Description
'All serious lovers of poetry will want this book.' A. N. Wilson All good poetry has the power to transport and transform us, to inspire and challenge us, to comfort and heal us, and to hold up a mirror to the world around us. In A Century of Poetry, Rowan Williams invites you to reflect with him on 100 poems from the past 100 years - poems with an originality and depth that can impel you to search your heart, and to explore your own experience and emotions at a deeper level. Featuring the work of both famous and lesser-known poets, from different faiths, languages and cultures, A Century of Poetry gives you a fresh perspective on works you may be familiar with, as well as introducing you to poems you'll be pleased to discover for the first time - or perhaps discover again. These meditations, by a writer who is both a poet and a theologian, will open new doors into the experience of reading and absorbing great poetry, highlighting the ways in which their language and imagery can touch unfamiliar places in the heart and enliven the lifelong adventure of spiritual growth and exploration.
For all who appreciate great poetry, one of the world's best-loved Christian writers and poets reflects on 100 of his favourite poems and why they have the power to change us.
About the Author
Rowan Williams, Baron Williams of Oystermouth, PC, FBA, FRSL, FLSW, is a world renowned theological writer, teacher, and poet. He was the 104th Archbishop of Canterbury (2002-2012) before becoming Master of Magdalene College, Cambridge. His most recent books include A Century of Poetry (2022), Collected Poems (2021), Luminaries (2019), Being Human (2018), God With Us (2017), Being Disciples (2016) and Being Christian (2014).
Reviews
'A poet's choice. A thoughtful, eclectic, original selection of poems, their power enhanced by conjunction with one another. No serious lover of poetry will want to be without this book.' * A. N. Wilson, writer and broadcaster *
'Rowan Williams is one of our best readers of poetry. He is an "all-round" reader, attending to the full range of details, questions and possibilities in a poem, and arriving at a remarkable depth of thinking in response. . . In my experience, spending time with Rowan Williams's writing changes your life, as does great poetry. This book offers both.' * Romana Huk, Associate Professor of English, University of Notre Dame *
'Each poem in this collection is a door ajar, which Rowan Williams nudges open, inviting us in, where he carefully shows us around. He leaves us in a room of many windows, the light streaming in, our souls enriched, this book in our hand.' * Frances Ward, Poetry Editor, Theology *
'This is a compendium of poems you could spend a lifetime absorbing. Rowan Williams has gathered a diverse array of poets that grapple with mystery, ultimacy, and the terrifying beauty of being human. These are deep wells, and Williams is a gentle guide into the depths of riches.' * James K.A. Smith, editor in chief, Image *
'Rowan Williams and poetry have a lot in common. Both prefer honest complexity to dishonest simplicity. Both want to draw your attention to the space around words, to sound, epiphany, and emotional resonance, so that a more distilled understanding appears on the horizon. Brought together in this book, Williams patiently reflecting on poems from the last hundred years, they offer nothing less to us than an undeceiving of the world.' * Mark Oakley, Dean of St John's College, Cambridge *
'Reading this book is going on a spiritual journey in which we are invited to leave behind our 'twined scaffolding' of fixed meaning to enter language as if from the inside and discern the divine 'pattern that informs' everything.' * Alison Grant Milbank, Professor of Theology and Literature, University of Nottingham *
'Most of us know Rowan Williams as one of our greatest theological minds, but he is also a talented poet and gifted teacher. Over the years, Rowan and I have talked literature and culture often, and this book reminds me of what I've received from those conversations: startling insights, warm humanity, and a constant reminder that we are connected by love and beauty to the Divine.' * Greg Garrett, Professor of Literature and Culture, Baylor University, and Canon Theologian, American Cathedral in Paris *
'For sheer diversity and depth, there is nothing else like this book, and it will offer new layers and depths with many future re-readings.' -- Revd Dr Malcolm Guite, in Church Times
Book Information
ISBN 9780281085521
Author Rt Hon Rowan Williams
Format Hardback
Page Count 400
Imprint SPCK Publishing
Publisher SPCK Publishing
For all who appreciate great poetry, one of the world's best-loved Christian writers and poets reflects on 100 of his favourite poems and why they have the power to change us.
About the Author
Rowan Williams, Baron Williams of Oystermouth, PC, FBA, FRSL, FLSW, is a world renowned theological writer, teacher, and poet. He was the 104th Archbishop of Canterbury (2002-2012) before becoming Master of Magdalene College, Cambridge. His most recent books include A Century of Poetry (2022), Collected Poems (2021), Luminaries (2019), Being Human (2018), God With Us (2017), Being Disciples (2016) and Being Christian (2014).
Reviews
'A poet's choice. A thoughtful, eclectic, original selection of poems, their power enhanced by conjunction with one another. No serious lover of poetry will want to be without this book.' * A. N. Wilson, writer and broadcaster *
'Rowan Williams is one of our best readers of poetry. He is an "all-round" reader, attending to the full range of details, questions and possibilities in a poem, and arriving at a remarkable depth of thinking in response. . . In my experience, spending time with Rowan Williams's writing changes your life, as does great poetry. This book offers both.' * Romana Huk, Associate Professor of English, University of Notre Dame *
'Each poem in this collection is a door ajar, which Rowan Williams nudges open, inviting us in, where he carefully shows us around. He leaves us in a room of many windows, the light streaming in, our souls enriched, this book in our hand.' * Frances Ward, Poetry Editor, Theology *
'This is a compendium of poems you could spend a lifetime absorbing. Rowan Williams has gathered a diverse array of poets that grapple with mystery, ultimacy, and the terrifying beauty of being human. These are deep wells, and Williams is a gentle guide into the depths of riches.' * James K.A. Smith, editor in chief, Image *
'Rowan Williams and poetry have a lot in common. Both prefer honest complexity to dishonest simplicity. Both want to draw your attention to the space around words, to sound, epiphany, and emotional resonance, so that a more distilled understanding appears on the horizon. Brought together in this book, Williams patiently reflecting on poems from the last hundred years, they offer nothing less to us than an undeceiving of the world.' * Mark Oakley, Dean of St John's College, Cambridge *
'Reading this book is going on a spiritual journey in which we are invited to leave behind our 'twined scaffolding' of fixed meaning to enter language as if from the inside and discern the divine 'pattern that informs' everything.' * Alison Grant Milbank, Professor of Theology and Literature, University of Nottingham *
'Most of us know Rowan Williams as one of our greatest theological minds, but he is also a talented poet and gifted teacher. Over the years, Rowan and I have talked literature and culture often, and this book reminds me of what I've received from those conversations: startling insights, warm humanity, and a constant reminder that we are connected by love and beauty to the Divine.' * Greg Garrett, Professor of Literature and Culture, Baylor University, and Canon Theologian, American Cathedral in Paris *
'For sheer diversity and depth, there is nothing else like this book, and it will offer new layers and depths with many future re-readings.' -- Revd Dr Malcolm Guite, in Church Times
Book Information
ISBN 9780281085521
Author Rt Hon Rowan Williams
Format Hardback
Page Count 400
Imprint SPCK Publishing
Publisher SPCK Publishing
