A Personal Trinity: The Christian Poetry of Andrew Young

ABSTRACT

Andrew Young (1885–1971) belongs to the English tradition of the ‘parson poet’. Poetry written by serving clergy often provides both a personal perspective on Christianity, free of strict orthodoxy, and a reflection of Christianity’s place in the prevailing culture. Most of Young’s work consisted of short poems with only occasional Christian reference. Later in life he abandoned short poems and wrote two long works exploring a visionary afterlife. This paper argues that the key to these two long poems, important but neglected examples of mid-twentieth-century Christian literature, is a personal re-imagining of the Trinity.

KEYWORDS:

• Parson poet
• rural clergyman
• Gerard Manley Hopkins
• R. S. Thomas
• George Herbert

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No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Peter Hollindale

Peter Hollindale, until his retirement, was Reader in English and Educational Studies at the University of York.