John Bunyan: The People's Pilgrim

A biography of the 17th-century English writer and Baptist preacher John Bunyan, The People's Pilgrim tells Bunyan's fascinating story through dramatic re-enactments, archival material, walking tours of the places where he lived, and the perspectives of interviewed historians. Best known as the author of the still-popular The Pilgrim's Progress, a book about an Everyman figure making his way out of Hell to Heaven despite his past sins, the Bunyan we initially meet here is a young man who marries and turns to religion under the influence of his wife. A repentant man, Bunyan begins preaching at “noncomformist” gatherings (i.e., outside the Anglican church), and becomes a popular figure at many Christian events. But when these unofficial worship rituals are outlawed, Bunyan is arrested and spends 12 years in prison, during which time he wrote numerous works, including an early draft of The Pilgrim's Progress. Bunyan's hardships and those of his two wives (he remarried after his first wife died) and children are detailed along the way, as is his continued rebellion after being freed. Telling the story of a key figure who not only had a major influence on Christian thought but is still read today, this is recommended. Aud: H, C, P. (T. Keogh)