King Solomon's Garden: Poems and Art Inspired by the Old Testament [Hardcover]

Laurance Wieder (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1994

King Solomon's Garden is an anthology of poetry and art inspired by passages in the Old Testament. Poet/scholar Laurance Wieder has selected 65 poems by such writers as Emily Dickinson, Edgar Allan Poe, and Walt Whitman and paired them with 65 works of art by such masters as Michelangelo and Marc Chagall. A Dividend Selection of the Book-of-the-Month Club.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this pleasantly distracting, illustrated anthology, Wieder (Chapters into Verse: Poetry in English Inspired by the Bible) collects poems new (John Ashbery) and old (William Blake) related in one way or another to the Old Testament, and pairs them with paintings by Romare Bearden, Piranesi, Hieronymus Bosch and many others. For example, one comes to Emily Dickinson's "I Took My Power in My Hand," with its references to the David and Goliath story, and then finds Andrea del Castagno's "The Youthful David" opposite the poem. One painter's style or approach to a theme may not have much to do with a poet's, yet the juxtaposition almost invariably provides food for thought and for the eye. The book's breadth will detain readers for hours, and should also seize their attention in bookstores during and after the holidays. Some paintings appear in full color, others in black-and-white reproduction. BOMC dividend selection.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 152 pages
• Publisher: Harry N Abrams; First Edition edition (September 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0810935074
• ISBN-13: 978-0810935075
• Product Dimensions: 10.4 x 7.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,028,849 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A COMBINATION OF SCRIPTURE, POETRY, AND ART, April 21, 2004

By 

Gail Cooke (TX, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: King Solomon's Garden: Poems and Art Inspired by the Old Testament (Hardcover)

King Solomon's Garden, an anthology of poetry and art inspired by the Old Testament would be a welcome addition to any family library.

Arranged in scriptural chronology, beginning with the Book of Genesis, passages are enhanced by the writings of such poets as Emily Dickinson, Edgar Allen Poe, Rudyard Kipling, Lord Byron and Marianne Moore.

The 65 writings are accompanied by works of art in various media, oils, textiles, engravings, illuminated manuscripts and photographs. Artists represented offer a diversity of gifts. Among these artists are Michelangelo, George Stubbs, Pieter Bruegel, and Ben Shahn.

This combination of scripture, poetry, and art serves to enrich the biblical meanings, lending greater insight and depth. Fairfield Porter's 1974 full length portrait of an older woman leaning against a doorway gives life to the story of Sarah, while George Stubbs' genius in depicting anatomical detail embellishes Edwin Muir's words in "The Animals." Who could better illustrate Balaam and his ass than the immortal Goya, and might Monet's brilliant flower bedecked plot at Giverny resemble the Garden of Eden?

- Gail Cooke