Disguised as a Man: Malachi Martin & Me is the title of the book I recently published on Smashwords. It's the true account of my nearly ten-year affair with the late Roman Catholic priest and cult figure, "Father" Malachi Martin.
Yes, Martin remained a priest after leaving the Jesuits and Rome in the 1960's because his affair with a journalist's wife had been exposed--but he didn't ever act much like a priest around me. He didn't even call himself "Father" in those days. I first saw him on TV as "Dr. Malachi Martin." He didn't revert to the clerical title until later.
Malachi had some priestly habits which he didn't bother to conceal and a couple of times went through some dubious ritual that was supposed to "dispel evil." But you can read about all that in my book, if you're interested.
I started the project years ago. It was meant to be a biography, for I did know Malachi intimately. But how does one go about writing a biography of a person who not only lies about things that really happened and invents things that never did? He was a compulsive confabulator and almost entirely amoral. Yet he was the most charming, brilliant person I've ever known. Martin's extraordinary intelligence and his undeniable charisma produced a character who seemed almost as fictitious as the stories he told.
My relationship with Malachi was not normal or healthy. He was fifty-seven when we finally met. I was nineteen. Neither of us had lived "normal, healthy" lives and our choices reflected that. I'm not sure that either of us really had a chance when it came to conventional behavior. As my narrative recounts, our romance was as misconceived as it was untenable. This is not a complaint. My life with Malachi was never easy, but it had its compensations and was never dull.
If you're interested in talking about Malachi Martin or any related subject, you may do so here. I don't purport to be an expert on his theories as he expounded them at the end of his life, but I did watch them evolve. It's my contention, however, that I spent the first decade of my adult life involved in a consuming love affair with one of the most plausible religious charlatans of recent times. I also maintain that all effective spiritual figures are artists who possess charisma. The best of them present a refracted, personal specimen of the truths they aspire to tell.
Yes, Martin remained a priest after leaving the Jesuits and Rome in the 1960's because his affair with a journalist's wife had been exposed--but he didn't ever act much like a priest around me. He didn't even call himself "Father" in those days. I first saw him on TV as "Dr. Malachi Martin." He didn't revert to the clerical title until later.
Malachi had some priestly habits which he didn't bother to conceal and a couple of times went through some dubious ritual that was supposed to "dispel evil." But you can read about all that in my book, if you're interested.
I started the project years ago. It was meant to be a biography, for I did know Malachi intimately. But how does one go about writing a biography of a person who not only lies about things that really happened and invents things that never did? He was a compulsive confabulator and almost entirely amoral. Yet he was the most charming, brilliant person I've ever known. Martin's extraordinary intelligence and his undeniable charisma produced a character who seemed almost as fictitious as the stories he told.
My relationship with Malachi was not normal or healthy. He was fifty-seven when we finally met. I was nineteen. Neither of us had lived "normal, healthy" lives and our choices reflected that. I'm not sure that either of us really had a chance when it came to conventional behavior. As my narrative recounts, our romance was as misconceived as it was untenable. This is not a complaint. My life with Malachi was never easy, but it had its compensations and was never dull.
If you're interested in talking about Malachi Martin or any related subject, you may do so here. I don't purport to be an expert on his theories as he expounded them at the end of his life, but I did watch them evolve. It's my contention, however, that I spent the first decade of my adult life involved in a consuming love affair with one of the most plausible religious charlatans of recent times. I also maintain that all effective spiritual figures are artists who possess charisma. The best of them present a refracted, personal specimen of the truths they aspire to tell.
Two questions:
ReplyDelete1) Did Martin ever attend and fellowship at a protestant church? (2) What was Martin's convictions on 'you must be born again'?
Most kindest - Spencer Courtis
Malachi participated in many ecumenical events, or so he said. His attitude towards being "born again" was, I thought, supercilious. The sacramental aspects of Roman Catholicism, divorced from the character or morality of the soul in question, had an almost magical authority in his view. The effects of grace were lasting, however, and the personal relationship with Jesus did seem to be a part of his inner life. I base this on some of his unpublished lyrical poems and his frequent references to it in conversation. He did have faith in salvation that he seemed to have developed as a child.
ReplyDeleteBoth answers I anticipated. What would your relationship with the Lord Jesus be?
ReplyDeleteI read your book and found it really profound. You should really get a literary agent. This could be a Netflix series! Especially with recent news of movie deals based on Martin's stories. I have been trying to get in touch with you because I am currently publishing a chapter on Martin. Maybe you can get in touch with me. --Dr. Joseph Laycock, Texas State University.
ReplyDelete