Women in Praise of the Sacred

By Jane Hirshfield,

Book cover of Women in Praise of the Sacred: 43 Centuries of Spiritual Poetry by Women

Book description

"Hirshfield's current collection brings together . . . an astonishing array of women writers from the 22nd century BC poet Enheduanna to Nelly Sachs and Anna Akhmatova."--Library Journal


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Why read it?

1 author picked Women in Praise of the Sacred as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Editor Jane Hirschfield writes that she is interested in “women who could not be held back from their chosen paths or spiritual practice.” And so am I. This collection includes writings by intrepid women over centuries and landscapes, representing an array of spiritual traditions stretching back to the beginning of recorded time. The canon of spiritual writings that have come down to us across cultures rarely includes the words of women. Hirschfield has taken steps to correct this omission. From the first entry – c. 2300 BCE – through a joyful poem of liberation from one of the earliest female…

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