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From one of the most-read religious and philosophical scholars in the United States comes a collection of creative, thought-provoking fables.
Alongside David Bentley Hart’s widely read work in philosophy, theology, and religious studies there has always been the other side of his writing—the fiction, poetry, and literary essays—which has often enjoyed a separate, if equally appreciative, readership. In this, his most recent book, these two worlds draw near to one another in a new way.
In Prisms, Veils: A Book of Fables, Hart explores the elusive nature of dreams and the enduring power of mythologies. Moving over themes ranging from the beauty of the natural world to the very nature of consciousness itself, each narrative is threaded through with Hart’s deep religious, cultural, and historical knowledge, drawing readers into an expertly woven tapestry of diverse allusions and deep meaning.
Prisms, Veils will appeal to fans of Hart’s work, philosophers, theologians, and general readers of fiction. The collection affords a special opportunity to engage with the creative side of Hart, its pages sparkling with bright gems of short fiction that are enchanting, thought-provoking, and imbued with spiritual truth.
“Limpid and strange, teasing and discomforting, enlightening and mysterious, Prisms, Veils is a wholly captivating sequence that probes at the very form of fiction. David Bentley Hart reminds us that not all fables offer themselves up to be reassuringly decoded, to instruct, let alone to moralize. In his hands they leave us less, not more, certain—and the richer for it.” —China Miéville, author of The City & The City and A Spectre, Haunting
David Bentley Hart is a writer of fiction, religious studies scholar, philosopher, and cultural commentator. He is the author and translator of twenty-three books, including the award-winning You Are Gods.
1. The True Helen
2. The Scholar and the Nymph
3. Twilight
4. Zalmoxis
5. Dramatis Personae I
6. Dialogue on an Island
7. The Memory Palace
8. The Principle of Sufficient Reason
9. Thresholds
10. Pictor Ignotus
11. Ensō
12. Dramatis Personae II
13. Transformations
14. Recognition
15. Empire
16. Theophania (a fragment)
Acknowledgments