The good news for anyone whose literary tastes have been strongly influenced by the Catholic novels of Graham Greene, Evelyn Waugh, Francois Mauriac, Georges Bernanos and more is this: The new Alice McDermott novel, ‘Absolution,’ has arrived.
Books
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Fiction as a business—with a Catholic subtext
‘Big Fiction’ is a book full of cogent analysis, ambitious argument, juicy quotes from insiders and a demonstration of the central role of Catholics in American publishing.
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Review: The story of Thomas Merton’s forgotten brother
‘Remembering the Forgotten Merton’ is a brief biography of Thomas Merton’s brother John Paul, whom Merton fans know primarily through the powerful elegy that Merton composed to mark his brother’s death as a fighter pilot in the Second World War.
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Review: Contemplating death, eschatology and eternity
John E. Thiel of Fairfield University ventures to propose a “thick” eschatology based on the idea of a continuation of the human response to grace into an afterlife in ‘Now and Forever: A Theological Aesthetics of Time.’
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Review: ‘Escape to Florence’ is a refreshingly apolitical novel in our hyper-politicized age
‘Escape to Florence’ stays within the bounds of its own story: the intimate and historical particulars of dual love stories, and the rich Italian backdrop against which both are set.
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Review: August Wilson, a playwright of multitudes
In ‘August Wilson: A Life,’ an excellent new biography by Patti Hartigan, we read of the winding path that led Wilson to his ascendance, then delves into the tumults and triumphs of his two decades at the heights of achievement.
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Remembering Thomas Merton—and his book that changed my life
‘The Seven Storey Mountain,’ a book whose 75th anniversary is celebrated this month, is widely considered a spiritual classic, and it continues to find new readers every year.
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Who was S. J. Adamo? This priest-columnist spilled all the tea.
The Rev. S. J. Adamo wrote over 130 columns for America on “The Press,” and seemingly had plenty of fun along the way.
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Review: Is it really possible to transform your life?
Katy Carl’s debut collection of short stories examines how people manage change in their lives—whether they have actively sought what comes next or had it forced upon them.
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The atheist author Jesuits loved: Iris Murdoch
Iris Murdoch might seem like an unlikely candidate for praise from America reviewers, but her philosophical novels about love and alienation earned many praise-filled reviews over the years.