Miguel de Unamuno was a professor of Greek and Latin in Salamanca and eventually became the rector. More importantly, he was a leading existentialist philosopher, though he did not achieve the prominence of other early 20th-century philosophers, especially the German philosophers.

Unamuno’s San Manuel Bueno, Mártir is a book I have taught many times. It is the story of a priest in a fictional village in northwestern Spain. As you can imagine by now, the story raises deep existential and theological questions, which my students have engaged with in ways I did not expect. Without giving away any spoilers (I hope), the leitmotif of the novel is “Hay que vivir,” which translates as “one must live,” or more bluntly, “get on with it” or “carry on.”

At St. Vincent’s, this has been my first time teaching it, and it has been the most rewarding work I have done in my six years here. You see, I teach the future Catholic priests of the US, and at this level, they all have a bachelor’s or master’s in philosophy, so these discussions were lively, and the students wrestled with the text in ways that—obviously—high school students could not. To say that these men are passionate about their future jobs is an understatement. We got so into the reading that we went to discuss the book at our favorite coffee shop, Common Grounds!

I could go on and on, but I am afraid of spoilers…

There you have it. If you are teaching upper-level or Spanish literature at a Catholic seminary, go ahead and teach San Manuel Bueno, mártir. You are welcome.