CHRISTIAN WIMAN is the author of numerous books, including My Bright Abyss: Meditation of a Modern Believer. He is Professor of the Practice of Religion and Literature at the Yale Institute of Sacred Music.

Thoughts

Christian Wiman wants to explore through poetry the meaning, or perhaps rather our understanding, of Joy.  He wants the reader to feel what joy is through his chosen poems in order to gain that understanding. He does not give definitive meanings.  Opening the book with his comments on how difficult it is to define Joy.

I was attracted to this book because of that word – Joy. It’s a favourite of mine, it makes me smile. Yes a three letter word makes me smile. There are other words that do this too.  Also I like poetry and don’t read enough of it. So there I am hooked.

And this book is full of poetry. Poetry that is expected to evoke joy. Well some of it did for me, not all of it because well we can’t connect with every poem in the way we’re supposed to simply because some just won’t resonate as others do.  That’s not to say that they aren’t good, or that we don’t enjoy them on a different level just that they did not all evoke joy for me.  You will read it and perhaps find all encompassing joy or, like me,  experience some joy. It may be with the same poems or different poems. I hope you do find joy among these pages.

With thanks to Yale University Books for this e-ARC via NetGalley

Rating: 3.5/4*

Information

EDITION Other Format
ISBN 9780300226089

Publisher: www.yalebooks.com

Links
Visit the book’s page at yalebooks.com