The Hound of Heaven at my Heels: The Lost Diary of Francis Thompson

"This book is a poignant and inspiring story about the great poet Francis Thompson. Addicted to opium as a young man and reduced to homelessness on the streets of London, the poet, in a last effort to regenerate himself, sends to Wilfrid Meynell, the editor of a Catholic monthly Merry England, samples of his writing: an essay and a poem. Months pass before Meynell reads the soiled manuscript; he immediately perceives its genius and sets out to find the young poet but to no avail. He publishes the poetry in the hopes that Thompson will contact him.

The poet finally appears in Meynell's office. Wilfrid Meynell's son writes, "...a man came in. No such figure had been looked for; more ragged and unkempt than the average beggar, with no shirt beneath his coat and the bare feet in broken shoes, he found my father at a loss for words."

The Hound of Heaven at My Heels is a fictional reconstruction of the poet's lost diary; it is a heart-breaking and soul-lifting account of his spiritual, psychological, and physical regeneration. It is the story of a young man who finally finds his soul and his vocation."

"A haunting book written with immense skill and tact, and yet, for all of its shadows, it opens you out onto the very heaven of heavens. A profoundly impressive achievement."
—Thomas Howard, Author, On Being Catholic

"Waldron has woven fact and fiction together into a fascinating and intriguing story that shows us one of England's greatest poets struggling to save himself and give expression to the poems that burned within him."
—Edward O'Donnell, O.C.D., Editor, Spiritual Life

"What better way to introduce a poet than through poetic fancy. And Waldron does this masterfully, putting us in touch with, as it were, the very soul of Thompson."
—Basil Pennington, O.C.S.O., Author, Centering Prayer