The Canticle of Earth

Gorgeous illustrations enrich this ode to nature and sustainability inspired by St. Francis of Assisi’s “Canticle of Brother Sun”—from the acclaimed botanist and author of The Incredible Journey of Plants.

The oldest poetic text in Italian literature, St. Francis’s 13th-century song presents a surprisingly timely message. Taking inspiration from the Laudes creaturarum, Stefano Mancuso highlights its revolutionary ecological vision of the world. A psalm of praise for creation, a prayer, and a hymn to life, it is at the same time a practical manual—the first “how-to” book—dedicated to life on our planet. Beginning with Brother Sun and ending with our sister Bodily Death, Francis honors light, air, water, fire, and soil, telling the story of life, of the only exception to the void of the universe; that small difference that gives rise to enormous consequences.

St. Francis viewed life on Earth as an ecosystem of equally essential elements, whose every node is fundamental to its structure and in which there exists no hierarchy, no better or worse. Mancuso deftly illustrates how this conviction has been borne out by our increased scientific understanding, weaving personal strands from Francis’s history as well as his own into a lively survey of the globe. As climate change escalates, compelling migration through water shortages in some regions and historic flooding in others, The Canticle of Earth offers an urgent lesson on the tremendous effect we have on our environment and the responsibility we bear toward it.