"This biography of St. Augustine casts the philosopher not only as a theologian who profoundly shaped Christian orthodoxy but also as a person indelibly marked by his status as an African in the Roman Empire…. Conybeare... intertwines learned exegesis with examples of Augustine’s human idiosyncrasies, offering illuminating analyses of the philosopher’s seminal texts and ideas—including his theory of original sin—and of the role that his heritage played in his self-conception."— The New Yorker, "Best Books of the Year"
"Excellent, short, and highly readable.... Traces a grittier story of a life lived almost entirely in a small area of what is now eastern Algeria, where Augustine’s local origins and experience profoundly shaped both his life and his thought. Conybeare’s argument is that because of his contributions to the genres of philosophy, autobiography, and Christian theology, ‘a core strand of the culture that Europe claims as its own stems from Africa."— Josephine Quinn New York Review of Books
"Augustine the African is not just another biography, but a bold act of intellectual reparation. [Conybeare] remind[s] us through this book that to study Augustine is to study ourselves — our languages, our wounds, our contradictions, and our longing for a unity beyond division."— Kolawole Chabi, Order of St. Augustine, Professor at Rome’s Augustinianum
"I read a lot of books about Augustine this year; this one was probably my favorite….It’s wonderful to read this narratively compelling, brilliantly researched biographical study and see how different everything looks thanks to Conybeare’s focus on Augustine’s Africanness….Really an astonishing book."— Garth Greenwell
"Refreshens and deepens appreciation of Augustine’s thought.... convincingly relating his greatest achievements to his sense of being caught between Rome and North Africa."— Michael Ledger-Lomas The Spectator
"Beautifully written, thoroughly engaging and highly recommended."— Angela Tilby Literary Review
"Classicist Catherine Conybeare’s fascinating biography of St. Augustine anchors his philosophy in his African origins and presents an illuminating portrait of one of history’s greatest thinkers."— Roger Bishop BookPage
"Throughout her biography, Conybeare offers a reading of Augustine’s life that takes seriously his insider-outsider status as a man from Roman North Africa who is trying to navigate systems of domination both in the Catholic Church and the Roman Empire. There is much to learn from the insider-outsider Conybeare uses to frame the biography and much to enjoy. I found myself at times feeling as though I were reading a novel; her knack for prose and storytelling abilities make this biography a pleasurable read."— Colleen Mitchell The Augustine Blog
"In this rich and elegant biography, classicist Conybeare (The Irrational Augustine) re-centers the African cultural heritage of St. Augustine . . . an essential reconsideration of a seminal figure in the Western canon."— Publishers Weekly, starred review
"History buffs and Augustine scholars will be delighted by the level of detail here and impressed by Conybeare’s own translations of the Latin sources...A scholarly biography that places Augustine’s ambivalence toward Africa at the center of his and Christianity’s story."— Kirkus Reviews
"Painting Augustine as pugnacious, persistent, and passionate, Conybeare reexamines Augustine’s prolific writings—which still influence Christian thought—in light of his African perspective. Conybeare’s expertise and respect for Augustine shine brightly in her latest profile on the saint (after Routledge Guidebook to Augustine’s Confessions, 2016). Readers of church history and admirers of Augustine will appreciate her meticulous and fond treatment."— Karen Clements Booklist
"Outsider and insider, African and Roman, are the interwoven threads this book examines. For its fascinating look at the life of St. Augustine, it deserves a broad audience of readers."— Karen Bordonaro Library Journal
"Catherine Conybeare vividly draws the thread of Augustine’s African identity through his life and work in a fresh and elegant way, offering insights for scholars and general readers alike. She has enlarged my perspective on this monumental, complicated man, and I’m grateful."— Madeline Miller, author of Circe and The Song of Achilles
"Catherine Conybeare’s vital and exhilarating biography of Augustine portrays him, newly, in the context of his African society and identity. Through her meticulously researched yet utterly compelling account, we live with [Augustine] through the upheavals that shaped his faith and his work. Conybeare’s is an important contribution and this is, simply, a wonderful book."— Claire Messud, author of This Strange Eventful History
"A long-needed survey of the great theologian’s hinterland. Augustine’s African identity both exposed him to condescension and prejudice from his contemporaries and gave him invaluable critical distance from the prevailing ideologies of empire. His contemporary significance becomes clearer than ever in this excellent study."— Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury (2002–2012)
"In this highly readable and innovative account, Catherine Conybeare has performed the challenging task of bringing alive this often-sidelined basis of Augustine’s life. With both verve and precision, she makes us see how central his African world was to the man and his ideas."— Brent Shaw, Andrew Fleming West Professor of Classics Emeritus at Princeton University
"Catherine Conybeare has a genius for turning disarticulated details into edifying drama. It will be liberating to get an African Augustine who leaves us with more options than sublime indifference or earnest handwringing."— Jim Wetzel, Director of the Augustinian Institute at Villanova University
