New Perspectives
on Etty Hillesum

Etty Hillesum was 27 years old when she began writing in Amsterdam, and 29 when she was killed in Auschwitz in November 1943. She was a protagonist and witness of the Shoah, and today is one of the most widely read, translated, and studied spiritual authors. For many, her works are a profound source of inspiration.

Two new books are about to be published about her. The first is Il bene quotidiano [The Daily Good], republished by Edizioni San Paolo, with translation and selection of texts curated by Lorenzo Gobbi. It is a brief anthology -a breviary- of writings from 1941 to 1942, which capture the voice of a young woman free from conventions and prejudices, and willing to fully put herself on the line.

The second is Etty Hillesum - Vivere e respirare con l’anima [Etty Hillesum. Living and Breathing with the Soul] by Beatrice Iacopini, published by Gabrielli Editori. The book’s subtitle is La scommessa di una spiritualità laica [The Challenge of a Secular Spirituality]. It offers an original reading of Hillesum’s writings, and sheds new light on several expressions found in the Diary and Letters, while drawing on the perspectives of mysticism and post-theism.