Something has changed for the novelist John Banville in the last 15 years. In a twist worthy of his own byzantine fiction, Banville has adopted a new persona and writing style, and even—perhaps—a changed attitude toward “the Irish thing” he once derided.
Literature
Posted inArts & Culture, Books
Can we reimagine the sacramental life? Ask this poet/farmer/educator.
In this time when so much seems to be falling apart, the writer/philosopher/farmer Michael Martin is reimagining and even building anew.
Posted inArts & Culture, Last Take
Mary Gordon asks: What kind of Catholic are you?
I believe that because the people about whom I am writing share with me a vocabulary, a set of images and shared practices, there are some firm grounds on which we can all stand.
Posted inArts & Culture, Books
John S. Dunne: A theologian (and author) for our dark times
Just as St. Augustine had aimed “to kindle the light of things eternal in human hearts no longer supported by temporal institutions which had seemed eternal but which were crashing on all sides,” so did John S. Dunne, C.S.C., in his many erudite books.
Posted inArts & Culture, Ideas
When America magazine rejected William Faulkner, J.K. Rowling and Taylor Swift from our pages
Going through old files, America’s editors found a few interesting submissions (and rejections).
Posted inArts & Culture, Features
An American Catholic Pilgrimage
Daniel Hornsby’s debut novel, ‘Via Negativa,’ is the story of a Roman Catholic priest on the road to many destinations, both material and spiritual.
Posted inArts & Culture, Features
Caroline Gordon, the Catholic novelist we lost and found
Caroline Gordon’s ‘The Malefactors,’ a novel lost to prospective generations of readers, was a classic Catholic tale told by an author of considerable talent.
Posted inArts & Culture, Books
Review: Inside the very Catholic history of college basketball
John Gasaway examines the entire history of Catholic college basketball in the United States. We see just how many different teams, coaches and athletes have contributed to a reputation for basketball excellence, from the University of San Francisco to Georgetown, Gonzaga and Villanova.
Posted inArts & Culture, Books
Review: The voices of the marginalized tell us the most about privilege
Capitalism, consumption, and their (im)moral undercurrents are the subjects of Eula Biss’s new collection of essays.
Posted inArts & Culture, Books
Pope Francis and the dehumanizing nature of contemporary economies
Two recent books by Benjamin McKean and Vincent Bevins show the violence done to developing countries in the name of economic prosperity and U.S. political hegemony.