The Lily of the Field and the Bird of the Air - by Søren Kierkegaard (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

A masterful new translation of one of Kierkegaard's most engaging works

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus tells his followers to let go of earthly concerns by considering the lilies of the field and the birds of the air. Søren Kierkegaard's short masterpiece on this famous gospel passage draws out its vital lessons for readers in a rapidly modernizing and secularizing world. Trenchant, brilliant, and written in stunningly lucid prose, The Lily of the Field and the Bird of the Air (1849) is one of Kierkegaard's most important books. Presented here in a fresh new translation with an informative introduction, this profound yet accessible work serves as an ideal entrée to an essential modern thinker.

The Lily of the Field and the Bird of the Air reveals a less familiar but deeply appealing side of the father of existentialism--unshorn of his complexity and subtlety, yet supremely approachable. As Kierkegaard later wrote of the book, "Without fighting with anybody and without speaking about myself, I said much of what needs to be said, but movingly, mildly, upliftingly."

This masterful edition introduces one of Kierkegaard's most engaging and inspiring works to a new generation of readers.

From the Back Cover

"This is one of Kierkegaard's most profound, affecting, and accessible works, and Bruce Kirmmse's magisterial translation perfectly captures both the letter and spirit of this amazing text."--Gordon Marino, editor ofThe Quotable Kierkegaard

"Bruce Kirmmse provides an excellent new translation of a book that offers a less familiar view of Kierkegaard--and an alternative introduction to his writings."--Alastair Hannay, author ofKierkegaard: A Biography

"Kirmmse's new translation of Kierkegaard's homiletical reflections of Matthew 6:24-34 captures the sermons' beauty and gravitas."--Christian Century

Review Quotes

"A gorgeous stand-alone edition. . . . For a reader familiar with Kierkegaard's philosophical work, what's most striking about Three Godly Discourses is its gentle, graceful simplicity."---Will Rees, Times Literary Supplement

"Kirmmse offers a new translation of this religious work and a concise introduction. In the original preface, Kierkegaard expresses the hope that the lily and the bird would serve as a means for humans to learn silence, obedience, and joy. Those three concepts loom large in some of Kierkegaard's writings, and they receive lucid treatment here."-- "Choice"

"Kirmmse's new translation of Kierkegaard's homiletical reflections on Mat-thew 6:24-34 captures the sermons' beauty and gravitas."-- "The Christian Century"

About the Author

Bruce H. Kirmmse is one of the world's leading Kierkegaard translators and scholars. He is the author of Kierkegaard in Golden Age Denmark, the editor of Encounters with Kierkegaard (Princeton), and the general editor of Princeton's eleven-volume edition of Kierkegaard's Journals and Notebooks (Princeton).