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Article: 'The twists and turns of the inner life'.(The Best American Spiritual Writing 2008)(Book review)
- Article from:
- National Catholic Reporter
- Article date:
- December 26, 2008
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2008 National Catholic Reporter. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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THE BEST AMERICAN SPRITUAL WRITING 2008 Edited by Philip Zaleski Published by Houghton Mifflin, $28
In his introduction to this annual anthology, editor Philip Zaleski asks a variation of the oft-posed question: Is it possible to be a spiritual writer without being a religious writer? His answer: Yes, but it's not easy.
"The reason is that spiritual openness--a willingness to stand in front of the great questions of the universe ... leads, as if in conformity to a cosmic law, to awe, and awe to devotion, and devotion to worship."
This is why, he continues, almost all great spiritual writers, from Augustine to Rumi to Merton, "work within ...