A Masterwork of Doubting-Belief: R. S. Thomas and His Poetry

Description: R. S. Thomas (1913-2000) was a major poet of the twentieth century. He was respected by luminaries of the literary establishment recognized with numerous awards and nominated for the Nobel Prize in 1996. Thomas was also a priest of the Anglican Communion who wrestled ceaselessly with problems of faith and doubt in his poetry. John G. McEllhenney makes R. S. Thomas poems ministry and irascible character come brilliantly alive in his new book A Masterwork of Doubting-Belief: R. S. Thomas and His Poetry. McEllhenney who developed a personal relationship with Thomas during the last decade of the poets life draws on his conversations and correspondence with Thomas as well as his experiences as a clergyman and lover of poetry and offers readers a unique experience that is part biography part appreciation and part religious meditation. A Masterwork of Doubting-Belief is an important new contribution to our understanding of R. S. Thomas and an inspiring source of insights for all who struggle with their faith! Endorsements: John McEllheney has a sense of the environment in which Thomas lived and wrote and he knew Thomas personally having visited . . . and exchanged correspondence with him. His title succinctly summarizes what he has added to our understanding of Thomas the poet and the man. --William McGill author of Poets Meeting: George Herbert R. S. Thomas and the Argument with God This is an engaging and informative book. Readers already familiar with Thomas poems will be enlightened by McEllhenneys insightful interweaving of them into the narrative of his personal relationship with Thomas. Readers . . . who are doubting-believers of any religious tradition will find in McEllhenneys Thomas a companion and model for walking the tightrope of doubt-filled faith. --Peggy Rosenthal author of The Poets Jesus A fascinating glimpse into the mind of the famously reclusive poet. The authors gift for friendship clearly warmed the flinty heart of the Welshman and coaxed him out of hiding. --Richard Holloway author of Leaving Alexandria Over four decades McEllhenney assembled an extraordinary archive of R. S. Thomass life and work. Using his skills as a historian he tracked down the newspapers and magazines where Thomass poems and writing first appeared then added meticulous notes and photographs from their extensive correspondence and his visits with Thomas. McEllhenney . . . reveals Thomas as a resolute citizen of the hyphen--living in the tensions of Welshness-Englishness artist-scientist high church-low church pastor-poet poet-theologian and most importantly doubter-believer. --Andrew D. Scrimgeour Dean of Libraries Drew University About the Contributor(s): John G. McEllhenney a retired pastor and adjunct instructor at Drew and Eastern Baptist theological schools is author of Cutting the Monkey Rope and coauthor of several books on Methodist history including 200 Years of United Methodism: An Illustrated History and United Methodism at Forty.