"The Life and Works of Saint Anthony", is the main ascetic work of Saint Athanasius. It was written around 357, a year after the death of Saint Anthony, in response to a request from monks in the West who wanted to learn more about Anthony, the "teacher of the desert". The form and content of the work, as well as the fame of Anthony that had already reached Rome, Spain, France, and elsewhere, contributed to the introduction and spread of Monasticism in the West.
Saint Athanasius gracefully and vividly presents the details of Anthony's birth and childhood, the distribution of his wealth to the poor, his early spiritual exercises, his retreat to the desert, his temptations, the establishment of monasteries, and the miraculous interventions of the Saint. After quoting an extensive speech he gave to the monks (on various spiritual topics), he discusses the ascetic life of the desert, his support for persecuted Christians, his character, includes discussions with pagan philosophers, correspondence with the emperor, various visions, etc., and describes in detail his blessed end.

The Life of Saint Anthony has been and remains an attractive and instructive reading. Therefore, it has been translated and circulated in many modern European languages.