Versed in both Eastern and Western traditions, de Mello tells stories of monks, rabbis, and soldiers in the form of fairy tales, legends, jokes, and Zen sayings to humorously lead us through the basics of spiritual life. His books have been translated into many languages, and continue to be bestsellers. A sought-after spiritual guide, de Mello was director of the Pastoral and Formation Center in Lonavala, India. He was born in Bombay in 1931 and died in New York in 1987.