Across the Silence

by James David Audlin

Poetry is not only the most sublimely difficult but the most deeply personal of all word-arts. Close to a spiritual autbiography, this collection mostly strives to express what lies beyond the reach of beauty, horror, love, the sacred.. Readers have suggested similarities to Neruda, Paz, Rumi, Blake, Rilke, and Rimbaud. Poetry improves with age and repeated appreciation, like a wine or a the more one reads a good poem the more insight it provides; indeed, it draws us back repeatedly to read it, to read it aloud, to linger yet again before its beauty and marvel at its wisdom. And, finally, as someone said, ÒPoetry is the art of breaking words across the silence without disturbing it.Ó Good poetry Ð unlike prose, which revels in its own loquacity Ð economizes to the point that what little is said does not describe, as does prose, but points to, just as a finger points at the moon; for silence is as asymptotically close as we humans can get to the perfect truth. --from the Preface

287 pages, Hardcover

Published May 18, 2012

About the author

James David Audlin is an American author living in Panama, after previously living in France.

A retired pastor, college professor, and newspaper opinion page editor, he is best known as the author of THE CIRCLE OF LIFE and translator of THE GOSPEL OF JOHN.

He has written about a dozen novels, several full-length plays, several books of stories, a book of essays, a book of poetry, and a book about his adventures in Panama.

Fluent in several languages, he has translated his novel RATS LIVE ON NO EVIL STAR into French (PALINDROME) and Spanish (PALÍNDROMO).

He also is a professional musician who composes, sings, and plays several instruments, though not usually at the same time.

He is married to a Panamanian lady who doesn't read English and so is blissfully ignorant about his weirdly strange books. However his adult daughter and son, who live in Vermont, USA, are aware, and are wary, when a new book comes out.

FOR A FUN, IRREVERENT INTERVIEW with Audlin conducted by fellow author Holly Jahangiri -- http://jahangiri.us/2013/author-inter...

FOR THE SCHOLARS -- https://independent.academia.edu/Jame...