Novelist Frederick Buechner also writes books on spirituality, and in SPEAK WHAT WE FEEL he attempts to integrate both of his interests by delving into the works and lives of four of his favorite writers: Gerard Manley Hopkins, Mark Twain, G.K. Chesterton, and William Shakespeare. Part biography and part literary criticism, Beuchner's book seeks to discover how these great authors dealt with grief and pain in their own lives through writing, and he explores how this relates to his own psycho-spiritual journey. In relating the literary work to the writer's own life experience, Buechner brings new insight to the process of opening a vein in order to purge sadness and despair through art. Copyright (C) Muze Inc. 2005. For personal use only. All rights reserved.