“At five years Anna knew absolutely the purpose of being; she knew the meaning of love and was a personal friend and helper of Mister God.
At six Anna was a theologian, mathematician, philosopher, poet and gardener.” Fynn meets a five-yearold girl, Anna, on a cold night on the streets of the East End of London.
“At five years Anna knew absolutely the purpose of being; she knew the meaning of love and was a personal friend and helper of Mister God.
At six Anna was a theologian, mathematician, philosopher, poet and gardener.” Fynn meets a five-yearold girl, Anna, on a cold night on the streets of the East End of London.
A firm friendship is formed between the small orphan and the rough giant as they embark on their adventure to discover God.
Fynn soon realises that Anna is no ordinary child. Like most children she constantly asks questions, but the nature of her questions is uniquely profound.
Fynn is a product of his environment, with his marvellous Cockney mum, the garrulous night people, and their voluptuous, honest, unsophisticated life.
Anna, with her to-the-point manner and insatiable quest for truth, takes complete control of Fynn’s life as she pulls him along on a magical journey.
At first Fynn thinks he as the adult is teaching Anna, but it quickly becomes clear that she is there to teach him that everything in life functions to live with God “in my middle”.
Anna experiences God completely through her interaction with daily life. She immerses herself in the grit of the world, and also in abstract activities like mathematics and philosophy, all of which serve the purpose of securing her friendship with God.
The book was first published 36 years ago, but it still resonates today. Here is a book all Christians, nay, all people should read.
In light of the moral regeneration movement implemented in Grahamstown, here is a book that can help. Anna’s innocence, her feeling that she completely belongs to Mister God, captures the essence of human innocence before the Fall.
Mister God, this is Anna is a classic, timeless piece that generates new ideas with every read. Samuel Taylor Coleridge spoke about texts that are idea-creating; ideas that contain future thought.
Mister God, this is Anna contains future thought, and is thus still relevant today in this postmodern, secular world.
Nearly 40 years later Anna’s ideas still challenge both religious and secular schools of thought. Copies are available at the Grahamstown public library, and UPB orders copies on request.
