assisi by Emilia Pardo Bazán (1882). (Biography, 2 volumes)
• Little Flowers of Saint Francis of Assisi: Italian Chronicle of the Middle Ages by Antonio Cesari (1885).
• The Life of St. Francis of Assisi (La Vie de Saint François d’Assise) by Paul Sabatier (1894). (Biography)
• Saint Francis (Sant Francesc) by Mosén Jacint Verdaguer (1895). (Poetry)
• Saint Francis of Assisi by Hermann Hesse (1904). (Biographical-poetic)
• The Game of Flowers by Hermann Hesse. (Short story)
• St. Francis of Assisi (El Pobrecillo de Asís) by Johannes Jørgensen (1907). (Biography)
• Franciscan Lily (Lirio Franciscano) by Ramón María del Valle-Inclán (1907). (Poem in the book Aromas de leyendas. Versos en loor de un Santo Ermitaño).
• The Venerable Third Order of Saint Francis of Assisi: After the Brief "Qui Multa" of H.H. Leo XIII by Francisco María Ferrando y Arnau (1907).
• Life of Saint Francis of Assisi by Fr. Leopoldo de Chérancé (1910).
• The Motives of the Wolf (Los motivos del lobo) by Rubén Darío (1913). (Poetry)
• The Shadow of the Brother of Assisi by José Hernández Amador (1913). (Poem)
• The Ballad of Little Red Riding Hood by Federico García Lorca (1919). (Poem)
• St. Francis of Assisi by Gilbert Keith Chesterton (1923). (Biography)
• Motifs of Saint Francis by Gabriela Mistral (1923). (Poems)
• Poem to Saint Francis of Assisi by Rafael Arévalo Martínez (1923). (Poem taken from the book Las rosas de Engaddi)
• Account of Saint Francis's Kiss to the Leper by Juana de Ibarbourou (? Date). (Poem)
• The Canticle of the Creatures translated/adapted by León Felipe (Felipe Camino Galicia de la Rosa) (? Date).
• Saint Francis of Assisi in Spanish Sculpture by Francisco Javier Sánchez Cantón (1926).
• Saint Francis of Assisi by Luis de Sarasola (1929). (Biography)
• Saint Francis of Assisi by Lorenzo Conde (1932). (Biography)
• Saint Francis of Assisi by Juan N. Quagliotti (1935).
• Prints of Saint Francis of Assisi: Drama in Three Acts by P. A. X. (1936). (Theater)
• Saint Francis of Assisi by Apostolado de la Prensa (1942).
• Saint Francis of Assisi by José Russotti (1943). (Biography)
• Contest on Saint Francis of Assisi by Sanmarti y Compañía (1943).
• Life of Saint Francis of Assisi by Fr. Cuthbert (1944). (Biography)
• Complete Writings of Saint Francis of Assisi and Biographies of His Time. Editorial Católica (1945).
• Saint Francis of Assisi: Universal Patron of Catholic Action by Editorial "Jodoco Ricke" (1945).
• Jacobina Sietesolios: (Last Moments of Saint Francis of Assisi) by Luis Valle Goicochea (1946).
• Saint Francis of Assisi by Fray Juan R. de Legísima and Fray Lino Gómez Canedo (1949). (Biography)
• Evocation of Saint Francis of Assisi: The Saint and the Man by Rafael Maya (1950).
• Saint Francis (El pobre de Asís / God's Pauper) by Nikos Kazantzakis (1953). (Novel)
• The Knight of Christ: Francis of Assisi by Fr. Hilarino Felder (1957).
• Saint Francis of Assisi by S. R. S., X. Tulla (1957). (Children's book)
• Saint Francis of Assisi and the Franciscan Spirit by Ivan Gobry (1957).
• The Joyful Beggar: The Story of Saint Francis of Assisi by Louis de Wohl (1958).
• Saint Francis of Assisi by Anne Saint-Varent (Luisa María Martí García) (1962).
• Saint Francis of Assisi (La Hora XXV, al servicio del médico) (1965). (Magazine)
• Saint Francis of Assisi: Writings, Little Flowers, Biographies of the Saint, Mirror of Perfection (1965).
• Life of Saint Francis of Assisi: A Paraphrase by Álvaro Pombo (1966). (Biography)
• Saint Francis of Assisi by Isabel Flores de Lemus (1968). (Children and Young Adult)
• The Life of Saint Francis of Assisi in the Paintings of the Cloister of San Pietro in Montorio: (Spanish Academy of Fine Arts in Rome) by Antonio Blanco Freijeiro (1968).
• The Life of Saint Francis of Assisi by Fr. Anacleto Jacovelli (1975).
• Saint Francis of Assisi by Eduardo Sierralta Ybarra (1976). (Theater)
• Let Us Pray with Brother Francis: Prayers and Texts of Saint Francis of Assisi for the Use of Franciscan Fraternities Cefepal (1976).
• Saint Francis of Assisi in His Writings and Ancient Biographies by Juan Bautista Montorsi (1980).
• Saint Francis of Assisi and Saint Francis Solano in Literature by Ricardo Dino Taralli (1980).
• To Saint Francis of Assisi by Miguel Torga (Adolfo Correia da Rocha) (1981). (Poem)
• Saint Francis of Assisi: Tenderness and Vigor by Leonardo Boff (1982).
• Religious Life According to Saint Francis of Assisi by Fernando Uribe Escobar (1982).
• Saint Francis of Assisi in Contemporary Hispanic Literature by Vicente González Martín (1985).
• The Second Life of Francis of Assisi by José Saramago (1987). (Theater)
• Saint Francis of Assisi by Ana Favazza (1989).
• Saint Francis of Assisi and the Turtle Doves by Gloria Savedra (1989).
• Saint Francis of Assisi and the Little Devils by Carlos Valle (1990).
• The Brother of Assisi by Ignacio Larrañaga (1991).
• Saint Francis of Assisi: Writings, Biographies, Documents of the Era. Biblioteca de Autores Cristianos, B.A.C. (1991).
• Wisdom of a Poor Man by Eloi Leclerc (1992).
• Brother Francis by Julien Green (1996).
• Life of Saint Francis of Assisi by Michel Feuillet (1997). (Biography)
• Presence of the Writings of Saint Francis of Assisi in the Anonymous of Perugia by Walter Heras Segarra (1997).
• Francis, What Are You Thinking?: A Novel About Saint Francis of Assisi by Jesús Capo (1998). (Novel)
• Saint Francis of Assisi by Manuel Díaz Álvarez (1998).
• The Suicide of Saint Francis by Santiago Martín (1998).
• Legends of Love and Virtue: Saint Francis of Assisi (1998). (Fiction)
• Saint Francis of Assisi: Return to the Gospel (Saint François d’Assise. Le retour à l’Évangile) by Eloi Leclerc (1998).
• Francis of Assisi: Return to the Gospel by Eloi Leclerc (? Date).
• Saint Francis of Assisi by Kevin Morgan Watson (1999).
• Francis: The Saint of Assisi: A Novel (also translated as Francis, the Madman of Assisi) by Joan Mueller (2000). (Historical novel)
• The Wisdom of Saint Francis of Assisi by Angel H. Pratt (2001).
• Reluctant Saint: The Life of Francis of Assisi by Donald Spoto (2002).
• The Cross as the Root of Perfect Joy: Francis of Assisi Speaks to Priests by Carlo María Martini, Raniero Cantalamessa (2002).
• Saint Francis of Assisi by Luis Rutiaga (2005).
• Saint Francis of Assisi by Jacques Le Goff (2006).
• The Eucharist in the Faith of Saint Francis of Assisi by Alberto Hernández (2007). (Essay)
• Saint Francis of Assisi: New Biography by Fr. Eliécer Sálesman (2007). (Biography)
• Saint Francis of Assisi: Unbullated Rule, Bullated Rule, The Little Flowers of Saint Francis (San Francesco D'Assisi. Regola non bollata. Regola bollata. I fioretti di san Francisco) by Franco Maria (2008).
• Francis of Assisi: Step by Step by Tomás Gálvez Campos (2009).
• Narrative Theology: An Approach from the Little Flowers of Saint Francis of Assisi by José María Siciliani Barraza (2009).
• Thoughts of Saint Francis of Assisi by Isabel Martínez Moreno (2012).
• Saint Francis of Assisi (Saints: Friends of God) by Luis Pérez Simon (2012).
• Saint Francis of Assisi by Giuseppe Crescimbeni (2013). (Biography)
• Saint Francis of Assisi by Brian Wildsmith (2013).
• Letter from Saint Francis of Assisi to Today's Youth by Leonardo Boff (2013).
• Praying with Saint Francis of Assisi (Talking with Jesus) by Mº Victoria Triviño Monrabal (2013). (Prayers)
• The Pope and Saint Francis: A Message of Faith for the World's Children (? Date). (Children's book)
• Saint Francis of Assisi: The Saint of Poverty by Liliana Ferreirós (2014).
• The Way of the Cross: St. Francis of Assisi by Martin Schumer (2014).
• In the Feeling of Francis by Fray Martínez Jorge (2014).
• Francis of Assisi: The Most Human of All Saints by Niklaus Kuster (2015).
• Saint Francis and Saint Clare Tell Us Their Lives by Guadalupe Labrador and Marifé Ramos González (2017).
• Praised Be You, My Lord: Francis of Assisi, A Life Made into Praise by José Antonio Guerra (2017).
• Francis of Assisi: History and Legend by Carlos Amigo Vallejo (2017).
• Historical and Biographical Chronology of Francis of Assisi by Fray Sergio Carballo (2017).
• Core Elements of Saint Francis of Assisi's Charism: The Franciscan Identity by Fernando Uribe (2017).
• Saint Francis of Assisi in the Work of Francisco de Zurbarán and Joan Miró: Validity of the Holy and the Beautiful Over Time by Higinia Silvia Bernad Gil (2017).
• Francis of Assisi: The Denied History by Chiara Mercuri (2018). (Biography)
• Saint Francis of Assisi (Teachers of Faith No. 1) by Nicoletta Lattuada (2018).
• Novena to Saint Francis of Assisi to Regain Serenity and Sobriety and Keep Us Away from Chaos (Renewed Heart No. 30) by Laila Pita (2019). (Novena)
• Saint Francis of Assisi: The Rebellion of a Saint (Lives of Saints No. 1) by Alfredo Barra, Blanca Castro Iturrieta (Editor) (2019).
• Life of Saint Francis of Assisi: Francis, What Are You Thinking? (Fictionalized Lives of Saints No. 3) by Jesús Capo (2019).
• Saint Francis of Assisi: Patron Saint of Animals by Estela Socías Muñoz (2019).
• Saint Francis of Assisi: A Poor Man for the Poor by Blanca Castro Iturrieta (? Date). (Children's book)
• Saint Francis of Assisi: At the Dawn of a Joyful Existence by Gianluigi Pasquale (? Date).
• Saint Francis: The Answer to the Question No One Asks (San Francesco. La risposta alla domanda che nessuno pone) by Gianluigi Pasquale (2019).
• Franciscan Poets at [http://www.fratefrancesco.org/lit/poesia/91.poetas.htm](http://www.fratefrancesco.org/lit/poesia/91.poetas.htm)

Air conditioning water

Walking through the city, I found a simple yet effective device related to the drainage of water discharged by air conditioners. The pragmatism combined with the ingenuity of these people solved a problem.

A small pipe connected to the hose where the water comes out of the outdoor unit extends from the balcony, crosses the sidewalk, and falls onto a growing tree.

Pros: you don't have to walk around with a container collecting and throwing away the water, the water doesn't "drip" down walls or floors or fall onto the sidewalk, it doesn't "splash" people walking below (something very common and a source of complaints in building associations), it doesn't waste water, and the water ends up being useful as necessary nourishment for the plant.

This type of water is very acidic and is harmful to certain garden compositions, unless it's for acid-loving or acid-tolerant plants; it's also water that works well for alkaline soils. Apparently, the little tree in the picture is unaffected and continues to grow.

Pumpkin / Squash Juice

In a Chinese supermarket, I bought a can of a drink—a juice I wasn't familiar with. Since it seemed strange to me, I bought it to try it, given that I like trying different things.
At first glance, I thought it was cucumber juice. I picked up the can, and at the checkout, I asked the cashier if it was indeed cucumber juice, and he told me, "No cucumber, squash juice, not found in Argentina, squash from back home."

Before drinking it, I read everything I could in Spanish; the only large text visible says "Good flavor." The rest of what is printed on the can is in Chinese (incomprehensible to me). Even above "Good flavor," there is something written in Chinese, but in the middle, it has an image of red lips...?

Then I looked at a sticker attached with information in Spanish, which reads Ingredients: "pumpkin juice, water, sugar, and aroma." Aroma? Could it mean flavorings? And below, it says "winter squash species."

I drank it; it tasted like stewed fruit with caramel. Later, I associated it with the squash known in Argentina as cayote (mostly in northern Argentina), although that squash is native to the Americas and not China (as will be seen later, they belong to the same Cucurbitaceae family).

I looked at the can again, and the drawing no longer looked like a cucumber to me. It looked like a green squash; the flower was very similar to a regular, common squash plant, and the stem at the end was the same, but the shape, the green color, the little white dots, and the inside with seeds set it apart from a traditional squash.

Upon re-reading the can, this time the part in English, I first learned that it is not Chinese but Taiwanese—Made in Taiwan—and then the text Winter Gourd Juice Drink, which translates to winter pumpkin/squash juice drink.

Since "winter squash/gourd" is what repeats in both English and Spanish, I went to look it up and found it. It is also known as Chinese squash, white gourd, wax gourd, as well as ash gourd, mao gua, winter melon, hairy melon, fuzzy squash, hairy cucumber, qua chi / moqua / gua moa. Scientifically, the species appears to be Benincasa hispida, of the variety var. Chieh-gua.

References, visited on 01-31-2020
•    https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benincasa_hispida
•    https://elholandespicante.com/ingredientes/mao-gua-o-melon-de-invierno/
•    https://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/agriculture/horticulture/vegetables/commodity-growing-guides/asian-vegetables/a-f/chi-qua-embenincasa-hispida-var.-chieh-guaem

Jugo de calabaza.

En un supermercado chino me compré una lata de una bebida, un jugo que desconocía, y como me resultaba extraño, lo compre para probarlo, habida cuenta que me gusta probar cosas diversas.
A primera vista pensé que se trataba de jugo de pepino, cargué la lata, y en la caja le pregunté al cajero chino, si efectivamente era jugo de pepino y me dijo “no pepino, jugo de zapallo, no hay en Argentina, zapallo de allá”.
Antes de consumirlo, leí todo lo que pude en español, lo único que se ve en grande es “Buen sabor”. El resto de lo que está impreso en la lata está en chino (incomprensible para mí). Incluso, arriba de “Buen sabor”, hay algo escrito en chino pero en el medio tiene la imagen de unos labios rojos ¿…?
Luego miré una etiqueta que trae pegada con información en español, que dice Ingredientes: “jugo de calabaza, agua, azúcar y aroma” ¿aroma? ¿serán aromatizantes?  Y abajo dice “especie de calabaza de invierno”.
Me lo tomé, tenía un gusto a compota con caramelo, luego los asocié la zapallo que en Argentina se conoce como cayote (más que nada en el norte argentino), aunque ese zapallo es propio de América y no de China (como se verá después, pertenecen a la misma familia Cucurbitáceas).
Volví a ver la lata, y el dibujo ya no me parecía un pepino, parecía un zapallo verde, la flor era muy similar a una planta de zapallo común y corriente, y el cabito en la puta, lo mismo, pero la forma, el color verde, los puntitos blanco y el interior con las semillas, lo alejaban de un zapallo tradicional. A volver a leer la lata, está vez lo que estaba en inglés, primero me entero que no es chino sino taiwanés, Made in Taiwan, y luego la leyenda Winter Gourd Juice Drink que sería bebida de jugo de calabaza de invierno. Como lo que se repite en inglés y español es la calabaza de invierno, fui a buscar eso y lo encontré, también se lo conoce como calabaza china, calabaza blanca, calabaza de la cera, así como también calabaza de ceniza, mao gua, melón de invierno, melón peludo, calabaza difusa, pepino peludo, qua chi / moqua / gua moa. Científicamente la especie es Benincasa hispida al parecer, de la variedad var. Chiehgua.


Referencias, visitadas el 31-01-2020
https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benincasa_hispida
https://elholandespicante.com/ingredientes/mao-gua-o-melon-de-invierno/
https://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/agriculture/horticulture/vegetables/commodity-growing-guides/asian-vegetables/a-f/chi-qua-embenincasa-hispida-var.-chieh-guaem