Shusaku Endo may not have liked the title “greatest Japanese Catholic novelist,” but his works—including ‘Silence’—are powerful meditations on the nature of belief and the vitality and viability of Christianity.
Catholic Book Club
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Why America magazine still publishes poetry
The poetry of Amit Majmudar, whom America has published 10 times in the past few years, moves easily between the mystical and the ordinary, the one rooted in the other.
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Comedy is born of tragedy in the Irish memoir ‘Did Ye Hear Mammy Died?’
Seamas O’Reilly mines a family tragedy for mirth and good storytelling in ‘Did Ye Hear Mammy Died?’ James T. Keane offers his thoughts on this latest selection for the Catholic Book Club.
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Henri de Lubac, the Bruce Springsteen of Catholic theology
Henri de Lubac, S.J., had a long career filled with many twists and turns—but he is recognized today as one of the giants of 20th-century Catholic theology.
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Jesuits…in space! Looking back on Catholic coverage of the cosmos
Finding our place in the cosmos—whether that be via moon landings or our human origins in stardust—has been the subject of more than a few America articles.
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The priests and politicians of Edwin O’Connor’s novels
Edwin O’Connor, whose life and literary career were abruptly cut short by his 1968 death at the age of 49, captured the imagination of his audience like few other authors of his time.
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Philosopher for a Secular Age: Charles Taylor’s influence in the Catholic Church
Charles Taylor, the Canadian philosopher and social theorist who has become one of the world’s most prominent thinkers in the last few decades, continues to influence American religious dialogues, including in the pages of ‘America.’
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‘The Irish Lincoln’: When Éamon de Valera visited America
While Éamon de Valera, the great politician and Irish patriot, is not always remembered fondly by all Irish, the writers and editors of America couldn’t get enough of him.
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A Catholic bookworm’s guide to March Madness
America isn’t always great about sports coverage—but college basketball has been an exception, particularly when it comes to March Madness.
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Remembering John Hope Franklin, the premier historian of the Black experience
John Hope Franklin wrote of the African American struggle for justice for seven decades. At his death, he was called “the first great American historian to reckon the price owed in violence, autocracy and militarism.”