Karl Barth’s life was a remarkable triumph. An authentic “church father” of the post-Reformation era, the Basel professor’s contributions to theology, the life of the church, and the world of culture and politics have been noted at length.

This work, however, presents extraordinary new information and insight based on his own correspondence and notes. What one finds in this work is Barth’s own running commentary on events and people from 1886 to 1968. Eberhard Busch opens up Barth’s perspective and presents chiefly Barth’s own words, making this volume endlessly fascinating and valuable. The brilliance, wit, and humanity of Barth shine through each page, as he is seen as son, brother, student, editor, friend, pastor, husband, father, soldier, teacher, theologian, church leader, political critic, polemicist, ecumenist, author, preacher, and music lover.

The towering theologian is here, but—more poignantly—Barth the human being shines through. An abundance of pictures accompanies the text—most of them appearing for the first time. Readers not familiar with the accomplishment of Karl Barth will learn to know both the man and his thought, while specialists will for the first time discern the figure behind the intellect.