David Foster Wallace’s novella ‘Something to Do With Paying Attention’ features two conversion narratives, a “fearful Jesuit” and “the death of childhood’s limitless possibility.”
Arts & Culture
Posted inArts & Culture, Ideas
Interview: To understand world history, study the Jesuits
Markus Friedrich is passionate about Jesuit history—how it is studied, how it should not be studied and about its larger importance today.
Posted inArts & Culture, Catholic Book Club
Parish priest, sociologist, novelist: The many imaginations of Father Andrew Greeley
The Rev. Andrew Greeley had an enormous impact on the American Catholic Church—including through his many contributions to this magazine.
Posted inArts & Culture, Ideas
Interview: Behind the making of an all-Ignatian album, featuring the music of Jesuits from 13 countries
Rather than trying to understand or analyze God, a new Jesuit musical collaboration gives people an experience of God.
Posted inArts & Culture, Catholic Book Club
Joan Didion, Wendell Berry, Sally Rooney: Summer review for the Catholic Book Club
A very sunburned literary editor looks back on some Catholic Book Club columns of yore.
Posted inArts & Culture, Ideas
How Great Elvis Art: A roundup of Elvis’s gospel hits
The new film “Elvis” isn’t long enough to include all of Elvis’s gospel hits, but here are some highlights from his career.
Posted inArts & Culture, Music
Andrew Bird sings good news for a hurting America
On his new album, Andrew Bird takes a hard look at the ills of contemporary America and wonders how on earth we got here.
Posted inArts & Culture, Catholic Book Club
We live in the age of anti-heroes. But few can top John Kennedy Toole’s Ignatius J. Reilly.
John Kennedy Toole’s only novel was published after his death—but quickly became a classic of American comic fiction.
Posted inArts & Culture, Vantage Point
From 1981: John Kennedy Toole and the myth of fame
This story has no moral, only a great joy for Mrs. Toole, and a great sadness.