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This Sunrise of Wonder: Letters for the Journey
In a series of twenty-four letters Michael Mayne makes an offering to his grandchildren of all that has inspired him in literature, music and art. It is, in Ronald Blythe's words 'an inventory of his joy'.
Written in a candid autobiographical fashion, the book is a passionate plea to the reader to pass through their one earthly life with a trained and watching eye.
It is a confession of how he came to unify his outer and inner worlds, the ordinariness and yet the extraordinariness of everything...
'This keenly argued book confronts today's fashionable cynicism and despair, and thus has a message for the current moment when the experience of ageing, or the environment, or of those complex skills and emotions which go into the creation of poetry or stories or music, are all distorted or ignored in favour of what is called "reality", but where the highest thought and achievement are concerned, is not at all real.' Ronald Blythe, from the Foreword
Written in a candid autobiographical fashion, the book is a passionate plea to the reader to pass through their one earthly life with a trained and watching eye.
It is a confession of how he came to unify his outer and inner worlds, the ordinariness and yet the extraordinariness of everything...
'This keenly argued book confronts today's fashionable cynicism and despair, and thus has a message for the current moment when the experience of ageing, or the environment, or of those complex skills and emotions which go into the creation of poetry or stories or music, are all distorted or ignored in favour of what is called "reality", but where the highest thought and achievement are concerned, is not at all real.' Ronald Blythe, from the Foreword
- GenresChristianNonfiction
340 pages, Paperback
First published January 23, 1995
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70 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
February 22, 2019
I plucked this Wigtown purchase pretty much at random from my shelves and it ended up being just what I needed to lift me out of January’s funk. Mayne’s thesis is that experiencing wonder, “rare, life-changing moments of seeing or hearing things with heightened perception,” is what makes us human. Call it an epiphany (as Joyce did), call it a moment of vision (as Woolf did), call it a feeling of communion with the universe; whatever you call it, you know what he is talking about. It’s that fleeting sense that you are right where you should be, that you have tapped into some universal secret of how to be in the world.
Mayne believes poets, musicians and painters, in particular, help reawaken us to wonder by encouraging us to pay close attention. His frame of reference is wide, with lots of quotations (including from some of my favorite writers, like Frederick Buechner and Annie Dillard) and poetry extracts, but he has a special love for Turner, Monet and Van Gogh and for Rilke, Blake and Hopkins. Mayne was an Anglican priest and Dean of Westminster, so he comes at things from a Christian perspective, but most of his advice is generically spiritual and not limited to a particular religion. There are about 50 pages towards the end that are specifically about Jesus; one could skip those if desired.
The book is set up as a series of letters written to his grandchildren from a Swiss chalet in the Alps over a few weeks in one May to June. Especially with the frequent quotations and epigraphs, the effect is of a rich compendium of wisdom from the ages. I don’t often feel awake to life’s wonder – I get lost in its tedium and unfairness instead – but this book gave me something to aspire to.
A few of the many wonderful quotes:
“The mystery is that the created world exists. It is: I am. The mystery is life itself, together with the fact that however much we seek to explore and to penetrate them, the impenetrable shadows remain.”
“Once wonder goes; once mystery is dismissed; once the holy and the numinous count for nothing; then human life becomes cheap and it is possible with a single bullet to shatter that most miraculous thing, a human skull, with scarcely a second thought. Wonder and compassion go hand-in-hand.”
“this recognition of my true worth is something entirely different from selfishness, that turned-in-upon-myselfness of the egocentric. … It is a kind of blasphemy to view ourselves with so little compassion when God views us with so much.”
Mayne believes poets, musicians and painters, in particular, help reawaken us to wonder by encouraging us to pay close attention. His frame of reference is wide, with lots of quotations (including from some of my favorite writers, like Frederick Buechner and Annie Dillard) and poetry extracts, but he has a special love for Turner, Monet and Van Gogh and for Rilke, Blake and Hopkins. Mayne was an Anglican priest and Dean of Westminster, so he comes at things from a Christian perspective, but most of his advice is generically spiritual and not limited to a particular religion. There are about 50 pages towards the end that are specifically about Jesus; one could skip those if desired.
The book is set up as a series of letters written to his grandchildren from a Swiss chalet in the Alps over a few weeks in one May to June. Especially with the frequent quotations and epigraphs, the effect is of a rich compendium of wisdom from the ages. I don’t often feel awake to life’s wonder – I get lost in its tedium and unfairness instead – but this book gave me something to aspire to.
A few of the many wonderful quotes:
“The mystery is that the created world exists. It is: I am. The mystery is life itself, together with the fact that however much we seek to explore and to penetrate them, the impenetrable shadows remain.”
“Once wonder goes; once mystery is dismissed; once the holy and the numinous count for nothing; then human life becomes cheap and it is possible with a single bullet to shatter that most miraculous thing, a human skull, with scarcely a second thought. Wonder and compassion go hand-in-hand.”
“this recognition of my true worth is something entirely different from selfishness, that turned-in-upon-myselfness of the egocentric. … It is a kind of blasphemy to view ourselves with so little compassion when God views us with so much.”
August 28, 2019
I don’t know when I first read this book, but I first mention it in a diary from August, 1996. I've read it at least three times over the years, and will probably read it again. It’s wonderfully encouraging and full of joy.
February 4, 2019
Oh, this book! It is now in my top 5. It might not be for everyone, but as my family moves to a life settled in good literature, classical music, beautiful poetry, great works of art, and appreciation for nature, I found so much enlightenment in these pages. We homeschool and this sense of wonder Mayne writes on is the education I am trying to offer my children each and every day. I know I will continue to read this book many times, as there is still so much wisdom I missed in its pages.
From the forward... “For Michael Maybe it is not enough that his grandchildren will be able to say that he was fond of reading, enjoyed the theater, visited art galleries, went to concerts, was sensitive to the natural world, etc., and that these pleasures enhanced his faith and became part of his ministry. He needs to tell them what books, what songs, which moment when the butterfly settled on the flower or the evening blackbird was heard. He also needs to put it together for himself, as well as for future generations, an inventory of his joy, a list of what exhaulted his spirit, or what opened his eyes, or what made in him contentment (or unrest), and what made him what he was.”
From the forward... “For Michael Maybe it is not enough that his grandchildren will be able to say that he was fond of reading, enjoyed the theater, visited art galleries, went to concerts, was sensitive to the natural world, etc., and that these pleasures enhanced his faith and became part of his ministry. He needs to tell them what books, what songs, which moment when the butterfly settled on the flower or the evening blackbird was heard. He also needs to put it together for himself, as well as for future generations, an inventory of his joy, a list of what exhaulted his spirit, or what opened his eyes, or what made in him contentment (or unrest), and what made him what he was.”
July 10, 2023
Rich and textured with many references to 19th and 20th century artists and writers, in the sort of way suggesting an awareness that the cultural vibrancy of Europe is in danger of being forgotten. Mayne's perspectives are clearly high Anglican, with a romantic love for the book of nature even as he denies being a full on romanticist, an ecumenical sensibility, and a culminating sacramental explanation of the Eucharist. Reminds me a bit of Nouwen from time to time. Artist and poet are elevated to seer and prophet, in a way that sometimes strains my ability to along for the ride Mayne has plotted out. I would rather puzzle over Isaiah than Auden, over Ezekiel than Cézanne.
September 28, 2021
A series of letters to grandchildren discussing what books and art give the author sense of wonder — how can you not like the idea. My reading this time just doesn’t resonate. A few letters are of the sort promised. For the most part though, it always felt like proselytizing. The frequent quote of Gospel didn’t help either: Having just finished the wonderful “How Jesus became God”, I now know those quotes attributed to Jesus (e.g., “before Moses was, I am”) are almost certainly made up to advance the gospel author’s own theological view.
Maybe another time.
Maybe another time.
September 26, 2018
I took months to read this , mostly taking a page or two each morning. It’s not an easy read at all with too much quoting in the early chapters so that it’s hard to settle with the style. But as a whole I’m left with a sense of fineness and authenticity. My favourite chapters were 22 and 23 so well worth persevering.
May 30, 2025
Delightful, intelligent, enlightening...I highly recommend this book if you are drawn to the beauty and complexity of creation and how our perspective on these shapes our thoughts and, consequently, our theology. Take time to savor each letter lovingly and thoughtfully written by Mayne with the next generation in mind.
August 28, 2021
Not as well structured as it could be, but a beautiful reminder to look and see.
January 5, 2016
This is difficult to rate and review since I did not finish it, left it behind when I moved back to the US, and never intend to obtain another copy. It's also difficult to review because it's written by a Christian, from a Christian world view, and I don't really agree with much of that anymore.
That being said, I did find the writing itself beautiful. The sentence formation. The poetry of the language. In that way, I would rate this a good book.
Just figured it was time to take it off my 'to read' list ...
That being said, I did find the writing itself beautiful. The sentence formation. The poetry of the language. In that way, I would rate this a good book.
Just figured it was time to take it off my 'to read' list ...
February 9, 2014
I really wanted to really like this book because two good friends recommended it to me. I tried but I couldn't. It was too English, too Anglican and too dated for me. Although I did love the chapter on the role of the artist.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews