The King of the Golden City is an allegorical tale which has stood the test of time because of the beauty of its symbolism and the richness of its spiritual advice. Written for children yet beloved by readers of all ages, it distills Mother Mary Loyola's teaching on Holy Communion and the spiritual life into the story of a child's journey through the Land of Exile toward the Golden City.
Yet there has always been one small difficulty for some young readers: the central character is a little girl. While the truths of the story belong equally to every child, sometimes boys find it harder to imagine themselves in Dilecta's place.
Interestingly, early French translators of The King of the Golden City, with Mother Loyola's permission, addressed this very difficulty by producing parallel versions of the story for boys and girls. Following their example, we have adapted the original English text especially for boys, including the delightful and sometimes humorous illustrations from the French book.
In this special edition, Dilecta becomes Dilectus, allowing boys to more readily become the hero of the story and make it their own.
5.5" x 8.5" softcover 130 pages
Q. So...did you just change the main character into a boy and call it a new edition?
A. Not at all! The main character, Dilecta, has become Dilectus, but changing the hero required more than swapping names and pronouns. Characters, dialogue, and even some of the action have been adapted to really bring home the unique challenges faced by boys, following the precedent of the early French boys' edition authorized by Mother Loyola.
And the pictures have changed too. This edition features Félix Jobbé-Duval's delightful illustrations from that French boys' edition, so Dilectus and his companions actually look like the boys whose adventures you're reading about.
The important things, however, haven't changed a bit: the King is still the King, Self is still every bit as troublesome, Malignus is still up to no good, and the road to the Golden City hasn't gotten any easier!
