Christian Bobin is one of the most prolific and best-selling inspirational writers in France. His 'lyric essays', neither prose nor poetry, utilise a limited vocabulary manipulated with the precision of a watchmaker. Bobin often obtains his effects through startling juxtapositions of the ordinary, aimed straight at the heart and not without the intention of drawing blood.

Prevalent themes in his work include the natural world, the perspectives of the very old and the very young, and the distilled wisdom of his contemplative Catholic faith. A lifelong sufferer from 'persuasive...

At the heart of Clothed in Language lies a journal, but the writing, while personal, has been given a thematic structure. Seeing language as a vital medium through which the divine is made present to us, scholar and poet Pauline Matarasso explores the ways in which this God-given language, with its overcoat of metaphor and undertow of rhythm, serves to reflect the truth and, on occasion, mask it. This book also includes an essay that looks at certain features common to myth, fairy tale, lore, and Scripture.