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As the fascination with the remarkable life and works of John Randal Bradburne, martyr and war hero, continues to grow, this book endeavours to illuminate his significant contributions to postcolonial and world literature. It delves into John’s Franciscan-inspired ecological mysticism and topophilia, transforming contested landscapes into sacred spaces of devotion and spirituality through his original theopoetics of Trinitarian and Marian devotion. The narrative traces his pilgrimages across the Mediterranean, Italy, Israel, India, and Africa, ultimately leading to Mashonaland in Zimbabwe, in the leper colony of M’temwa, amid the Rhodesian Bush War (1964-1979). His verses testify to his unwavering mission to defend the land and dignity of patients affected by leprosy, which eventually cost him his life. This work is of interest for scholars of postcolonial and world literature and for anyone interested in the deep connections between religion, language, literature, and the life of saints.
Cover art:
Franciscan Allegories: Lady Poverty. Giotto da Bondone, 1330 ca, Lower Basilica, Assisi.
Courtesy of Wikimedia
Review by David Crystal (July 2026)
A new book on John Bradburne
At various places in my account of John Bradburne's poetry, A Life Made of Words, I bemoaned the fact that no serious literary study of his work had yet been made. I need bemoan no longer.
Italian literary academics, Rosanna Masiola and Renato Tomei, have long been powerful advocates for John. They organised the 2016 international conference on him in Perugia, and Renato edited the Proceedings. They have joined forces here in a ground-breaking book to explore what they call 'The Theopoetics of Space'. The expression gives the book its title, and its subtitle, 'John Bradburne, a Pilgrim in Paradise' hints at its scope.
Renato explains in his introduction: the book is 'a vibrant tapestry woven from John's life and spiritual experiences across India, the British Isles, northern Europe, the Mediterranean, the Holy Land, and Africa', exploring 'geographical spaces and sites as recognised as holy in different spiritual traditions'. Later in the book he adds: 'the focus on geographical landscapes serves a profound purpose, transforming them into realms of theological significance'
The eight essays - five by Renato, three by Rosanna - show us John as he travels through Italy, Israel (with a special nod to his visit to the Western Wall in Jerusalem), and Mashonaland. But it's far more than a travelogue. The book is filled with an amazing number of carefully chosen extracts from the poetry database. And there are separate chapters on the translation of his poems on the Trinity, on his fascination with fantasy and fairyland, and on his relationship to postcolonial and world literature, along with an intriguing comparative study of his thought with Ethiopian religious tradition (Renato's personal background). There are copious notes and references, and a useful index, which helps us see how topics are shared between the authors and the different chapters.
This illuminating book is the first, I hope, of many such theoliterary explorations. John's themes are so broad and diverse. I've introduced a selection of his major topics in my booklet John the Poet, also out this year from the JBMS shop. Each of them could be the subject of a book like this one, and I hope one day will be.
Rosanna Masiola and Renato Tomei, The Theopoetics of Space: John Braburne, a Pilgrim in Paradise. Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2026. xiv + 276 pp