Beauty and Meaning

This volume presents for the first time the T. S. Eliot Lectures delivered in 1982 by Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh. There are four lectures, each a fine example of Metropolitan Anthony's profound spiritual wisdom, wit, and clarity of expression. The first lecture is on the subject of meaning, about the way we relate to things only insofar as they mean something to us; the second and third are on beauty in terms of cognition and beauty's moral characteristics; and the fourth is on ugliness, its significance and creative potential. The lectures have been edited by James Heywood, who has added footnotes for people and literary works mentioned in the text. Rowan Williams, former Archbishop of Canterbury, has written a Foreword and a Postscript for this collection, which will be of tremendous interest to all who have appreciated the writings of His Eminence, Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh over many decades.