Balans

“Vincent’s world view was rich and complex, made up of his early

memories of life in rural Brabant in The Netherlands. Crucial to this was

that he was both son and grandson of two of the most effective welfare

activists in Europe—pastors and missionaries to the poor. His letters were

to unveil an extraordinary vision borne from his innate powers of observation

and strong empathy with all humanity. The letters are ardent

and hopeful, passionate and determined, spiritual, and at times, despairing.

They are philosophical, poetic, lyrical, analytical—and nearly always

beautiful. Vincent’s letters are in many ways like a Dickens novel, reflections

of the human condition as it tries to make sense of a world full

of complexity and contradiction. …“

“I saw a neglected dimension of Vincent, the untold journey of

an unknown, adventurous, deeply compassionate man whose essence

seems to have been lost in the dramatic and often apocryphal stories

surrounding his illness and early death. My effort is to resurrect an unknown

aspect of Vincent—one that is even heroic and certainly praiseworthy,

and profoundly religious in the best sense of the word. …”