A Masterwork of Doubting-Belief

"John McEllheney has a sense of the environment in which Thomas lived and wrote, and he knew Thomas personally, having visited . . . and exchanged correspondence with him. His title succinctly summarizes what he has added to our understanding of Thomas, the poet and the man."

--William McGill, author of Poets' Meeting: George Herbert, R. S. Thomas, and the Argument with God



"This is an engaging and informative book. Readers already familiar with Thomas' poems will be enlightened by McEllhenney's insightful interweaving of them into the narrative of his personal relationship with Thomas. Readers . . . who are doubting-believers of any religious tradition will find in McEllhenney's Thomas a companion and model for walking the tightrope of doubt-filled faith."

--Peggy Rosenthal, author of The Poets' Jesus



"A fascinating glimpse into the mind of the famously reclusive poet. The author's gift for friendship clearly warmed the flinty heart of the Welshman and coaxed him out of hiding."

--Richard Holloway, author of Leaving Alexandria



"Over four decades, McEllhenney assembled an extraordinary archive of R. S. Thomas's life and work. Using his skills as a historian, he tracked down the newspapers and magazines where Thomas's poems and writing first appeared, then added meticulous notes and photographs from their extensive correspondence and his visits with Thomas. McEllhenney . . . reveals Thomas as a resolute 'citizen of the hyphen'--living in the tensions of Welshness-Englishness, artist-scientist, high church-low church, pastor-poet, poet-theologian, and most importantly, doubter-believer."

--Andrew D. Scrimgeour, Dean of Libraries, Drew University