Versing the Mystery: Poems
- by Christopher Villiers
- Product Code: vtm
- Availability: In Stock
- Publication date: 2024
- Size: 5.5 x 8.5
- Pages: 202
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$19.95
This collection of poems verses the mystery of God and Creation. Exploring the stories and characters of Scripture, Classical history and myth, the reader confronts the glory of God and is plunged into the depths of the human condition. This work deals with the sacred and the profane, the sublime and the ridiculous. Twenty-first century readers are confronted by their own needs and greeds reflected in the foundations of western civilisation. There are also more directly personal poems, of love, hate, success and failure, rooted in the life of a rhyming sinner inhabiting an English village near the sea. And if none of that appeals to you, then at least there are also owls campaigning for political office.
REVIEW
Review by Samuel Schaefer (Voegelin Review)
Reaching towards Heaven (Shawn Phillip Cooper for The European Conservative, 9/14/2024)
The poems of Villiers continue the ancient practice of midrash, the breaking open of Scripture texts, by entering into the voices of its characters and illuminating new facets of the stories. As such they offer worthy meditations to accompany our sacred reading, inviting us to consider our own lived responses. —Christine Valters Paintner, Ph.D., Online Abbess at Abbey of the Arts, Patheos contributor, author of monastic spirituality and creativity books.
In this wonderful collection of poems, Christopher Villiers sings “the universe…into rhyme” and weaves nature with religious allusion in suggested tales of love’s loss and gain. Here are deft and lucid vignettes, sturdy poems of yearning, new-found resolve, and—on occasion—humour too. —Gerard Loughlin, Ph.D., Professor of Theology and Religion, Durham University, Associate Editor of Literature and Theology
Christopher Villiers had been a beloved member of GloMag Monthly Magazine since its inception and has made his presence felt there in his quiet and unobtrusive way, especially by providing interesting insights into the lives and thoughts of various personas, both real and mythical. It is difficult to remain unaffected by the passionate poems in this volume. This is a wonderful body of work and a prized possession for any collector of excellent contemporary poetry. —Glory Sasikala, Editor and Publisher, GloMag Monthly Magazine