This collection contains the best of Betjeman’s prose of a religious nature. It includes a critical introduction by the editor, who has edited the prose pieces and provided clarifying footnotes where necessary. There are miscellaneous essays (from magazines and newspapers), regular columns (mostly from The Spectator and The Telegraph), contributions to others’ books and extracts from his own. The volume also features book reviews, sermons, letters, radio broadcasts and some television documentary scripts. The vast majority of these pieces have not been reprinted or anthologized since their original publication, and as a result, Betjeman on Faith will refresh and inform as much as it delights.

Widely known for his poetry, radio broadcasts and television documentary films, John Betjeman was also a prolific writer of prose. Through the power of his pen, he publicly expressed his personal Christian beliefs as well as his doubts, made a case for the interconnectedness of religion and the arts, discussed the dependence of English society on its established Church, instructed his readers about the life and history of parishes, and lamented the loss of churches. He is arguably the most important voice of faith and culture in the twentieth century.