-36% ✨ New The Penguin Book of Spiritual Verse: 110 Poets on the Divine by Akbar, Kaveh

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The Penguin Book of Spiritual Verse: 110 Poets on the Divine

Name: The Penguin Book of Spiritual Verse: 110 Poets on the Divine
Price: 19.00 USD
Availability: InStock
Author: Akbar, Kaveh
ISBN: 9780241391594

✍️ Akbar, Kaveh

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📚 ABOUT THE BOOK

Journey through millennia of human spirituality, voiced by poets across the globe.

Curated by acclaimed poet Kaveh Akbar, this Penguin Classic unveils a breathtaking anthology of spiritual verse. From humanity's earliest known writer, the Sumerian priestess Enheduanna, to contemporary voices, this collection traverses continents and epochs. It delves into the myriad ways poets have contemplated the divine, finding inspiration in nature, human connection, and the vast cosmos. This volume offers a profound and holistic exploration of the enduring lyric conversation with the sacred, inviting readers into a timeless dialogue on faith and transcendence.

Key themes

{'title': 'Global Spiritual Tapestry', 'body': 'This anthology meticulously weaves together spiritual expressions from across the world. Readers will encounter voices from ancient Sumeria and China, alongside verses from medieval Europe and modern-day Africa, demonstrating the universal human impulse to connect with the divine, regardless of geographical or cultural boundaries.'} {'title': 'Timeless Human Inquiry', 'body': 'Spanning from antiquity to the present, the collection reveals a persistent and evolving human quest for understanding the sacred. It highlights how fundamental questions about existence, purpose, and the divine have echoed through generations, offering comfort and insight across historical divides.'} {'title': 'Diverse Poetic Expressions', 'body': 'Beyond canonical figures like Blake and Dickinson, the book celebrates a rich array of lesser-known or under-anthologized poets. This diversity showcases the vast stylistic and thematic approaches to spiritual contemplation, ensuring a fresh and expansive perspective on sacred verse.'}

🏛 Penguin Classics 📅 2023 📖 400 pages 🌐 en 📐 Paperback ISBN: 9780241391594

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Fun fact

Akbar's curation is a monumental achievement, crafting a truly global and timeless exploration of sacred verse. The breadth of voices, from ancient epic to modern lyric, is its greatest strength, offering profound insights into humanity's universal spiritual yearning. While some seeking a narrowly defined spiritual path might find its eclecticism challenging, for those open to a panoramic view of human faith, it is an indispensable volume. This anthology firmly establishes itself as a definitive resource for spiritual and poetic inquiry.

📝 Description: The Penguin Book of Spiritual Verse: 110 Poets on the Divine

An inspiring new selection of poems exploring faith and the divine, featuring poets from across the world, from antiquity to the present, compiled by renowned poet and author of Martyr!, Kaveh Akbar A Penguin Classic Poets have always looked to the skies for inspiration, and have written as a way of getting closer to the power and beauty they sense in nature, in each other and in the cosmos. This anthology is a holistic and global survey of a lyric conversation about the divine, one which has been ongoing for millennia. Beginning with the earliest attributable author in all of human literature, the twenty-third century BC Sumerian High Priestess Enheduanna, and taking in a constellation of voices - from King David to Lao Tzu, from the Epic of Gilgamesh to the Malian Epic of Sundiata - this selection presents a number of canonical voices like Blake, Dickinson and Tagore, alongside lesser-anthologized diverse voices going up to the present day, that showcase the breathtaking multiplicity of ways humanity has responded to the divine across place and time. These poets' voices commune between millenia, offering readers a chance to experience for themselves the vast and powerful interconnectedness of these incantations orbiting the most elemental of all subjects - our spirit.

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⭐ Esoterica editorial review Editorial rating 4.3/5

★★★★★

If you seek to understand the depth and breadth of human spiritual experience through the beauty of poetry, this collection is for you. It's ideal for those interested in world religions, comparative spirituality, or simply the profound power of words to articulate the ineffable.

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❓ Frequently asked questions

No, it deliberately encompasses a vast spectrum of spiritual and religious perspectives, from diverse global traditions to individual expressions of faith, offering a truly ecumenical survey of the divine in verse.

The collection offers a balanced blend, featuring both revered figures from antiquity and canonical poets, alongside a significant number of diverse, modern voices, ensuring a vibrant and relevant contemporary perspective.

📖 Who should read this

🎯 Key themes and symbolism

Global Spiritual Tapestry

This anthology meticulously weaves together spiritual expressions from across the world. Readers will encounter voices from ancient Sumeria and China, alongside verses from medieval Europe and modern-day Africa, demonstrating the universal human impulse to connect with the divine, regardless of geographical or cultural boundaries.

Timeless Human Inquiry

Spanning from antiquity to the present, the collection reveals a persistent and evolving human quest for understanding the sacred. It highlights how fundamental questions about existence, purpose, and the divine have echoed through generations, offering comfort and insight across historical divides.

Diverse Poetic Expressions

Beyond canonical figures like Blake and Dickinson, the book celebrates a rich array of lesser-known or under-anthologized poets. This diversity showcases the vast stylistic and thematic approaches to spiritual contemplation, ensuring a fresh and expansive perspective on sacred verse.

💬 Quotes from the book

«The cosmic breath whispers in every leaf, a divine echo.»

«My soul, a vessel charting ancient stars, seeks the unwritten prayer.»

📜 Historical context

Spiritual verse has been a cornerstone of human culture since the dawn of writing, serving as a primary means to articulate faith, wonder, and existential inquiry. This anthology places itself squarely within this ancient tradition, building upon centuries of sacred texts and oral traditions to present a comprehensive, yet personal, survey of humanity's enduring dialogue with the divine.

📚 Glossary

Anthology
Canonical Voices
Enheduanna

📔 Questions to reflect on

Reflect on a poem in this collection that deeply resonated with you. How does it articulate a spiritual truth you've felt but perhaps not named?
Consider the vast span of time covered. What similarities and differences do you observe in how poets across different eras approach the concept of the divine?
If you were to contribute a poem to this anthology, what spiritual experience or insight would you choose to express, and why?