Having spent time in solitary in the deserts of South Western USA while writing, David Jasper, Professor of Literature and Theology at the University of Glasgow, is set to launch his book entitled "The Sacred Desert: Religion, Literature, Art & Culture". The formal book launch will be introduced by former Bishop of Edinburgh and author Richard Holloway on Wednesday 21 April.

In this original work of theology, David Jasper explores the reality, images, and writings of desert spirituality through history, theology, art, film, and literature. Ultimately, this book is a reflection on the depth and dimension of meaning in human experience. The result is a fascinating and lively journey through the history of religion.

"All my work has grown out of the interplay between my two first degrees - one in English literature and the other in theology," explains David Jasper. "This has brought me to my present research which is an interdisciplinary attempt to examine the possibilities for theology (mainly but not exclusively Christian) in a contemporary culture."

"During the writing of this book I have spent time living as a solitary in the deserts of South Western United States of America, as well as a semester as Ida Cordelia Beam Distinguished Visiting Professor at the University of Iowa. I have worked with art historians and artists including the prominent video artist Bill Viola, whose installations capture both the fertility of the desert for the human spirit, and the desolation's of the desert of the modern cityscape."

The Sacred Desert offers a fascinating and original reflection on the role of the desert in theology, history, literature, art and film. Discussing figures as diverse as Jesus, the early Christian Desert Fathers, T.E. Lawrence, T.S. Eliot, Georgia O'Keeffe, Wim Wenders, Bill Viola, and Jim Crace.

"David Jasper has written a magnificent theological reflection on the depth of spiritual meaning sought and found by desert pilgrims in literature, art, film, history, and sacred scripture. A tour de force!" explains David Klemm at University of Iowa.

Media Relations Office (media@gla.ac.uk)

For more details please contact Mike Findlay at the University Press Office on 0141 330-8593 or email: m.findlay@admin.gla.ac.uk. Alternatively contact Louise Cooper at Blackwell?s Publishing on 01865 382459 Louise.Cooper@oxon.blackwellpublishing.com.

The official launch of "The Sacred Desert: Religion, Literature, Art & Culture" by David Jasper will be introduced by Bishop Richard Holloway at Glasgow University John Smith & Son bookshop on Wednesday 21 April at 6pm. To attend please contact Lynne O?Neill on 0141 339-1463 or email: glasgow.university@johnsmith.co.uk.

David Jasper is Professor of Literature and Theology at the University of Glasgow, and was the founding editor of the journal: "Literature and Theology". He is internationally regarded as a leading figure in the interdisciplinary field of literature, religion, and the arts.

He is the author of "The Sacred and Secular Canon in Romanticism" (1999) and co-editor of "The Bible and Literature: A Reader" (edited with Stephen Prickett, Blackwell Publishing, 1999) and "Religion and Literature: A Reader" (edited with Robert Detweiler, 2000).

First published: 16 April 2004