"I must say that on May 18, 1920, at nine in the morning, I was not yet in this world. I was later told that I was born in the afternoon, between five and six p.m. The afternoon, between five and six – this was approximately the same hour at which, fifty-eight years later, I was elected Pope."
Thus begins the first-ever autobiography of John Paul II, compiled and published by the Krakow-based Wydawnictwo Literackie (Literary Publishers). The volume was put together from statements made by Karol Wojtyla – Pope John Paul II in his homilies, public addresses, and reminiscences. It also contains excerpts from the Holy Father's poetry, plays, letters, and interviews dating from various periods of his life.
Autobiografia / Autobiography is John Paul II's personal account of his own life, an extraordinary story about human destiny, its sudden shifts and turns, the need for consistency in action, dramatic events, miraculous decrees of Providence, unwavering faith and hope. Its Author – the greatest moral authority of our times – looks at himself, the world, and all of us from the perspective of an exceptional witness of the turn of the second and third millenniums. What we have here are the Pope's own words, uttered in a highly personal tone; what we experience is a feeling of true closeness with the Holy Father. This book is both fascinating and moving.
- Jan Paweł II / John Paul II
Autobiografia / Autobiography
Selected and arranged by Justyna Kiliańczyk-Zięba
Wydawnictwo Literackie, Krakow 2002
231 pages, hardcover
ISBN 83-08-03317-2
www.wl.net.pl