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This is the first presentation to the English-speaking world of the writings of Jean Biès, one of the great spiritual poets of our time whose work also constitutes a compelling critique of the de-sacralization of the modern world. Recipient of the prestigious High Prize of the Society of French Poets and Chevalier of the French Legion of Honor, Biès introduces the contemporary reader to the treasury of metaphysical, esoteric and spiritual teaching from diverse sacred sources and his writings never fail to blend meaning and beauty. His words are rooted in the inexhaustible ground of the Perennial Philosophy: the language of the Essential to which this book invites, inspiringly, to return.
Having received the prestigious High Prize of the Society of Poets, Jean Biès is known in France as one of the most important traditionalist philosophers and poets of our time. His more than twenty books, from which these selected writings are taken, present the metaphysical and esoteric teachings of the great religions of the world; they include travel writings and intimate portraits of sacred sites such as Mount Athos and Benares, and multiple collections of poetry. Previously unknown to the English speaking world, Jean Bies must be counted as one of the premier twentieth century exponents of the Perennial Philosophy. Returning to the Essential contains an introduction by Patrick Laude.
About the Author(s)
Jean Biès
The author of more than thirty books and numerous articles on philosophy, comparative religion, poetry and travel, Jean Biès is former professor of Greek Literature and the University of Pau, France. A Chevalier of the French Legion of Honor and recipient of the High Prize of the Society of French Poets, since 1962 he and his wife have lived in a country home “Saint Michel la Grange” at the foot of the Pyrennees.
An anthology of the writings of Jean Biès was published under the title Returning to the Essential: The Selected Writings of Jean Bies (World Wisdom, 2004). The following articles by Jean Biès have also appeared in these books by World Wisdom: “Sacredness” in Light from the East: Eastern Wisdom for the Modern West, and “Theology of the Icon” in Ye Shall Know The Truth: Christianity and The Perennial Philosophy.
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Deborah Weiss-Dutilh
Deborah Weiss-Dutilh was born in Los Angeles, California. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in French from the University of California, and a teaching credential in English. Her studies led her to the Sorbonne and to Pau, France, near the Pyrénées, where she lives with her husband and two sons. Studies in psychotherapy, with a keen interest in the link between psychology, spirituality, and philosophy sparked her friendship with Jean Biès and their subsequent collaboration. She has translated Returning to the Essential: The Selected Writings of Jean Bies .
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Patrick Laude
Patrick Laude is a writer, editor, professor, and researcher in the fields of language, literature, symbolism, and mysticism. He is a professor at Georgetown University, currently at their School of Foreign Service in Qatar. Laude's writings have been published in the US and Europe in numerous journals.
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Reviews
- These texts and their excellent translation by Deborah Weiss-Dutilh offer us a new aspect of the Perennialist school that has now been made available to an English-speaking audience. [This anthology of the writings of Jean Biès is both] an original contribution to what S.H. Nasr called ‘the rediscovery of the Tradition,’ and an invitation to the return to the essential Unity of the Supreme Self. In his works, Biès bears witness to the contemporary radiating influence of the sophia perennis, and [in the following quote] reminds us that from the throes of the Dark Age is to be born a new Golden Age whose sages are the door keepers: ‘The time of the essential takes its time: it has the talent for maturing. It is the one made by the sages.’
I>Sophia Journal
- This book is an excellent introduction to the writings of Jean Biès, whose works are only now being translated into English…Biès contrasts the modern world with that of traditional societies, and in so doing writes at length on how Subversion has taken a hold on Western thought in the modern world, which he believes has been responsible for “arranging life in such a way that business as well as pleasure contributes to lowering the mental level of the greatest number possible”. He considers that Subversion always resorts to double talk. “After having encouraged disorder for as long as necessary, it devotes itself to passing on its order as the only one that is real and fair; that is to say, in the case of passive and unconscious resistance, by insinuating itself into minds by gradual conditioning adapted to the circumstances, or In the case of active resistance, by imposing itself on them with force and terror. It goes into its plan by discrediting in advance everything that risks opposing it.” …Biès’ writings are a valuable contribution to an understanding of how the West can emerge from the darkness of the modern age – a period of time known as the Kali Yuga – into the light of spiritual awareness, for he draws upon the wisdom of the East to dispel the loss of faith and spiritual malaise of the West. …This is an important book, valuable not only for its incredible insights into subversion – so relevant to these dangerous times – and its discussion of spiritual ecology, but for its elegance of writing, for Biès is also a poet, and the beauty of the written word shines like a light throughout this book. He not only defines our problems but also gives us tools that may help us overcome them. Like René Guénon he is a visionary whose writings have been neglected by the English-speaking world for far too long.
Angela Malyon-Bein, Resurgence Magazine
- Jean Biès brings a new genre to Traditionalist literature characterized by a freshness, a humanity, and a lyricism all of his own. He emerges from the pages of this compelling book as one of the most distinguished contemporary exponents of sophia perennis.
Wolfgang Smith, author of The Quantum Enigma and Cosmos and Transcendence
- Jean Biès: pilgrim, poet, perennialist philosopher, scholar, teacher, and author of an elegant body of work hitherto little-known in the Anglophone world. This glittering selection of gems includes several charming fragments of autobiography, limpid metaphysical expositions and meditations resonating with the wisdom of the ages, as well as a series of provocative aphorisms. Marvellous! A most welcome addition to World Wisdom’s Perennial Philosophy series.
Harry Oldmeadow, La Trobe University, and author of Traditionalism: Religion in the Light of the Perennial Philosophy and Journeys East: 20th Century Western Encounters with Eastern Religious Traditions
- This is a unique anthology collecting biographical memories, doctrinal insights and unpublished fragments. Jean Biès thus reveals a little known side of the Perennialist school. His writings demonstrate a great poetic and literary sensitivity without ever being contrived or merely eloquent. As an author so far virtually unknown in the U.S., this most valuable translation by Deborah Weiss-Dutilh will no doubt enable American Traditionalists to discover the depth of Jean Biès’ thought.
Patricia Reynaud, Miami University” I have the utmost esteem for Jean Biès who, being among the Christians ‘awakened’ by René Guénon, has contributed to a renewal of the understanding of Christianity by a return to the sources, too long forgotten, of philosophy, theology, and traditional exegesis.”
- I have the utmost esteem for Jean Biès who, being among the Christians ‘awakened’ by René Guénon, has contributed to a renewal of the understanding of Christianity by a return to the sources, too long forgotten, of philosophy, theology, and traditional exegesis.
Jean Hani, author of The Symbolism of the Christian Temple
- World Wisdom publishers continues to offer works of uncommon merit in the realm of traditional thought. Returning to the Essential, by Jean Biès, a contemporary French writer of great integrity and depth, is such a work. The author has not been afraid to turn his gaze “outside the ranks of convention”, to “think outside the box”. Through reading this book one can share in the too seldom encountered intellectual riches of a writer who is not only unconventional in the best sense, but who is also rightly oriented.
Alvin Moore, Jr., author and translator
- This book is quite precious for Christians who are looking for a true ecumenism between the various denominations, and who are attempting to rediscover their deepest spiritual roots. Jean Biès, with a very touching and personal style, invites us to go back, precisely, to the essential: to the obvious absoluteness of God (and His existence and presence in our hearts and minds), and to prayer at all levels. Jean Biès is a sure guide in this chaotic world. He convinces us that we unknowingly waste our time in passing pursuits when instead we should cling to the essential, that is, to Truth, the Good and the Beautiful.
Jean-Pierre Lafouge, Marquette University
