Deaths And Transfigurations: Poems

by Paul Mariani, Barry Moser (Illustrator)

This provocative collection of new poems is the latest in a series of Paul Mariani's rich contributions to American literature. These spiritually searching poems develop themes of personal loss - the deaths we experience - as well as the quest for new life often known as transfiguration.

Barry Moser, one of the world's foremost book designers and illustrators, has created a series of original engravings within the text that correspond to the major themes in Mariani's verse.

Genres: Poetry

96 pages, Hardcover

First published July 1, 2005

Reviews

[Stephen Case · Rating 3 out of 5]

My final attempt at modern Christian poetry. I'm still rather lost, but I found quite a bit to enjoy in this short volume. Many of Mariani's poems-- as the title implies-- revolve around death. There are pieces here that make you face the reality of death, as Mariani examines his father's illness and decrepitude and final passing. Mariani himself is aging, and you feel this in his words-- the realization that death comes for everyone: for his parents, for his wife's parents, and somewhere on the horizon for him as well. Yet these are Christian deaths, and Mariani's treatment works because it is not couched in common platitudes about hope and resurrection but simple, steady reflection on the Incarnation. The tone lightens near the volume's conclusion, as Mariani includes odes written upon the weddings of his children. Death is a part of life, and Mariani's poems hint at the deeper transfiguration of death itself as witnessed to in Catholic theology.

[Wayne · Rating 4 out of 5]

'Deaths and Transfigurations' is a beautiful collection of poems complimented by woodcuttings and etchings of Barry Moser. Together, the words and images create a reading experience that is contemplative and spiritual. A devout Catholic and Jesuit, Mariani writes poems that are full of faith, mystery, and profound wonder, without the doctrine and dogma. Best read in quiet and solitude with an open mind, heart, and spirit. Some words are just fun to read because, well 'words'. But some of them, like these, make you better. Be better.