St. Thérèse of Lisieux Nietzsche Is My Brother: A Play by Bridget Edman, OCD

Bridget Edman, OCD

Nov 2011 · ICS Publications

About this ebook

Both Thérèse of Lisieux and her contemporary, Friedrich Nietzsche, grappled in their own way with the issues of nihilism and atheism. For Thérèse, her struggles in faith led to a deepening trust and surrender to God in the face of apparent nothingness. The philosopher Nietzsche’s antipathy to Christianity and religious faith in general made him a key architect of the Culture of Death and a precursor of the Death of God movement. This book, crafted as a dramatic dialogue between the young Carmelite and the philosopher, reflects the church’s efforts to understand, listen to, and dialogue with those usually considered “afar.” 

Nietzsche Is My Brother is the result of the author’s own personal religious quest, which led her to the Catholic Church and eventually to enter Carmel in South Africa as a cloistered nun. The book won first prize in the International Competition for Religious Drama. 

The play explores parallels and contrasts in its two protagonists but doesn’t force commonalities where none exist. Like the dialogue it hopes to encourage between believers and nonbelievers, Nietzsche Is My Brother  is open, honest, and thought provoking.

About the author

Bridget Edman, OCD, is a Discalced Carmelite nun in the monastery in Cape Town, South Africa. Born and raised in Sweden as a Lutheran, she later worked for the Lutheran Church in Holland and England. Her personal faith journey led her to join the Catholic Church in 1977. Two years later she joined the Carmelites in South Africa. She enjoys using drama as a means to express religious topics and to explore the connections between faith and unbelief.

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