Description:
The verses in this book were written in re-creational moments of reflection, whether on specific incidents or on constants of existence perceived in particular places under unique circumstances. They aim to preserve and convey some vestige of these revelatory experiences. They strive to raise the attendant illuminations into a heightened consciousness that opens upon the universal relatedness of all with all. Most were composed in suspended real time of scribbling in a pocketbook as the events recounted were actually unfolding.
Thematic content ranges widely from transformative human encounters to ecstatic communion with nature, from metaphysical intuitions and philosophical reflections to searing contemplation of the doubtful destiny of humankind. Discovering the exotic in far-flung reaches of the globe, as well as probing interior sensibilities, and celebrating original creation of several unique home environments, the poems capture a wide range of poignant life experiences that are fine-tuned to resonate with whatever, wherever, and whoever readers are.
Brief description: William Franke is a philosopher of the humanities and a professor of comparative literature at Vanderbilt University. He has also been Professor of Philosophy at the University of Macao (2013-2016); Fulbright-University of Salzburg Distinguished Chair in Intercultural Theology and the Study of Religion; and an Alexander von Humboldt-Stiftung research fellow. His single-authored books have been published by the university presses of Chicago, Stanford, Cambridge, Notre Dame, Northwestern, Ohio State, and the State University of New York. For his books in 2021, he was awarded the
Hermes Award: Book of the Year in Phenomenological Hermeneutics, Agora Hermeneutica, The International Institute for Hermeneutics (IIH), 2021