Kris Kristofferson was a Rhodes Scholar, a literary wunderkind and the lyricist behind many songs made famous by more prominent voices. Kristofferson was also—hear me out on this—a man for whom religious faith was an important part of his life.
Books
Posted inArts & Culture, Books
Review: A Catholic prayer for racial justice
Bolstered by extensive research and passionate prose, ‘In the Shadow of Freedom’ makes a compelling argument for Catholics in particular to pay more heed to reconciliation and healing for the racist history of the United States.
Posted inArts & Culture, Catholic Book Club
‘There’s no such thing as a bad boy’: Father Flanagan and Boys Town
For over a century, Boys Town has been serving at-risk youths, inspired by the founding vision of the Rev. Edward J. Flanagan.
Posted inArts & Culture, Television
‘Slow Horses’: a ragtag spy thriller with le Carré style and retro charm
Apple TV+’s ’Slow Horses‘ plays a bit like John le Carré with more firepower. And efficiency.
Posted inArts & Culture, Catholic Book Club
Thomas Pynchon, famous novelist…and theologian?
Thomas Pynchon is best-known as the reclusive author of some of our most famous postmodern novels. But is he also a discerning judge of our spiritual health?
Posted inArts & Culture, Books
Review: Sally Rooney’s ‘Intermezzo’ is occasionally interesting, frequently frustrating and ultimately insufficient
Rooney’s novel ends up as an overlong interlude, poised between significant moments, not substantial enough to compose its own movement.
Posted inFaith, Faith and Reason
A century of James Baldwin’s prophetic voice
The centennial of James Baldwin’s birth is an invitation to join the ranks of “the relatively conscious” who will help the nation engage in the metanoia needed to become the country that Baldwin constantly believed and hoped it could become.
Posted inArts & Culture, Books
Review: Garth Greenwell’s mystical novel ‘Small Rain’ teaches the art of living from a hospital bed
Garth Greenwell’s Small Rain is a mystical novel, a story in which illness becomes an occasion for a new attention to one’s life and loves.
Posted inArts & Culture, Catholic Book Club
John Fante: the almost-forgotten scribe of Los Angeles
John Fante’s fiction depicted Los Angeles through a penetrating, panoramic gaze—and anticipated the rise of the Beats in American literature.
Posted inArts & Culture, Interviews
Interview: Colm Tóibín on ‘Long Island,’ sequel-writing and the delight of a Costco chicken
Colm Tóibín’s new novel, ‘Long Island,’ is a sequel to perhaps his best-known book, ‘Brooklyn.’ What was it like to take up the story again two decades later? He tells us in this interview with America.