Matt Talbot read biographies of many saints as well as some of their writings. One of his favorites was St. Therese of Lisieux, also known as St. Therese of the Child Jesus, who was canonized only a few weeks before Matt died. Her feast day is celebrated today.
Philip Maynard, author of To Slake a Thirst: The Matt Talbot Way to Sobriety (2000) states while "Matt was enchanted with Therese," Matt ignored her warnings against severe fasts and mortifications (page 129).
For an introductory article on St. Therese, see: http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=105
You can download her autobiography, "The Story of a Soul," free-of-charge at:
http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/16772
You can download her autobiography, "The Story of a Soul," free-of-charge at:
http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/16772
It is important to note that the mother and father of St. Therese, Venerable Zelia and Louis Martin, are to be declared "Blessed" on Mission Sunday, October 19, 2008.