The Celtic Quest In Art And Literature [Hardcover]

Jane Lahr (Author), Greg Wakabayashi (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2000

The Song, the Sword, and the Star is a celebration of the magic, power, and poetry of the Celtic spirit. Featuring classic and never-before-published works from Ireland, Scotland, Cornwall, and Wales, this magnificent volume threads together the finest poetry, fables, fairy stories, and folk lore and lyrics from pre-Christian sources to contemporary bards such as Dylan Thomas and Van Morrison. Each work resonates with the ideas that we attribute to the Celts and tradition of the Druids -- the priesthood that formed the core of their beliefs. These texts are accompanied by more than 120 stunning illustrations including paintings, drawings, and photographs.

Three sections form this journey through the key elements of Celtic thought. The Song reveals the Celts, deep and visceral connection with the earth. Spring, sacred places, and the rebirth of the land as well as the heart are the focus of this section. The sword chronicles Celtic heroes from Cuchulainn and Fionn to Gawain and Arthur. This section brings forth tales of adventure and personal transformation that come with maturity in mid-summer. The Star references the Celtic beliefs in reincarnation, shape-shifting, and shamanism. The Celts lived out their lives working with the rhythms of the earth as well as the stars and planets, recognizing that the apparent separateness of these bodies was illusory. The prophetic poetry of Yeats and Blake, the mysticism of George MacDonald, and the great Irish, stories of James Stephens all communicate the wisdom born of reflection found in the last season of the year.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

History books can teach you the nuts and bolts of the Celtic civilization--dates of conquest, trade routes, linguistics, and such things--but Lahr actually revives the spirit of the Celts through their own tradition of teaching with story, poetry, and art. Rather than opening moldering tombs to display the treasures of the dead, Lahr offers us a living treasure. The Celtic Quest in Art and Literature weds Malory's heroic tale of King Arthur with a lucid tempera painting by John McKirdy Duncan, it pairs Robert Graves's "Gift of Sight" with a crisp photograph of a sacred forest grove, and it merges Yeats's "Fergus and the Druid" with a Cornish megalith under a star-strewn sky. Lahr's marriage of ancient and modern, word and image sings out with the voice of an ancient people that have not died but live in the imagination of poets and artists today. --Brian Patterson

Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Welcome Books; First Printing edition (May 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0941807231
• ISBN-13: 978-0941807234
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 10.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,467,391 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Get in touch with your Celtic roots...this is the book!, July 10, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Celtic Quest In Art And Literature (Hardcover)

Jane Lahr divides this book into three treatments of the subject: Song, Sword and Star. The naturalist in you will appreciate the Celts' deep reverence for nature in SONG. "The rebirths of the land as well as the heart are celebrated..." SWORD "...reflects the passage of into mid-summer... [the] journey towards maturity." In STAR the author shares pieces from Druidic philosophy and wisdom and the "beliefs in reincarnation, shape-shifting and shamanic practices."

This is a delightful book for both children and adults (older children) to learn more about our Celtic heritage. This book puts at your fingertips such authors and poets as William Butler Yeats, James Joyce, William Blake, Sir Walter Scott, Dylan Thomas, Margaret Tait, Robert Burns, Ella Young, and dozens more.

I liked this book because it sparks the imagination and touches the heart. Even if you have no Celtic blood in you, but a literary mind, you will find this book a treasure. I liked it so much I bought a copy for both my adult children for their birthdays this month.