The Last Confession by Morris West

From the Foreword by Thomas Keneally:

“Bruno was that perilous thing, a free spirit, and suffered death for his right to certain concepts. I knew from conversations with Morris that Giordano Bruno was a soul mate, someone with whose life history Morris’ identified, even though Morris possessed a somewhat less strident temperament than Bruno’s. “Failed priest,” as Morris has Bruno declare in this tale, “fugitive monk, magus with a box of conjuring tricks, boaster, prevaricator, would-be torchbearer trudging through his own darkness, garrulous in dialogue, viperous in debate.”

MORRIS WEST was born in Melbourne in 1916. He was a member of the Christian Brothers but left the order after 12 years. Around the time of the publication of his first novel in 1945, he worked in Melbourne radio but left Australia in 1955 to further his career as a writer. During his time away from Australia he lived in Austria, Italy, England and the USA. He returned to Australia in 1980. He wrote over thirty novels, many plays and several of his novels were adapted for film. Morris West died in 1999, while working at his desk.

“It brings to life a man who died rather than recant his beliefs.”
BOOKLIST

“Sobering and intense– the story draws to a natural conclusion and is a fitting farewell from West.”
LIBRARY JOURNAL