The Joyful Beggar

Louis de Wohl

In this magnificent and stirring novel, Louis de Wohl turns his famed narrative skill to the story of the soldier and merchant's son who might have been right-hand man to a king … and who became instead the most beloved of all saints. Set against the tempestuous background of 13th Century Italy and Egypt, here is the magnificent and inspiring story of Francis Bernardone, the brash, pleasure-loving young officer who was to become immortalized as St. Francis of Assisi.

The story teems with action, pageantry and intrigue with finely conceived characters-the beautiful, saintly Clare, Frederick, the hawk-faced King of Sicily and Holy Roman Emperor, the Sultan Al Kamil, Pope Innocent III. The scene shifts from Assisi, Rome and Sicily to the deadly sands of Egypt.

This book was made into a feature film by 20th Century Fox entitled Francis of Assisi, now available on video from Ignatius Press.

"A sweeping, evocative historical novel that vividly recreates the 13th century as de Wohl stirringly chronicles the journey of Francis from soldier to mystic, a spiritual quest fraught with significance for the modern reader."
—Robert Waldron, Author, Hound of Heaven at My Heels

"High adventure … with great story-telling skill."
—Atlanta Journal and Constitution