Philippe Guénin
Philippe Guénin, a poet and artist supported by Jean Ristat, published in the journal Digraphe, then in the "Les Lettres françaises" and "Digraphe" collections at Mercure de France and Gallimard publishers, and later at Dumerchez publishers. He wrote a philosophy thesis on the literature of chaos and the mysticism of the unspeakable, entitled Schizographies: Towards the Disintegration of Words, under the supervision of René Schérer.
Is there such a thing as Christian mysticism? Yes, of course! Is it sexual? What! What are you talking about? In the manner of Pascal Quignard, Philippe Guénin scrutinizes all the ancient writings relating to Saint John of the Cross and the great Christian mystics such as Teresa of Ávila, Angela of Foligno, and others, deciphering them to bring out the unspeakable, that which is not said and has never been said in this way. He finally makes them clear, for all to see and understand. Philippe Guénin benefited from two writing residencies at the monastery of Saorge, near the Italian border, to write this book: there was no better place than the cells of this monastery to write this scholarly study. After reading it, you will never read—to take just one example—the verse from Ecclesiastes, “[…] in the Lord/cling to him so that he may strengthen you,” in the same way again! Publication date: June 2, 2025 Order Press release
