In these Five Great Odes, Claudel shows himself a man of truly catholic (universal) vision and immense desire, whose contemplative gaze sees all of reality as truly enchanted, or inspired. This masterful rendering of Claudel's famous text and accompanying commentary puts the poet's genius on full display. Much needed in our day.

Thomas V. Gourlay Senior Lecturer in Theology and Religious Education at the Catholic Institute of Western Australia

Rich with allusions to cosmology, Scripture, theology, and the author's own experience, Paul Claudel's Five Great Odes can be challenging for the uninitiated reader. Lauren Butler Bergier's new translation and commentary offers an invaluable guide to the work that also challenges scholars to think about Claudel in new ways.

Joseph Koczera SJ, Pontifical Gregorian University, Rome.

This luminous new volume of Paul Claudel's Cinq Grandes Odes sounds its own exuberant yawp in a manner entirely befitting the visionary French poet. Bergier's fluid, perceptive translation and her sumptuously theological commentary together invite readers into joyful participation in the goodness of all that is: to memory, contemplation, and praise.

Jennifer Newsome Martin, University of Notre Dame

Accurate, readable, and beautiful, Bergier's translation delivers to us at long last the audacious expressiveness and rhythmic power of Claudel's innovative verse, while her insightful, well-informed commentaries expertly guide us through the biographical, literary, cultural, and theological context essential for enjoying this extraordinary poetic achievement.

Stephen E. Lewis, Franciscan University of Steubenville

In her introduction, Bergier reports that Claudel's poetic lines rely not so much on the counting of syllables as on the movement of breath. That she has given us not only a beautiful English translation of Claudel's Odes, but also managed to capture his peculiar poetic style is a gift not just of careful translation but of poetic art in its own right. The introduction and commentary alone are worth the price of the book.

Rodney Howsare, Professor of Systematic Theology. St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary