Faith and Doubt of John Betjeman - by Kevin J Gardner (Paperback)

About the Book

"An anthology of the best of Sir John Betjeman's religious verse with a brilliant introductory and scholarly essay."

Book Synopsis

Sir John Betjeman was one of the twentieth century's great makers of the Christian imagination. He was maybe the most significant literary figure of our time to declare his Christian faith and his terror of dying. Betjeman used his formidable gifts for poetry to show us how to think about the Anglican faith and about Englishness and Christianity in general. Here is an anthology of about 75 poems on religious themes, with clarifying footnotes and a critical introduction that offers an overview of his life and poetry as well as a commentary on some of his more difficult poems. Here is a new perspective on Betjeman's life and beliefs. This new edition of Betjeman's religious poetry will demonstrate that Betjeman is the great poet of the Church in the twentieth century; it will also introduce delightful, accessible and important poetry to new readers. It will suggest to both British and American readers ways of thinking about spiritual cultural and ecclesiastical matters as well as about the intersection of literature and art.

Review Quotes

'anyone who wants to have his or her eyes opened to the presence of God in ordinary life or the significance of the transient and the mundane in the light of eternity would do well to read this anthology...these poems are often movingly honest about his perplexities or his inadequacies, but in the end a hope, often against hope, remains...This selection is thoroughly to be recommended'--Sanford Lakoff "Search "

Mention in London Review of Books, 21 September 2006

About the Author

Kevin Gardner is Professor of English Literature at Baylor University in Waco, Texas. He is currently writing a scholarly monograph on Betjeman's Christian imagination.