num_pages: 208
description: A biography of one of the legendary figures of the twentieth century. With unique access to the Schweitzer archives in Gunsbach, Germany, James Bentley probes the contradictions in this fascinating and enigmatic figure: a man who cherished his family but spent months away from them, who despised racism but supervised a missionary hospital in which only whites held positions of power, who rejected Western civilization but returned to it. Albert Schweitzer was a man of achievements in many fields. In his early years he wrote a monumental life of J.S. Bach and became a widely admired organist. His studies of the New Testament led to his controversial bestseller, The Quest of the Historical Jesus. During World War I, he suffered a nervous breakdown. Upon his recovery, he resumed his pioneering work at his missionary hospital in Lambarene in Africa. His concern for the medical and social problems of Africa led to his widely read book On the Edge of the Primeval Forest. In 1953 Schweitzer was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize and became a key figure in the antinuclear campaign. When he died in 1965, he had been widely attacked as a pseudoliberal, a colonialist, and a mystic--a controversial figure to the end. James Bentley sees the man as a whole, with his vast achievements, his self-doubt, his gradually developing philosophy, and his many-faceted personality.
language: English
title: Albert Schweitzer: The Enigma
titlecomplete: Albert Schweitzer: The Enigma
genres: Biography
ratings_count: 5
publisher: Harpercollins