Poetic Revelations

Reviews / Votes

'This is one of those rare collections that becomes a true symposium, a dialectic, with voices rooted in thought, scholarship, and the imagination employed at a high level. The intersection of flesh and word has long been at the core of theological and poetic discourse. But here - in fifteen deeply considered essays by some of our best critics and religious thinkers - we get a profoundly nuanced, inspiring sequence of interlocking pieces. Taken as a whole, Poetic Revelations delivers what it promises, taking us into what T.S. Eliot once called 'the heart of light'. That light burns here, and readers will delight in the illuminations.' - Jay Parini, author of Why Poetry Matters as well as six collections of poetry, including most recently New and Collected Poems, 1975-2015.

'Many poets and religious persons have held that there is another world that can be glimpsed by paying close attention to this one, and this belief is vividly explored by the contributors to this exciting volume. Here we hear of words "ripening in the silence," and see major philosophers such as Jacques Derrida and Jean-Luc Marion led into conversation about sacred poetry. George Herbert, R. M. Rilke, T. S. Eliot, David Jones, R. S. Thomas. . . all are illuminated by readers who take time to listen well to their words.' - Kevin Hart, Professor of Christian Studies at the University of Virginia and author, most recently, of Clandestine Encounters: Philosophy in the Narratives of Maurice Blanchot and Counter-Experiences: Reading Jean-Luc Marion.

'... I know of no other book that combines a sensitive balance between theology, poetry, and literature with such consistently creative and critical writing as Poetic Revelations ... This is an outstanding book and we can only look forward to more volumes from the Power of the Word conferences.' - David Jasper in Christianity & Literature