A Watch in the Night Art and Poetry he was elected to the

he was elected to the Aca­démie française and in 1956 he received the Order of St

always distinguishing

and the Renaissance popes: Nicholas V

It’s not an easy task

Combining extraordinary empathy with relentless candor

A Watch in the Night Art and Poetry he was elected to theBy Helen C. White A Watch in the Night tells of one Jacopone da Todi, a famous poet of the Middle Ages. Devastated by the sudden death of his wife, Jacopone forsakes all his earthy possessions, undertaking a new life of asceticism and penance and eventually joining the Franciscan Order. There he assumes a critical role in the Orders internal struggles between the Conventuals, who affirm a more lenient interpretation of St. Franciss rule, and