The acclaimed anthology series that Publishers Weekly's starred review called 'a significant addition to the spiritual literature of our time' returns with the year's outstanding prose and poetry on prayer, enlightenment, love, holy places, and other spiritual topics. The debut volume of this annual anthology series garnered critical plaudits and an impressive following. Drawing on essays and poems that first appeared in periodicals as well as on previously unpublished matierals, the 1998 edition covered the whole range of religious traditions and spiritual topics and included contributions from many notable writers. This new edition will showcase inspiring, insightful writings by authors of similar stature -- likely contributors include Ursula K. LeGuin, Mary Gordon, Philip Levine, Thomas Moore, and Wendell Berry.
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Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com Review
Most contemporary readers agree that the best spiritual writing stays grounded in real-life anecdotes, simple and bold language, and a self-scrutinizing honesty that gives a narrator credibility. With only a few esoteric exceptions, every piece in this anthology edited by Philip Zaleski (senior editor of Parabola magazine) passes this litmus test. When Michael Ventura speaks of finding the "Old One" within himself on his 52nd birthday, his practical wisdom is mesmerizing: "I've learned to leave birthdays unplanned, or almost so, to let the day unfold on its own, because a birthday is a teaching day it has something to reveal.... This is especially true of birthdays, for, as Thomas Hardy once observed, your birthday exists in relation to another day, a day that is impossible to know: we pass silently, every year, over the anniversary of our death."
In one of the most stunning essays in the collection, "Can You Say...Hero?" (originally published in Esquire), journalist Tom Junod speaks of following Fred Rogers around New York City in order to write a profile, and how "Mr. Rogers" gently found his way to Junod's most vulnerable place of spiritual doubt. Contributions from Mary Gordon, Barry Lopez, and Louise Rafkin are also superb. --Gail Hudson
From Publishers Weekly
Zaleski (a senior editor of Parabola who teaches religion at Smith College) follows up his popular Best Spiritual Writing 1998 with this edifying, well-chosen collection of essays and poems. These are diverse in form and subject but have a common function, as Zaleski states in his preface, to "tell us something about truth, beauty, and goodness... about how to live the good life." Anita Mathias's "The Holy Ground of Kalighat" depicts glimpse of the sanctity of life in the face of death in Mother Teresa's Calcutta, and Annie Dillard explores the miracle of life through newborn eyes first alert to the world in "Acts of God." ("How many centuries would you have to live before this... ceased to astound you?" she asks.) Family relationships are explored in such diverse works as Walt McDonald's touching love poem, "The Waltz We Were Born For," and Mary Gordon's painful attempt to come to grips with her mother's senility ("Still Life"), while Tracy Cochran, in "My True Home Is Brooklyn," offers a witty portrayal of her experience with her young daughter at a Zen Buddhist retreat. Thomas Moore's "On Memory and Numbers" describes the turn of the millennium as a "special gift of time" in conceptual, abstract terms whereas Douglas Burton-Christie investigates time more concretely through a friend's journey to death. Although most choices in this anthology are excellent, one in particular stands out: Tom Junod's "Can you Say...'Hero'?" brings children's icon Mr. Rogers to life. One hilarious incident involves the cardigan-clad Rogers boarding the subway at Penn Station and being spotted by viewers ("Holy s--t! exclaims one young fan. "It's Mr. F---ing Rogers!"). (Nov.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Almost Heaven,
By
This review is from: The Best Spiritual Writing 1999 (Paperback)
This wonderful collection should be read over a period of many days, to allow the stories to soak into your consciousness and enrich your soul! You are sure to laugh, cry, and give thanks for what you hold in your hands.
34 of 75 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A prayer book for the winter night - armchair congregant,
By A Customer
This review is from: The Best Spiritual Writing 1999 (Paperback)
An excellent collection and variety of essays and poems. Best among them for me are Jonathan Rosen's "The Talmud and the Internet" from Parabola; Phil Levine's "After Leviticus" from Image; (Roshi) Bernie Glassman's two-page "My Wife Died Unexpectedly Last March" from Tikkun; Pico Iyer on why we travel; Max Apple's "Max and Mottele" from Pakn Treger; and Eliezer Shore's "A Single Glance" from Bas Ayin.
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