About the Author

Monk Mitrophan was a Russian Orthodox monk of the Konevets Monastery. John Shaw was born in Ndola in 1947, in what was then Northern Rhodesia and received his primary and most of his secondary education in that country. Shortly before Zambian independence in October 1964, his father, a chief superintendent in the Northern Rhodesia Police, resigned and his parents immigrated to Rhodesia. John attended Chaplin School, Gwelo, to complete his GCE certificate. In March 1966, he joined the British South Africa Police and served in the district branch of the Force until his retirement in August 1981, with the rank of superintendent. Shortly after Zimbabwean independence he moved to South Africa with his wife and three daughters, securing a job with Johnson & Johnson, Midrand, in the security field where he remained for 28 years, retiring as their Industrial & Employee Relations Manager in 2008. He settled in White River where he spends his time writing, playing tennis and visiting the Kruger National Park.

Reviews

"A long lost book written by a Russian monk some 130 years [ago] . . . has the power not only to shield, but to erase, that unfortunate 'sorrow of death' so ubiquitous in our American culture today." --Gregory Winsky, Esq, blogs.ancientfaith.com
"More than just a book about death, this book is a catechism of the Orthodox Church. It provides a view of our faith, not from this world, but as if looking back from the next, revealing not how things are, but how things were meant to be, how they went wrong, how they are repaired, and the various results of all these events. This is a book for those who wish to know not only about the next life, but about this life and how to live in it. Truly this is a book that goes far, far beyond its title." --Archpriest David Moser