Joseph Pearce
Five Christian Writers Who Changed My Life
Chesterton · Tolkien · Lewis · Belloc · Solzhenitsyn
An Inner Sanctum Production

I owe my life to five writers.

I do not say this metaphorically. As a young man I was twice imprisoned for political extremism, lost in an ideology of hatred, until I stumbled upon G. K. Chesterton. What followed was the conversion of an enemy. Across five days, meet the men who saved me and shaped the Christian imagination of the twentieth century: Chesterton, Tolkien, Lewis, Belloc, and Solzhenitsyn. You'll read their ideas and discover why these are the writers we most need now. First letter arrives immediately.

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The Author
Joseph Pearce
Joseph Pearce

Why listen to me?

  • ✓I teach as Visiting Professor of Literature at Ave Maria University, edit the St. Austin Review, and serve as series editor of the Ignatius Critical Editions.
  • ✓I am the only living writer to have published full-length books on all five of these men.
  • ✓I sat across from Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn in his home near Moscow and listened to him speak of faith and suffering.
  • ✓I was twice imprisoned for inciting racial hatred. Chesterton converted me. I tell that story in my memoir Race with the Devil, and again across these five letters.
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The Five Companions

Who you will meet.

Five writers who shaped the literary imagination of the past hundred years.

G. K. Chesterton
Day 1
G. K. Chesterton
The Apostle of Wonder

I felt as if magic must have a meaning, and meaning must have some one to mean it.

Why astonishment is the only rational response to existence, and how a journalist with a pencil broke the prison walls of modern materialism.
J. R. R. Tolkien
Day 2
J. R. R. Tolkien
The Faithful Sub-Creator

I am a Christian, and in fact a Roman Catholic.

The hidden Christianity at the heart of Middle-earth, and the single date in The Lord of the Rings that unlocks the entire epic.
C. S. Lewis
Day 3
C. S. Lewis
The Reluctant Convert

The most dejected and reluctant convert in all England.

How the most reluctant atheist in Oxford became Christianity's most beloved twentieth-century defender, and why he stopped a step short of Rome.
Hilaire Belloc
Day 4
Hilaire Belloc
The Neglected Genius

Wherever the Catholic sun doth shine, there's always laughter and good red wine.

The thunderous Catholic intellectual whose pen Chesterton himself called the finest in England, and whose memory the modern world has tried to forget.
Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
Day 5
Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
The Saint from the Gulag

Men have forgotten God; that is why all this has happened.

What a Soviet prison-camp survivor saw about the modern West that the West has never been able to unsee and why his warning is more urgent now than when he gave it.
Free. No catch, no pitch. Unsubscribe in one click.
Joseph Pearce
Five Christian Writers Who Changed My Life
Chesterton · Tolkien · Lewis · Belloc · Solzhenitsyn
An Inner Sanctum Production

Thank you. I do not say this lightly.

Letter #1 is on its way, and should arrive within the next ten minutes.

Three Quick Steps
To make sure my letters reach you.
  1. i.Add [email protected] to your contacts.
  2. ii.Check Promotions or Spam if Letter #1 doesn't appear in your Primary inbox within ten minutes.
  3. iii.Reply with a single word — even just “received” — and Gmail will know to deliver future letters straight to you.
Joseph Pearce
Yours faithfully,
Joseph Pearce

Between letters, I keep the conversation going.

A new piece is going up shortly. Come along, so you don't miss it.

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Joseph Pearce
Letters from Joseph Pearce
Books · Essays · Lectures · News

Thank you. I do not say this lightly.

You are now on my list. I'll write when I have something worth your time: new books, new essays, upcoming talks, and the occasional thought I can't keep to myself.

Three Quick Steps
To make sure my letters reach you.
  1. i.Add [email protected] to your contacts.
  2. ii.Check Promotions or Spam if my letters don't appear in your Primary inbox.
  3. iii.Reply with a single word — even just “received” — and Gmail will know to deliver future letters straight to you.
Joseph Pearce
Yours faithfully,
Joseph Pearce

Between letters, I keep the conversation going.

Follow along, so you don't miss the next piece.

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Did you come from my website? Click here to go back.

An Inner Sanctum Production
From the desk of Joseph Pearce
The Inner Sanctum
the door is open
ten dollars a month
❦
Dear Friend,

The Inner Sanctum is a private house for readers who would sooner spend an evening with Chesterton and Tolkien than with the noise of the hour. The fire is lit, the conversation is begun, and the door is open whenever you are ready. Each week I share a poem, revisit an old favourite, talk with you by the fire, and send a diary from home. You will also find the company of men and women who have also read Belloc, and felt less alone for it.

Every guest comes in the same way I would bring you in were this a house of brick: by the fire first, to warm yourself and look about. The Fireside is ten dollars a month, the price of a book, for the company of everyone who has read it.

The upper rooms are small because they must be: a hundred readers in the Study, fifteen in the Library, five chairs at the High Table. I have kept them small so that I can know who is in them.

The conversation does not pause: this week's poem will be read by the fire whether you are in the room to hear it or not. The Fireside is always open.

Take your place by the Fireside
Ten dollars a month. Leave the moment it stops serving you; the door opens from the inside as easily as from the out.
Or look inside the rooms above the fire ›
The door itself is kept by Patreon, who handle the housekeeping of payments. Everything beyond it is mine, and yours.
Joseph Pearce
Until we meet by the fire,
Joseph
P.S. Most readers come in by the fire and stay there, and are glad of it. Some move deeper into the house in time. There is no wrong way to arrive.
Verum · Pulchrum · Bonum
Joseph Pearce
An Inner Sanctum Production

The doors are open.

The Inner Sanctum is open. The fire is lit, and I should be glad of your company.

If you have enjoyed the company of these writers, the Inner Sanctum is where it continues. This week's poem is already chosen, and it will be read aloud whether you are in the room to hear it or not.

It is a place for readers who would sooner spend an evening with Chesterton and Tolkien than with the noise of the hour. A place to read, to listen, and to find others who love these books.


The door is open

Take your place by the Fireside, ten dollars a month ›

Ten dollars a month. Leave the moment it stops serving you; the door opens from the inside as easily as from the out.

Look about from the fire
The four rooms of the house, if you missed them.

Each room has its own page, with everything it holds set out in full. Most readers come in by the fire and look about from there.

Meet by the Fireside$10 a month · always open

Each week: a poem read aloud, an old favourite revisited, a talk by the fire, and a diary from home.

See what the Fireside holds ›
Meet in the Study$20.83 a month · one hundred seats

Four times a year I answer you on camera, and the Coveted Tolkien and Lewis Lectures: a 45-piece series, already recorded.

Look inside the Study ›
Meet in the Library$83.33 a month · fifteen seats

Twice a year you sit with me live for an hour or more. Spring and autumn. If you miss it, you get the recording.

Look inside the Library ›
Meet at the High Table$5,000 a year · five seats

Two hours with me online, once a year, on whatever you want, and dinner with me in person once a year.

Look inside the High Table ›

Each door holds all that the doors below it hold, and adds its own.


One small thing, so none of this is lost over the coming weeks: add [email protected] to your contacts, and look for my name. Everything comes by email.

If a friend of yours belongs in a room like this, send them the course.

The fire is lit, and the chair nearest it is yours.

Joseph Pearce
Until we meet by the fire,
Joseph Pearce
An Inner Sanctum Production
From the desk of Joseph Pearce
Meet by the Fireside
$10 a month
always open
❦
Dear Friend,

If these days have given you anything, it was not information. It was company. The Fireside is where the company stays: a little reading together each week, in the same voice, for as long as you care to stay. This week's poem is already chosen.

Here, in plain words, is everything a place by the Fireside gives you.

4×every week of the year
Poem of the WeekI choose a poem, read it aloud, and tell you what it means and why I love it.
Revisiting Old FavouritesI return to a book I love, including writing of mine you will not find by browsing.
Home is Where the Hearth IsI talk with you as a friend would by the fire: literature, the arts, and whatever is on my mind.
A weekly diaryA letter from home, with the members’ room under it so the conversation can go on.

Ten dollars a month, the price of a book, for the company of everyone who has read it. The door stays open whether you come every week or only when you can. There is no cap on the Fireside, and no closing date.

Come in by the Fireside
Ten dollars a month. Leave the moment it stops serving you; the door opens from the inside as easily as from the out.
Joseph Pearce
Yours, from the fireside,
Joseph
P.S. Come in by the fire, and look about; the rooms above will still be there, and you may move deeper into the house whenever you wish.
An Inner Sanctum Production
From the desk of Joseph Pearce
Meet in the Study
$20.83 a month
about $250 across a year · one hundred seats
❦
Dear Friend,

The Study is for the reader who wants more than an hour by the fire. Four times a year I answer you on camera, and the Tolkien and Lewis Lectures are already waiting. It holds everything the Fireside holds, and adds the work most readers cross this threshold for.

Here, in plain words, is everything a place in the Study gives you.

4×a year, on camera
Your question, answeredYou send me a question. I answer it on camera. You keep the recording and watch in your own time.
The Coveted Tolkien and Lewis LecturesA 45-piece series. A whole class on the two writers, already recorded, yours to keep.
And everything in the Fireside, too:
  • Poem of the Week
  • Revisiting Old Favourites
  • Home is Where the Hearth Is
  • A weekly diary, and the members’ room under it

Twenty dollars and eighty-three cents a month, which comes to about $250 across a year. There are one hundred seats in the Study, and no more.

Enter the Study
Twenty dollars and eighty-three cents a month, which comes to about $250 across a year. Leave the moment it stops serving you; the door opens from the inside as easily as from the out.
Joseph Pearce
Yours, from my desk,
Joseph
P.S. If the course is more than you wish to take on today, come in by the Fireside instead. Everything in the Study sits above it, and you may climb the stairs whenever you are ready.
An Inner Sanctum Production
From the desk of Joseph Pearce
Meet in the Library
$83.33 a month
about $1,000 across a year · fifteen seats
❦
Dear Friend,

The Library is a smaller room, kept for fifteen. I have kept them few so that I can know who is in them. It holds everything in the Study and the Fireside, and adds the thing I can give only a few: you sit with me live, twice a year.

Here, in plain words, is everything a place in the Library gives you.

2×a year, live with me
You sit with me liveAn hour or more together, once in the spring and once in the autumn. If you miss it, you get the recording.
And everything in the Study, too:
  • Your question, answered, four times a year
  • The Coveted Tolkien and Lewis Lectures
And the whole of the Fireside beneath it: Poem of the Week, Revisiting Old Favourites, Home is Where the Hearth Is, and a weekly diary.

Eighty-three dollars and thirty-three cents a month, which comes to about $1,000 across a year. Fifteen seats, and no more.

Take your seat in the Library, $83.33 a month
Leave the moment it stops serving you; the door opens from the inside as easily as from the out.
Joseph Pearce
Yours, from my desk,
Joseph
P.S. If the Library is more than you wish to take on, the Study and the Fireside sit beneath it.
An Inner Sanctum Production
From the desk of Joseph Pearce
Meet at the High Table
$5,000 a year
five seats
❦
Dear Friend,

The High Table is a small company of five, no more, and I have kept it small so that I can know who is in it. It holds everything in the Library beneath it, and adds what cannot be given to many: two hours with me, and dinner with me in person.

Here, in plain words, is the company a place at the High Table keeps.

1×a year, two ways
A two-hour sit-down, onlineTwo hours with me, one to one, online. We talk about whatever you want: academic, personal, or spiritual.
Dinner, in personDinner with me in person. You may bring a guest. I pay for the meal.
And everything in the Library, too:
  • You sit with me live, twice a year
And everything in the Study and the Fireside as well: your question answered four times a year, the Coveted Tolkien and Lewis Lectures, and four readings every week by the fire.

$5,000 for the year. There are five seats.

If one draws you, come in at the High Table.

Take your place at the High Table
Five thousand dollars for the year. Leave the moment it stops serving you; the door opens from the inside as easily as from the out.
Joseph Pearce
Yours, and in hope of meeting you,
Joseph
P.S. Come in by the fire first if you wish, and look about. The High Table is a small room, and it will still be there.
Inner Sanctum · The Four Rooms
An Inner Sanctum Production
From the desk of Joseph Pearce
The Four Rooms
The fire is lit, and this week's poem will be read whether you are in the room to hear it or not. If you have not chosen, come in by the fire.
❦
Meet by the Fireside
$10 a month
always open · no cap
4×every week of the year
Poem of the WeekI choose a poem, read it aloud, and tell you what it means and why I love it.
Revisiting Old FavouritesI return to a book I love, including writing of mine you will not find by browsing.
Home is Where the Hearth IsI talk with you as a friend would by the fire: literature, the arts, and whatever is on my mind.
A weekly diaryA letter from home, with the members’ room under it so the conversation can go on.
Take your place by the Fireside
Ten dollars a month. Leave the moment it stops serving you; the door opens from the inside as easily as from the out.
Meet in the Study
$20.83 a month
about $250 across a year · one hundred seats
4×a year, on camera
Your question, answeredYou send me a question. I answer it on camera. You keep the recording and watch in your own time.
The Coveted Tolkien and Lewis LecturesA 45-piece series. A whole class on the two writers, already recorded, yours to keep.
Everything in the Fireside comes with it.
Enter the Study, $20.83 a month
Leave the moment it stops serving you; the door opens from the inside as easily as from the out.
Meet in the Library
$83.33 a month
about $1,000 across a year · fifteen seats
2×a year, live with me
You sit with me liveAn hour or more together, once in the spring and once in the autumn. If you miss it, you get the recording.
Everything in the Study and the Fireside comes with it.
Enter the Library, $83.33 a month
Leave the moment it stops serving you; the door opens from the inside as easily as from the out.
Five seats
Meet at the High Table
$5,000 a year
five seats
1×a year, two ways
A two-hour sit-down, onlineTwo hours with me, one to one. We talk about whatever you want: academic, personal, or spiritual.
Dinner, in personDinner with me in person. You may bring a guest. I pay for the meal.
Everything in the Library and every room beneath it comes with it.
Take your place at the High Table
Five seats. Leave the moment it stops serving you; the door opens from the inside as easily as from the out.
Joseph Pearce
Until we meet by the fire,
Joseph
P.S. Come in by the fire, and look about. The Fireside is always open.