Awake!

Reviews / Votes

'An enormously appealing account of our most mystical of artists, mingling autobiography with the seriousness and initial opaqueness of some of Blake's ideas and vision ... Vernon creates a smooth and intimate proximity to Blake.' * <b><I>The Critic</I></b> * 'A well-argued analysis of the life and work of William Blake ... [Vernon] demonstrates real wit and awareness.' * <b><I>Morning Star</I></b> * 'A thrilling new study of William Blake ... full of inspiring insights.' * <b><I>The Tablet</I>, 'Summer Reads'</b> * 'A compelling and timely book ... Blake famously offered us what he called "the end of a golden string"... Vernon's book is an excellent guide to finding, holding, and following that golden string.' * <b><I>Church Times</I></b> * 'Impressive ... [Vernon] is a convincing and entertaining guide.' * <b><I>Just Beauty</I></b> * 'The best overall study of Blake I have encountered in a very long time. Rich and energetic, it brings together detailed readings of familiar (and not so familiar) poems with sharp contemporary application, and the deep insights of a therapist well-seasoned in finding a path through dreams. A joy to read, well worthy of its extraordinary hero.' -- <b>Rowan Williams, former Archbishop of Canterbury</b> 'I can't think of many writers today who make Christianity look like something worth getting involved with. Rowan Williams is one, Mark Vernon another. When I read them, I feel excited by the possibility of a mind and soul transformed. This book, an exploration of the art and thought of perhaps the most exciting Christian of his time, William Blake, is full of light and challenge. Deeply fascinating and spiritually invigorating, it left me unusually alert for the sound of angelic voices in the hum of the everyday.' -- <b>The Rev'd Richard Coles</b> 'Vernon's biography is a glorious read. It tackles the misunderstandings surrounding Blake's life and presents a fascinating portrait of a deeply spiritual and politically radical man, who was one of the greatest visionaries of British history.' -- <b>Alice Loxton, historian, broadcaster and author of <i>Eighteen: A History of Britain in 18 Young Lives</i></b> 'Not only a brilliantly entertaining and illuminating book about Blake, but also an uplifting, original and inspiring work of philosophy.' -- <b>Tom Hodgkinson, editor of the <i>Idler</i></b> 'Superb: a luminous book, wholly different from other accounts of Blake's life. Vernon understands better than anyone else why Blake matters urgently for today. The result is prescient, prophetic and compellingly readable.' -- <b>Charles Foster, author of <i>Cry of the Wild</i>; <i>Being a Beast</i>; and <i>The Screaming Sky</i></b> 'At this moment, we need the voice of Blake-however strange and wild it often seems-more than ever. He is one of those untimely prophets who have the power to make us see reality anew in every epoch. Vernon is a particularly sensitive reader of the great man, one who knows how to communicate Blake's vision with rare clarity.' -- <b>David Bentley Hart, philosopher, cultural commentator and author</b> 'Vernon's undefended perception and intelligence meet Blake's, and re-enchanted wisdom issues forth on every page. I have rarely been so energised, goaded and inspired into wakefulness. This is a book that speaks to our age.' -- <b>Claire Gilbert, author of <i>I, Julian</i></b> 'Vernon brings Blake alive for our times, with an engaging guide to his life and work. In the face of pitiless politics, oppressive religion and soulless work, argues Vernon, Blake still points us to a way of innocence, joy and enhanced perception.' -- <b>Linda Woodhead, F. D. Maurice Professor in Moral and Social Theology, King's College London</b> 'Mark Vernon writes of Blake that he "wanted to help his fellow man see more clearly". The same could be said of Vernon himself, who has written a fascinating, thought-provoking and highly quotable testament to one of our greatest-and most prescient-prophets.' -- Elizabeth Oldfield, host of <i>The Sacred</i> podcast and author of <i>Fully Alive: Tending to the Soul in Turbulent Times</i></b>