Robert Charles Asch (born 1968) is an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

writer,

literary critic Literary criticism (or literary studies) is the study, evaluation, and interpretation of literature. Modern literary criticism is often influenced by literary theory, which is the philosophical discussion of literature's goals and methods. Th ...

, and scholar.

Early life

Robert Asch was born in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

in 1968, into a family of mixed Canadian- and

Austrian Jew The history of the Jews in Austria probably begins with the Jewish diaspora, exodus of Jews from History of ancient Israel and Judah#Roman occupation, Judea under Roman occupation. Over the course of many centuries, the political status of the ...

ish descent. His parents were both opera singers. He was educated at St Paul's School and the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution ...

Career

Along with

Joseph Pearce Joseph Pearce (born February 12, 1961), is an English-born American writer, and Director of the Center for Faith and Culture at Aquinas College in Nashville, Tennessee, before which he held positions at Thomas More College of Liberal Arts in ...

, Asch has been co-editor of the ''

St. Austin Review The ''St. Austin Review'' (StAR) is a Catholic international review of culture and ideas. It is edited by author, columnist and EWTN TV host Joseph Pearce and literary scholar Robert Asch. StAR includes book reviews, discussions on Christian art ...

'', a Catholic cultural and

literary magazine A literary magazine is a periodical devoted to literature in a broad sense. Literary magazines usually publish short stories, poetry, and essays, along with literary criticism, book reviews, biographical profiles of authors, interviews and letter ...

, since September 2001. He is also the Editor of

Saint Austin Press Saint Austin Press is a British Roman Catholic publishing house founded in 1996. Its editor-in-chief is Robert Asch. In its first ten years of operation, when it was based in Brockley, Saint Austin Press published around 50 books on various th ...

. Asch was Senior Master and teacher of English and History at

Chavagnes International College eng, Put down your roots in those you have chosen , motto_translation = , established = 2002 (re-fashioned) , closed = , type = Independent secondary school , religious_affiliation = Catholicism , principal = F ...

, France, from its inception in 2002 till 2012. He was recently awarded a Wilbur Research Fellowship at the

Russell Kirk Center for Cultural Renewal The Russell Kirk Center for Cultural Renewal is a nonprofit educational organization based in Mecosta, Michigan. It was founded in order to continue the legacy of Dr. Russell Kirk, an American political theorist, historian, social critic, literar ...

for his work towards a new study of the English poet

Lionel Johnson Lionel Pigot Johnson (15 March 1867 – 4 October 1902) was an English poet, essayist, and critic (although he claimed Irish descent and wrote on Celtic themes). Life Johnson was born in Broadstairs, Kent, England in 1867 and educated at Win ...

. In July 2022, Asch appeared as a speaker at the 41st Annual Conference of the American Chesterton Society in

Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee is ...

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

. Ash's lecture was titled " Chesterton and the Jews".41st Annual Chesterton Conference, July 28-30, 2022

Personal life

Asch is married to the poet Ruth Tyldesley Asch. After several years of living in the post-

Velvet Revolution The Velvet Revolution ( cs, Sametová revoluce) or Gentle Revolution ( sk, Nežná revolúcia) was a non-violent transition of power in what was then Czechoslovakia, occurring from 17 November to 28 November 1989. Popular demonstrations agains ...

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...

, Asch converted from

Reform Judaism Reform Judaism, also known as Liberal Judaism or Progressive Judaism, is a major Jewish denomination that emphasizes the evolving nature of Judaism, the superiority of its ethical aspects to its ceremonial ones, and belief in a continuous searc ...

Roman Catholicism The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwide . It is am ...

, which he has called, "a completion" instead of a rejection of the

Jewish religion Judaism ( he, ''Yahăḏūṯ'') is an Abrahamic, monotheistic, and ethnic religion comprising the collective religious, cultural, and legal tradition and civilization of the Jewish people. It has its roots as an organized religion in the M ...

, in 1996. Asch currently resides with his wife and children at Preston,

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancashi ...

Works

* *Asch, Robert, ed
Lionel Johnson: Poetry and Prose
Saint Austin Press, 2021. ISBN 978-1919673004.

References

External links

Asch discusses his conversion and influencesSaint Austin ReviewSaint Austin PressChavagnes International College
{{DEFAULTSORT:Asch, Robert Converts to Roman Catholicism from Judaism English Roman Catholics English Roman Catholic writers English expatriates in the Czech Republic English expatriates in France English Jews Living people Roman Catholic writers Literary critics of English University of Toronto alumni People educated at St Paul's School, London 1968 births