Paul Vallely – författare

For more than a century the Catholic Church has closely scrutinized the economic certainties of capitalism and communism. As a result, it has slowly developed an entirely new position from which today to survey the capitalist leviathan. What this book sets out to do is to chronicle that development and highlight the insights it has formed which have a particular resonance for the world as it enters the twenty-first century. Michael Walsh describes developments from Rerum Novarum to Vatican II, and Brian Davies the work of John XXIII and Vatican II itself. Julian Filochowski looks at the early social doctrine of Paul VI, and the encyclicals of John Paul II are discussed by Ian Linden, Clifford Langley and Julie Clague. Finally, Paul Vallely looks into the new millennium beyond John Paul II. The book is an important contribution to political and social thought at the beginning of the new millennium. Authoritative, positive and open, its appeal is far from restricted to Catholics or even Christians. Its distinguished contributors offer suggestions for a thought which might combine economic efficiency with social concerns to create a more compassionate community. The tools are there for those with the foresight and courage to take them up. Paul Vallely writes on current social, ethical and political issues for The Independent. He is also the Chair of the Catholic Institute for International Relations and of Traidcraft Exchange.

'...a superb guide into one of the most pivotal personalities of the 21st century' - Publishers Weekly'An exhaustive look at the newest pope ... a highly worthwhile resource for Catholics and non-Catholics alike.' - KirkusA wise and perceptive portrait of the late Pope Francis, now in a revised and greatly expanded new edition.Pope Francis enchanted and bewildered the world in equal measure with his compassion and his contradictions. Expanding greatly on his acclaimed earlier book Pope Francis: Untying the Knots, Paul Vallely reexamines the complex past of Jorge Mario Bertoglio and adds nine new chapters, revealing many untold, behind-the-scenes stories from his years in office that explain his astonishing papacy.Consistently Pope Francis showed a willingness to discuss issues previously considered taboo, such as the ban on those who divorce and remarry receiving Communion, his liberal instincts outraging traditionalists in the Vatican and especially in the Church hierarchy in the United States. At the same time, many of his statements reassured conservative elements that he was not, in fact, as radical as he might appear.Charting Francis's remarkable journey to the Vatican, from his controversial behaviour during the Dirty War in Argentina to his attempts to address the scandals plaguing the Church, Paul Vallely has produced a deeply nuanced and insightful portrait of perhaps the most influential person in the world. 'Pope Francis,' he writes, 'has not just demonstrated a different way of being a pope. He has shown the world a different way of being a Catholic.'

'This is the definitive book on philanthropy – its history, contradictions and future' – John Gray, Emeritus Professor of European Thought, London School of Economics'Good books lay out the lie of the land. Important books change it. This book is both' – Giles Fraser, priest, journalist and broadcasterThe super-rich are silently and secretly shaping our world. In this groundbreaking exploration of historical and contemporary philanthropy, bestselling author Paul Vallely reveals how this far-reaching change came about. Vivid with anecdote and scholarly insight, this magisterial survey – from the ancient Greeks to today’s high-tech geeks – provides an original take on the history of philanthropy. It shows how giving has, variously, been a matter of honour, altruism, religious injunction, political control, moral activism, enlightened self-interest, public good, personal fulfilment and plutocratic manipulation.Its narrative moves from the Greek man of honour and Roman patron, via the Jewish prophet and Christian scholastic – through the Elizabethan machiavel, Puritan proto-capitalist, Enlightenment activist and Victorian moralist – to the robber-baron philanthropist, the welfare socialist, the celebrity activist and today’s wealthy mega-giver. In the process it discovers that philanthropy lost an essential element as it entered the modern era. The book then embarks on a journey to determine where today’s philanthropists come closest to recovering that missing dimension. Philanthropy explores the successes and failures of philanthrocapitalism, examines its claims and contradictions, and asks tough questions of top philanthropists and leading thinkers – among them Richard Branson, Eliza Manningham-Buller, Jonathan Ruffer, David Sainsbury, John Studzinski, Bob Geldof, Naser Haghamed, Lenny Henry, Jonathan Sacks, Rowan Williams, Ngaire Woods, and the presidents of the Rockefeller and Soros foundations, Rajiv Shah and Patrick Gaspard. In extended conversations they explore the relationship between philanthropy and family, faith, society, art, politics, and the creation and distribution of wealth.Highly engaging and meticulously researched, Paul Vallely's authoritative account of philanthropy then and now critiques the excessive utilitarianism of much modern philanthrocapitalism and points to how philanthropy can rediscover its soul.

A Classic Pop Music Book of the YearFEATURING A FOREWORD BY BOB GELDOFThe authoritative, official inside story of 40 years of Live Aid, from Band Aid to today.In 1985, with £100+ million in his back pocket from Live Aid – the greatest rock concert the world had ever seen – Bob Geldof took a trip across Africa to decide how to spend the money he had raised for the Ethiopian famine. He asked Paul Vallely to go with him. Over the next four decades Vallely became one of Geldof’s closest advisers – travelling with him to meet the world’s top rock stars and politicians. Here, for the first time, Vallely gives his full eye-witness account of those 40 years. The book, which has a foreword by Bob Geldof, is crammed with stories of how pop, poverty, politics and power are interwoven in the Live Aid story. Geldof encounters presidents, prime ministers and popes as well as the pop heroes who adorned his bedroom wall as a boy. Bob drinks late-night whisky with Margaret Thatcher, is forced to write a grovelling apology to Bill Clinton and meets Vladimir Putin on a boat in the Mediterranean. He pressurises The Who, sweet talks Pink Floyd, and is awestruck by Bowie. Is Bob Geldof a bully or a charmer, saint or ‘white saviour’, or simply a force of nature?   But there is more to this than music. The journey from Live Aid to Live 8 was one from giving money to calling for action, from charity to justice – and an entire generation went on it with him. Live 8 in 2005 was the largest gathering in human history. Its eight simultaneous concerts created a seismic event which the leaders of the world’s most powerful nations could not ignore. It made a whole generation feel they could make a difference. In more ways than one, Live Aid rocked the world.

A Classic Pop Music Book of the YearFEATURING A FOREWORD BY BOB GELDOFThe authoritative, official inside story of 40 years of Live Aid, from Band Aid to today.In 1985, with £100+ million in his back pocket from Live Aid – the greatest rock concert the world had ever seen – Bob Geldof took a trip across Africa to decide how to spend the money he had raised for the Ethiopian famine. He asked Paul Vallely to go with him. Over the next four decades Vallely became one of Geldof’s closest advisers – travelling with him to meet the world’s top rock stars and politicians. Here, for the first time, Vallely gives his full eye-witness account of those 40 years. The book, which has a foreword by Bob Geldof, is crammed with stories of how pop, poverty, politics and power are interwoven in the Live Aid story. Geldof encounters presidents, prime ministers and popes as well as the pop heroes who adorned his bedroom wall as a boy. Bob drinks late-night whisky with Margaret Thatcher, is forced to write a grovelling apology to Bill Clinton and meets Vladimir Putin on a boat in the Mediterranean. He pressurises The Who, sweet talks Pink Floyd, and is awestruck by Bowie. Is Bob Geldof a bully or a charmer, saint or ‘white saviour’, or simply a force of nature?   But there is more to this than music. The journey from Live Aid to Live 8 was one from giving money to calling for action, from charity to justice – and an entire generation went on it with him. Live 8 in 2005 was the largest gathering in human history. Its eight simultaneous concerts created a seismic event which the leaders of the world’s most powerful nations could not ignore. It made a whole generation feel they could make a difference. In more ways than one, Live Aid rocked the world.