“Harrie Salman has here united the ‘gold’ of his loving respect for Valentin Tomberg with the ‘silver’ of a truly objective overview of his life story.”
— JOEL M. PARK
Sophia Foundation
“Valentin Tomberg’s writings leave the impression of a towering figure in the landscape of 20th-century spirituality. Who was this man, so profound a thinker and mystic yet so ordinary and unassuming; and why so beset by controversy? We need wonder no longer, with Harrie Salman’s rich biography of Tomberg in hand.”
— SAM GUZMAN
The Way of the Heart (substack blog)
“Here is unveiled the fascinating story of Valentin Tomberg, a man of deep contemplation and immense erudition, whose writings bring his readers endless wisdom and inspiration.”
— KAREN L. RIVERS
Love and the Evolution of Consciousness: a Study of the Transformation of the Human Soul, the Double, and the Spirit
“At last, a comprehensive biography of Valentin Tomberg, one of the most important Christian thinkers in the history of Sophiology.”
— MICHAEL MARTIN
Sophia in Exile, etc.
“As so little is known about his outstanding capacity as a teacher of humanity, it is a great gift to the world that Harrie Salman has written a comprehensive biography of Valentin Tomberg, now published in English translation.”
— ROBERT POWELL
translator of Meditations on the Tarot: A Journey into Christian Hermeticism; author of many works.
“Valentin Tomberg’s personhood and spiritual oeuvre have at times elicited an odd contempt from one direction and yet simultaneously, the deepest possible respect from another. This contradiction intensifies the responsibility of any biographer’s mandate, and Harrie Salman clearly shoulders that task with great care and painstaking research. In tracing Tomberg’s biographical, cultural and spiritual footsteps chronologically, Salman sets up a much needed and very textured context in which to approach and consider the man, his thought and imagination, his struggle and sacrifice. Ultimately, the author brings readers to the essentials of Tomberg’s Christian hermeticism and to his covenantal relationship to prayer, to Christ and Mary, to the Eucharist and to the Catholic Church.
Salman’s concentrated effort attempts to reconstruct the facts of Tomberg’s literal outward journey while describing a pilgrim walking countless inner miles toward spirit vision. Tomberg lived through war, cultural crossfire and controversy. This is not a painless read; some of the historical backstories make one wince, but this transparency is healthy. Though the final chapter is interpretive/speculative, and one can certainly question it, Salman does not arrive at this lens without first having disclosed the earnest conscience, quiet courage and moral imagination of a deeply religious man whose Christian legacy deserves continued profound attention. The Salman biography allows readers to meet the prodigious Tomberg who freely chose to grapple authentically, make needed transitions, speak from direct spiritual experience, risk much, and err occasionally. This Tomberg honored his sources, practiced metanoia, prayed fervently and lovingly invited his Dear Unknown Friends to do the same and more. Harrie Salman has brought much needed biographical information to light today for which I am truly grateful.”
—THERESE SCHROEDER-SHEKER
The Chalice of Repose Project
Dutch cultural philosopher HARRIE SALMAN teaches at the Universities of Leiden and Prague. He is the author of numerous books on European culture and spirituality, and works with groups in many countries on questions of inner and social development. His major work, Europe—A Continent With a Global Mission, was published in 2009, and, in 2020, The Social World as Mystery Center, on the social vision of Anthroposophy. He continues to publish and present on these themes at the forefront of contemporary events.
