David Lodge’s novels—as well as his many works of nonfiction—made him an important figure in 20th-century British literature. He also captured well the angst of many lay Catholics in the aftermath of Vatican II.
Catholic Book Club
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A guide for Christmas reading—highlighting the Dickensian fiction of Oscar Hijuelos
Oscar Hijuelos’s ‘Mr. Ives’ Christmas’ doesn’t start out as a cheery story—but in the end, this parable of good will lost and good will regained is a perfect Christmas tale.
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Bishop John Cummins and the Catholic history of Oakland
Bishop John Cummins had a significant and lasting impact on the Catholic Church in his own diocese and elsewhere through his quiet leadership and ministry. He was a reminder to many of what Pope Francis meant when he called for bishops who are “pastors, not princes.”
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John Banville: notorious literary esthete—and crime novelist
John Banville is surely the only crime novelist in recent memory who has won the Booker Prize and is regularly rumored to be in the running for the Nobel Prize in Literature.
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‘Gladiator II’ reminds us what we already knew: America can’t stop thinking about the Roman Empire
The box office success of “Gladiator II” is a reminder that many Americans are obsessed with the Roman Empire. They’ve been joined over the years by more than a few ‘America’ contributors.
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Doris Grumbach, L.G.B.T. pioneer and fearless literary critic
Doris Grumbach was an accomplished novelist, literary critic, biographer and memoirist and an early pioneer for her books exploring L.G.B.T. themes. She was also a longtime book reviewer and essayist for ‘America.’
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Nabokov, ‘Lolita’ and the question of morally offensive art
‘Lolita’ may have been canceled, but Vladimir Nabokov remains the godfather of modern prose.
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The art of the presidential tell-all book
Much ink has been spilled over this presidential election—but not nearly as much as was used in a long history of presidential memoirs and biographies.
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Willa Cather, the author of great American Catholic novels—who wasn’t Catholic
Few writers have ever captured in fiction the American religious sense that underlies so much of our history more than Willa Cather.
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The synod is discussing the teaching authority of bishops’ conferences. It’s not a new debate.
Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, later Pope Benedict XVI, didn’t think much of bishops’ conferences. Among those who disagreed with the cardinal was Francis A. Sullivan, S.J.