Poets on the Psalms
Reverential, celebratory, antagonistic, and even erotic, this remarkable collection of essays interprets the Psalms as a collection of poetry. Written by 14 acclaimed poets, the essays approach the Psalms from a personal, often autobiographical perspective, demonstrating how relevant they remain for today’s readers. Alicia Ostriker examines the Psalms’ glory and their terror in a moving essay that revels in their moods of joy while acknowledging the brutality they invoke, linking their...
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Reverential, celebratory, antagonistic, and even erotic, this remarkable collection of essays interprets the Psalms as a collection of poetry. Written by 14 acclaimed poets, the essays approach the Psalms from a personal, often autobiographical perspective, demonstrating how relevant they remain for today’s readers. Alicia Ostriker examines the Psalms’ glory and their terror in a moving essay that revels in their moods of joy while acknowledging the brutality they invoke, linking their violence to events such as 9/11, the Palestinian uprisings, and the Rwandan massacres. Weaving autobiographical anecdotes with scholarly introspection, Enid Dame provides a Jewish explanation of Psalm 22, while editor Lynn Domina contemplates the pastoral life as she connects the everyday with phrases from the Psalms. From a former nun to a self-described left-wing Jew, from a Midrashic scholar to a Texas rancher, the contributors mirror the wide swath of humanity interested in, and affected by, the Psalms.Graham Christian - Library JournalPoet and teacher Domina has edited a lovely and varied collection of essays written by poets about the Psalms. Poets are naturally and perhaps inevitably drawn to the Book of Psalms, the Bible's long collection of poems of praise, victory, wonder, and despair, and the encounter is almost always fruitful-witness The Poets' Book of Psalms(1999) and Chapters into Verse(1993). Carl Philips and Alicia Ostriker are perhaps the best-known poets as poets here, but the centerpiece of the book may be three very different responses to the imperishable 23rd Psalm by Catherine Sasanov, David Citino, and Angie Estes. This book should delight open-minded seekers and readers of poetry alike. Highly recommended.
\ Library JournalPoet and teacher Domina has edited a lovely and varied collection of essays written by poets about the Psalms. Poets are naturally and perhaps inevitably drawn to the Book of Psalms, the Bible's long collection of poems of praise, victory, wonder, and despair, and the encounter is almost always fruitful-witness The Poets' Book of Psalms(1999) and Chapters into Verse(1993). Carl Philips and Alicia Ostriker are perhaps the best-known poets as poets here, but the centerpiece of the book may be three very different responses to the imperishable 23rd Psalm by Catherine Sasanov, David Citino, and Angie Estes. This book should delight open-minded seekers and readers of poetry alike. Highly recommended.\ \ —Graham Christian\ \
