John Fante’s fiction depicted Los Angeles through a penetrating, panoramic gaze—and anticipated the rise of the Beats in American literature.
Catholic Book Club
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Paul Horgan, the Catholic polymath you’ve never heard of
Paul Horgan was a favorite of critics for his fiction and non-fiction alike during his long life—but his work deserves greater appreciation today.
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Remembering Edward Schillebeeckx: the theologian working from the shadows of Vatican II
Edward Schillebeeckx, O.P., wasn’t officially a ‘peritus’ at the Second Vatican Council, but that didn’t stop him from having a powerful influence on the council and on church theology for decades afterward.
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‘If we don’t get Jesus right, we won’t get the church right’: The life and teaching of Gerald O’Collins, S.J.
Gerald O’Collins, S.J., the Australian Jesuit theologian who died last week, was a prominent writer in Christology, ecclesiology, spirituality and more in an academic career that spanned seven decades.
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Elizabeth Ann Seton did more for the U.S. church than any bishop (according to a bishop)
Elizabeth Ann Seton has only officially been a saint for 49 years, a blink of an eye in the timeline of the church. But in the history of the Catholic Church in the United States, she is a towering figure.
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The British Fulton Sheen: What Catholics should know about C. C. Martindale, S.J.
C. C. Martindale, S.J., played an important role in the life of the Catholic Church in Great Britain in the 20th century—and brought more than a few seekers along with him.
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Edna O’Brien: the quintessential Irish writer (who was occasionally banned in Ireland)
Edna O’Brien, who died on July 27, seemed to be in many ways the quintessential Irish writer. But her career began with a highly acclaimed novel that was widely condemned on the Emerald Isle.
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Remembering Gail Lumet Buckley, chronicler of African American history and a ‘pluralistic Catholic’
Gail Lumet Buckley, who died on July 18, was an award-winning chronicler of the African American experience. She once wrote of herself in ‘America’ that “I choose the cross of faith over the sword of ideology.”
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Biden didn’t do something unthinkable. LBJ also withdrew from the presidential race.
President Joe Biden’s decision not to seek re-election is surprising—but don’t call it unprecedented. It happened once before, in 1968.
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You’re reading this online. Walter Ong had thoughts about that.
The contributions of Walter J. Ong, S.J., to American letters are countless, and he remains a renowned figure in the study of communications, literacy, group psychology and mass media.