Author

Books by John of the Cross

John of the Cross (1542–1591) was a Spanish Carmelite friar, mystic, and poet who worked closely with Teresa of Ávila on the reform of the Carmelite order. He was imprisoned for nine months by members of the unreformed order in 1577 — the period during which he wrote the poem that Dark Night of the Soul eventually comments on. His other major works include The Ascent of Mount Carmel, The Spiritual Canticle, and The Living Flame of Love. He was canonized in 1726 and declared a Doctor of the Church in 1926. His combination of precise philosophical analysis and lyric intensity is exceptional in the mystical tradition.