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The Best Spiritual Writing
The Best Spiritual Writing 2010
The renowned nonfiction annual makes its Penguin debut
For more than a decade, Philip Zaleski has collected into a single volume the best spiritual essays and poetry of the year. The Best Spiritual Writing 2010 , featuring essays by John Updike and Diane Ackerman, poems from Nobel Prize winner Seamus Heaney and Pulitzer Prize-winner Louise Glück, and personal reflections by Richard Rodriguez and Leon Wieseltier, is sure to expand on the series' already wide recognition and reach the growing audience of readers searching for unsurpassed spiritual writing.
Contributors
Mary Jo Bang, Jane Hirshfield, Melissa Range, Rick Bass, Paula Huston, Pattiann Rogers, David Berlinski, Pico Iyer, Amanda Shaw, Joseph Bottum, Charles Johnson, Master Sheng Yen, Nicholas Carr, Jon D. Levenson, Floyd Skloot, Judith Ortiz Cofer, Philip Levine, Meir Soloveichik, Billy Collins, Wilfred M. McClay, Richard Wilbur, Chrisi Cox, Richard John Neuhaus, Seamus Heaney, Robert Pinsky
For more than a decade, Philip Zaleski has collected into a single volume the best spiritual essays and poetry of the year. The Best Spiritual Writing 2010 , featuring essays by John Updike and Diane Ackerman, poems from Nobel Prize winner Seamus Heaney and Pulitzer Prize-winner Louise Glück, and personal reflections by Richard Rodriguez and Leon Wieseltier, is sure to expand on the series' already wide recognition and reach the growing audience of readers searching for unsurpassed spiritual writing.
Contributors
Mary Jo Bang, Jane Hirshfield, Melissa Range, Rick Bass, Paula Huston, Pattiann Rogers, David Berlinski, Pico Iyer, Amanda Shaw, Joseph Bottum, Charles Johnson, Master Sheng Yen, Nicholas Carr, Jon D. Levenson, Floyd Skloot, Judith Ortiz Cofer, Philip Levine, Meir Soloveichik, Billy Collins, Wilfred M. McClay, Richard Wilbur, Chrisi Cox, Richard John Neuhaus, Seamus Heaney, Robert Pinsky
272 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2010
8 people are currently reading
117 people want to read
About the author
Pico Iyer
126 books1,096 followersPico Iyer is a British-born essayist and novelist of Indian descent. As an acclaimed travel writer, he began his career documenting a neglected aspect of travel -- the sometimes surreal disconnect between local tradition and imported global pop culture. Since then, he has written ten books, exploring also the cultural consequences of isolation, whether writing about the exiled spiritual leaders of Tibet or the embargoed society of Cuba.
Iyer’s latest focus is on yet another overlooked aspect of travel: how can it help us regain our sense of stillness and focus in a world where our devices and digital networks increasing distract us? As he says: "Almost everybody I know has this sense of overdosing on information and getting dizzy living at post-human speeds. Nearly everybody I know does something to try to remove herself to clear her head and to have enough time and space to think. ... All of us instinctively feel that something inside us is crying out for more spaciousness and stillness to offset the exhilarations of this movement and the fun and diversion of the modern world."
Iyer’s latest focus is on yet another overlooked aspect of travel: how can it help us regain our sense of stillness and focus in a world where our devices and digital networks increasing distract us? As he says: "Almost everybody I know has this sense of overdosing on information and getting dizzy living at post-human speeds. Nearly everybody I know does something to try to remove herself to clear her head and to have enough time and space to think. ... All of us instinctively feel that something inside us is crying out for more spaciousness and stillness to offset the exhilarations of this movement and the fun and diversion of the modern world."
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June 24, 2013This annual anthology, as usual, defines “spiritual” loosely. Pico Iyer (author of LIFE OF PI) has a crack at defining spirituality in his introduction, “Spirituality, I mean to say, arises out of the disjunction between us and the transcendent as much as out of the occasional union; it lies, as in any love affair, in an attempt to draw closer to a reality [possibility] that we sense inside ourselves . . “ He goes on to add that sometimes we draw close to this possibility, sometimes we don’t, and to an outsider it can look like an ongoing argument.
The collection is made up of thirty selections, featuring essays, poetry, even a fictional piece or two. One of my favorites included a long and dense, but interesting, scientific piece by David Berlinski titled “The God of the Gaps” which argues that human beings have been endowed by powers not found anywhere else in the animal kingdom, or so far as we can tell, in the universe. You may not agree with his argument that Darwinian evolutionary theory accounts for all life development, but it’s instructive to read where he is going with this line of thought. He takes on the “new” atheists by pointing out there are indeed “gaps” in their theories which they too easily glide over. Not that he argues in favor of religious explanation; rather that we are always brought face to face with uncertainty and doubt. There are no answers.
Another intriguing commentary is one from the ATLANTIC, titled, “Is Google Making us Stupid?
Briefly yes. It provides instant information, infinitely more than we can ever access, but it is at the cost of losing our powers of concentration and attention. We glance, we skim, but we’re losing the ability to do “deep reading”, intense and over a period of prolonged time. The article claims that the functioning of our brains is beginning to change.
Then there’s the late John Updike, writing in his 70’s, who reflects ruefully that what older writers write best about – old age – is a subject that few want to read about. . Going beyond old age is a piece on what it means to bury our loved ones. It’s not a throwback to archaic rituals, but a way of humanizing ourselves, the living. “What we make of the dead creates the foundation for what we make of ourselves.” If we forget or ignore the dead, we are destroying a part of who we are. We need memorial markers, not for the dead but for ourselves.
A complementary review of Peter Matthiessen’s THE SNOW LEOPARD, talks about Zen and its emphasis on making the ego small and even laughable in the context of the natural facts around it. What does better than death in scaling down our always-ballooning egos?
One essay that might be considered “traditionally” spiritual discusses the general ignorance of western Christians regarding the common traditions of middle-eastern religion, including Judaism and Islam. All three religions claim their inheritance from Abraham, and to a large extent the desert provided solace for their founders. Moses ran afoul of the Court of Egypt, Jesus of Jerusalem, and Mohammad of Mecca. The desert hid them and tested them before they emerged as “vessels of revelation.”
Finally, having had a beard for most of my life, I was fascinated by a COMMENTARY article, “Why Beards?” Beards, or the lack of them, have a long and varied history. Youths lack beards, which is why the ancient Egyptians, worshipping youth, both in this world and in eternity, always mummified their leaders as clean-shaven. No aged decrepitude suggested by beards was to be found there.
On the other hand, there was an ancient Jewish horror of barefacedness. It was connected with a religious commandment, “Do not cut the edges of your beard.” Why not? To a large extent, it was a reaction against the Egyptians and their denial of bodily change and death. Beards repudiate the idea of eternal youthfulness and emphasize the fact of our eventual mortality.
But yet another interpretation emerges. Traditionally, the Catholic priesthood has been clean-shaven, not as a gesture toward youthfulness, but of celibacy. Beards were associated with carnality, so that in cutting the hair of the beard, priests were symbolically cutting away sins and vices, purifying themselves. Then, too, the origins of this custom were to differentiate Christians from both bearded Jews and bearded Muslims.
Today in American society, most men go clean-shaven. Only one member of Congress sports a beard. Given the emphasis on our youth culture, for both men and women, our general lack of beards indicates that we are close in spirit to the ancient Egyptians.
Much more, but that’s my random sampling of an anthology well worth checking out every year.
The collection is made up of thirty selections, featuring essays, poetry, even a fictional piece or two. One of my favorites included a long and dense, but interesting, scientific piece by David Berlinski titled “The God of the Gaps” which argues that human beings have been endowed by powers not found anywhere else in the animal kingdom, or so far as we can tell, in the universe. You may not agree with his argument that Darwinian evolutionary theory accounts for all life development, but it’s instructive to read where he is going with this line of thought. He takes on the “new” atheists by pointing out there are indeed “gaps” in their theories which they too easily glide over. Not that he argues in favor of religious explanation; rather that we are always brought face to face with uncertainty and doubt. There are no answers.
Another intriguing commentary is one from the ATLANTIC, titled, “Is Google Making us Stupid?
Briefly yes. It provides instant information, infinitely more than we can ever access, but it is at the cost of losing our powers of concentration and attention. We glance, we skim, but we’re losing the ability to do “deep reading”, intense and over a period of prolonged time. The article claims that the functioning of our brains is beginning to change.
Then there’s the late John Updike, writing in his 70’s, who reflects ruefully that what older writers write best about – old age – is a subject that few want to read about. . Going beyond old age is a piece on what it means to bury our loved ones. It’s not a throwback to archaic rituals, but a way of humanizing ourselves, the living. “What we make of the dead creates the foundation for what we make of ourselves.” If we forget or ignore the dead, we are destroying a part of who we are. We need memorial markers, not for the dead but for ourselves.
A complementary review of Peter Matthiessen’s THE SNOW LEOPARD, talks about Zen and its emphasis on making the ego small and even laughable in the context of the natural facts around it. What does better than death in scaling down our always-ballooning egos?
One essay that might be considered “traditionally” spiritual discusses the general ignorance of western Christians regarding the common traditions of middle-eastern religion, including Judaism and Islam. All three religions claim their inheritance from Abraham, and to a large extent the desert provided solace for their founders. Moses ran afoul of the Court of Egypt, Jesus of Jerusalem, and Mohammad of Mecca. The desert hid them and tested them before they emerged as “vessels of revelation.”
Finally, having had a beard for most of my life, I was fascinated by a COMMENTARY article, “Why Beards?” Beards, or the lack of them, have a long and varied history. Youths lack beards, which is why the ancient Egyptians, worshipping youth, both in this world and in eternity, always mummified their leaders as clean-shaven. No aged decrepitude suggested by beards was to be found there.
On the other hand, there was an ancient Jewish horror of barefacedness. It was connected with a religious commandment, “Do not cut the edges of your beard.” Why not? To a large extent, it was a reaction against the Egyptians and their denial of bodily change and death. Beards repudiate the idea of eternal youthfulness and emphasize the fact of our eventual mortality.
But yet another interpretation emerges. Traditionally, the Catholic priesthood has been clean-shaven, not as a gesture toward youthfulness, but of celibacy. Beards were associated with carnality, so that in cutting the hair of the beard, priests were symbolically cutting away sins and vices, purifying themselves. Then, too, the origins of this custom were to differentiate Christians from both bearded Jews and bearded Muslims.
Today in American society, most men go clean-shaven. Only one member of Congress sports a beard. Given the emphasis on our youth culture, for both men and women, our general lack of beards indicates that we are close in spirit to the ancient Egyptians.
Much more, but that’s my random sampling of an anthology well worth checking out every year.
December 30, 2013
With it being nearly 2014, I know Christendom is waiting for my review of this esteemed series, so here goes:
This just isn't my cup of tea. I took several runs at this book, but at 84 pages in, I'm just not enjoying it enough to push on through. I'm really sorry, Philip. I'm no big theologian, but after reading 1/3 of the essays here, I just didn't click with much written here.
I did enjoy the one essay, I just didn't finish this book. With it being nearly 2014, I know Christendom is waiting for my review of this esteemed series, so here goes:
This just isn't my cup of tea. I took several runs at this book, but at 84 pages in, I'm just not enjoying it enough to push on through. I'm really sorry, Philip. I'm no big theologian, but after reading 1/3 of the essays here, I just didn't click with much written here.
I did enjoy the one essay, The Dali Lama Spends the Night. It is an interesting and curious account of the Dali Lama visiting a ranch house in upstate New York by Christi Cox that was just odd enough to be believable. I also enjoyed David Berlinski's contribution of The God of the Gaps, from which came the only thing I underlined:
"The apes are, after all, behind the bars of their cages, and we are not. Eager for the experiments to begin, they are also impatient for their food to be served, and they seem impatient for little else. After undergoing years of punishing trials at the hands of determined clinicians, a few have been taught the rudiments of various primitive symbol systems. Having been given the gift of language, they have nothing to say. When two simian prodigies meet, they fling their placards at each other." (pg. 20)
As always, I'LL END WITH A PRAYER. Lord, you have made each of these in this book excellently. To some You have given gifts of vision, and to some You have hidden things unknown. I don't question Your great plan, Lord, but I ask for true knowledge and all discernment for us all--for these contributors, the readers, the printers, the artists--to know Your will so that we may approve the things that are excellent. Let us all be washed and clean in Your sight so that we may stand clean and blameless in Your sight. Love us, Lord. The Dali Lama Spends the Night. It is an interesting and curious account of the Dali Lama visiting a ranch house in upstate New York by Christi Cox that was just odd enough to be believable. I also enjoyed David Berlinski's contribution of The God of the Gaps, from which came the only thing I underlined:
"The apes are, after all, behind the bars of their cages, and we are not. Eager for the experiments to begin, they are also impatient for their food to be served, and they seem impatient for little else. After undergoing years of punishing trials at the hands of determined clinicians, a few have been taught the rudiments of various primitive symbol systems. Having been given the gift of language, they have nothing to say. When two simian prodigies meet, they fling their placards at each other." (pg. 20)
As always, I'LL END WITH A PRAYER. Lord, you have made each of these in this book excellently. To some You have given gifts of vision, and to some You have hidden things unknown. I don't question Your great plan, Lord, but I ask for true knowledge and all discernment for us all--for these contributors, the readers, the printers, the artists--to know Your will so that we may approve the things that are excellent. Let us all be washed and clean in Your sight so that we may stand clean and blameless in Your sight. Love us, Lord.
This just isn't my cup of tea. I took several runs at this book, but at 84 pages in, I'm just not enjoying it enough to push on through. I'm really sorry, Philip. I'm no big theologian, but after reading 1/3 of the essays here, I just didn't click with much written here.
I did enjoy the one essay, I just didn't finish this book. With it being nearly 2014, I know Christendom is waiting for my review of this esteemed series, so here goes:
This just isn't my cup of tea. I took several runs at this book, but at 84 pages in, I'm just not enjoying it enough to push on through. I'm really sorry, Philip. I'm no big theologian, but after reading 1/3 of the essays here, I just didn't click with much written here.
I did enjoy the one essay, The Dali Lama Spends the Night. It is an interesting and curious account of the Dali Lama visiting a ranch house in upstate New York by Christi Cox that was just odd enough to be believable. I also enjoyed David Berlinski's contribution of The God of the Gaps, from which came the only thing I underlined:
"The apes are, after all, behind the bars of their cages, and we are not. Eager for the experiments to begin, they are also impatient for their food to be served, and they seem impatient for little else. After undergoing years of punishing trials at the hands of determined clinicians, a few have been taught the rudiments of various primitive symbol systems. Having been given the gift of language, they have nothing to say. When two simian prodigies meet, they fling their placards at each other." (pg. 20)
As always, I'LL END WITH A PRAYER. Lord, you have made each of these in this book excellently. To some You have given gifts of vision, and to some You have hidden things unknown. I don't question Your great plan, Lord, but I ask for true knowledge and all discernment for us all--for these contributors, the readers, the printers, the artists--to know Your will so that we may approve the things that are excellent. Let us all be washed and clean in Your sight so that we may stand clean and blameless in Your sight. Love us, Lord. The Dali Lama Spends the Night. It is an interesting and curious account of the Dali Lama visiting a ranch house in upstate New York by Christi Cox that was just odd enough to be believable. I also enjoyed David Berlinski's contribution of The God of the Gaps, from which came the only thing I underlined:
"The apes are, after all, behind the bars of their cages, and we are not. Eager for the experiments to begin, they are also impatient for their food to be served, and they seem impatient for little else. After undergoing years of punishing trials at the hands of determined clinicians, a few have been taught the rudiments of various primitive symbol systems. Having been given the gift of language, they have nothing to say. When two simian prodigies meet, they fling their placards at each other." (pg. 20)
As always, I'LL END WITH A PRAYER. Lord, you have made each of these in this book excellently. To some You have given gifts of vision, and to some You have hidden things unknown. I don't question Your great plan, Lord, but I ask for true knowledge and all discernment for us all--for these contributors, the readers, the printers, the artists--to know Your will so that we may approve the things that are excellent. Let us all be washed and clean in Your sight so that we may stand clean and blameless in Your sight. Love us, Lord.
January 19, 2014
These collections seem difficult to find in libraries, perhaps because they are pitched at such a varied audience. Is there really such a thing as one-size-fits-all spirituality?
Still, much of what is found here is interesting, and that was particularly true of this volume. I particularly liked the late John Updike's "The Writer in Winter." The editor assures us that he was "on the side of the angels." I figure I may as well take Zaleski's word on this point, but I was more convinced when Updike remarked, among other things, that one of his early stories that dealt with Parkinson's disease was rejected for that reason.
I also liked Rick Bass's "Fire Season" and Diane Ackerman's "The Thisness of What Is."
Richard John Neuhaus's "secularizations" explored the topic more thoroughly than most treatments.
Maybe I was more intrigued with the essays I'm not sure I agree with.
Amanda Shaw explores the apparent incompatibility of "Contemptus Mundi and the Love of Life" without adequately considering, in my view, that maybe they're not very compatible. Well, at least she's asking worthwhile questions.
David Berlinski's "God of the Gaps," seems to take intellectual humility to extremes.
Still, much of what is found here is interesting, and that was particularly true of this volume. I particularly liked the late John Updike's "The Writer in Winter." The editor assures us that he was "on the side of the angels." I figure I may as well take Zaleski's word on this point, but I was more convinced when Updike remarked, among other things, that one of his early stories that dealt with Parkinson's disease was rejected for that reason.
I also liked Rick Bass's "Fire Season" and Diane Ackerman's "The Thisness of What Is."
Richard John Neuhaus's "secularizations" explored the topic more thoroughly than most treatments.
Maybe I was more intrigued with the essays I'm not sure I agree with.
Amanda Shaw explores the apparent incompatibility of "Contemptus Mundi and the Love of Life" without adequately considering, in my view, that maybe they're not very compatible. Well, at least she's asking worthwhile questions.
David Berlinski's "God of the Gaps," seems to take intellectual humility to extremes.
April 13, 2010
As always with these collections, not everything in it is gold, but some things in it are. For example, Nicholas Carr's "Is Google Making Us Stupid?" Jon D. Levenson's "Chosenness and Its Enemies," and Richard John Neuhaus's "Secularizations," among others are not to be missed. I, for one, am happy to read through the not so great as long as I can find these gems among the rocks. For that reason, these collections are not to be missed.
January 26, 2011
This is one of those books you pick and shoose what you want to read for there is such of wide breath of topics concerning the religions throughout the world. Very relaxing, very informative. this book made me think and reflect.
March 3, 2012
Honestly, I don't do enough spiritual reading to say if this is, in fact, the best spiritual writing of 2010, or of any other year, for that matter, but it is at least interesting and thought provoking. And worth reading.
February 26, 2015
A nice assortment of fiction, essays, and poetry from a wide variety of spiritual perspectives. Included are selections from the Christian, Buddhist, Jewish, and "spiritual but not religious" viewpoints, and almost every selection was worth reading. Definitely food for thought.
August 22, 2011
Reading for class, but there's some really great stuff in here.
October 5, 2012
Slow read because you have to give it the time it demands. The depth is inherit in Spiritual Writing but regardless I was pleasantly surprised by the book's impact.
August 27, 2025
Love this series. So many subjects in one fascinating book.
July 30, 2016
I struggle with collections, collected stories, they're always very uneven for me, but I was OK with this one. It was really well done.
June 13, 2015
Very strong anthology this year. Well worth reading.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews