| What happened to popular Catholic fiction? |
| by Todd M. Aglialoro |
| 4/25/08 |
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As an editor for a Catholic publishing company, I see hundreds of manuscripts and proposals every year. Many of these are for works of fiction. For a long time we rejected these as a matter of habit. "We can't sell fiction," was the conventional wisdom. "The market doesn't want it." (Besides, a lot of the "Catholic novels" we got were badly written, or egregiously pious and preachy, or both.) Frequently, authors would come back to me in exasperation, "That's what every publisher tells me! And yet I'm part of "the market," and I'm telling you, we're starving for fiction!" It was a tough point to ponder. There's no question that Catholic fiction these days is pretty slim pickin's. Those of us yearning for novels with Catholic themes, supported by a Catholic moral universe, are generally forced to go back fifty years, to Waugh or Greene or O'Connor. We hunt down Sigrid Unset, or play up the Catholic signals (just don't call it allegory!) in Tolkien. Or maybe we cruise used bookstores and seminary going-out-of-business sales for some of the many less-masterful but still quite solid examples of popular Catholic fiction that abounded in the first half of the last century. It's also evident that Protestants have it all over us in this department. Evangelicalism offers a selection of music, TV, film, and yes, books that gives a pretty fair imitation of the kind of self-contained religious counterculture that Catholicism was once noted for. Meanwhile, with one or two niche exceptions (I think of Michael O'Brien's novels, and maybe the Bud MacFarlane craze that peaked and petered perhaps a decade ago), "Catholic fiction" means The Da Vinci Code. And we're either giving our kids Harry Potter and straining every sinew to force a Christian hermeneutic on it, or limiting them to wholesome but antiquated stuff from two generations ago. And so I ask, along with the frustrated authors, where is the Catholic fiction? Deal, I'd love to hear your take on this, being the man of letters that you are. I imagine the answer to this question is a complex one, with many interrelated factors. I'd also like to insert a small plug here at the end. For we're having a go at filling this void by dipping into the waters of fiction, beginning with two novels, each the first offering in a planned series, aimed at readers aged teen and above. Catholic, Reluctantly is the premiere of the John Paul 2 High series, the first ever to take the modern formula for teen fiction and set it at the kind of startup orthodox Catholic school that we're seeing so many of these days. Again, Evangelicals have blazed this trail with their own Christian Sweet Valley High type series; I think it's past time we had one too. The Tripods Attack! is even more inventive. The beginning of The Young Chesterton Chronicles, this "steampunk"-style sci-fi adventure features a young G.K. Chesterton striving against invading aliens from space and military-industrial conspiracies on earth. Set in a fictionalized early 20th-century world that magnifies the wonders -- and horrors -- of science and rationalism run amok (one of many pet Chesterton themes that permeate the story), the series also features well-known characters from fiction and real history (Father Brown is a main player, for instance) moving in and out of the plot in sometimes-whimsical, but always curiously satisfying, ways. All right, commercial over. Now, what happened to Catholic fiction, and how do we effect its renewal? Readers have left 115 comments. Todd- In my opinion, good fiction stands on its own. Why does it need to be affirmatively Catholic? So long as it doesn't offend, I have no problem letting my chidren read it. As an aside, I bought The Tripods Attack for my 13-year old son and he devoured it in 3 days. I haven't read it yet, but I look forward to doing so. Written by Jason Todd, you knew I'd jump on this one, it being one of my favorite subjects. First let me say I am very pleased Sophia is getting in the fiction market, perhaps editing some works of the imagination will help rounding some of your sharper edges. Second, and most importantly, it's very rare that a good novel is the result of someone, not matter how well-intentioned, sets out to write a "Catholic novel." I have had many sent to me over the years -- they usually have a great message but fail a good fiction. Third, I am finding that the best Catholic novels are those not intended for that niche, that is, the authors set out to write a good novel, and for whatever reason -- personal beliefs, the characters, the narrative -- the resulting novel is "Catholic" in some compelling way. I am thinking for example of "Suite Francaise" by the recently rediscovered French writer Irene Nemirovsky. She was Catholic covert from Judaism who was slain in the Holocaust -- she is a writer for Catholic readers of fiction to claim for their own. There are many other books I could add to this list, perhaps we should do a symposium, Brian? Written by Deal Hudson Ditto to Jason and Deal's comments. I don't think anyone who sets out to write a "Catholic novel" ever achieves it. Note of the Flannery 'Connor quote I post this afternoon. For contemporary Catholic fiction I think of Ron Hansen - he's terrific. It's rare to find a great novelist, let alone one who knows how to create characters and story that speak to the truth of humane nature and God. Written by Zoe Romanowsky Another ditto here -- I was going to point out that Flannery doesn't have any Catholic characters in her stories that I can think of; as for Waugh and Greene, where there are Catholics, they're all lapsed or alcoholics. Of course they have Catholic themes, but they're of a manner that aren't telegraphed so clearly that they turn other readers off. I do like the idea of the kids' series When Tripods Attack!, though. Catholic steampunk lit sounds totally awesome. Written by Margaret Cabaniss No disagreement, Jason. I'm not saying we need to set a match to "non-Catholic" fiction, just that there's a woeful dearth of Catholic fiction. Defined both as: 1) Fiction with underlying themes that feature or jive with a Catholic sensibility: the moral universe, sin and redemption, life after death, sacramentality in creation, Providence, a supernatural order, and so on. 2) Fiction that depicts characters behaving and talking like Catholics. This is more analogous to what Protestants are doing. Why should we be forced to settle for fiction featuring settings and characters from which religion has been conspicuously whitewashed, or in which it's pointedly attacked? So good fiction may be good fiction, but good Catholic fiction is something distinct. Written by Todd M. Aglialoro I do like the idea of the kids' series When Tripods Attack!, though — MargaretEr, no, Margaret, "When Tripods Attack!" is the new reality series coming from Fox this fall. The Tripods Attack! is the first book of the series, The Young Chesterton Chronicles... I agree about how Waugh, Greene, and O'Connor don't hit you over the head with their Catholicism (although the former two don't exactly make you go hunt for it, either). I hope this response, and my response to Jason above, can nip in the bud any further comments disagreeing with a point I don't mean to make: that "good Catholic fiction" has to depict characters stroking rosary beads throughout. Written by Todd M. Aglialoro Although I think it's a touch glib to say that those who set out to write a Catholic novel never achieve it, I do agree with Deal, from my own experience, that those who set out to write a novel with a primary motive of "putting the Faith to fiction" -- an evangelical or theological motive -- tend to produce unreadable stuff. But I'd offer that this is a fact about all writing, not just Catholic writing. You can't put your thematic or ideological goals -- whether you'r a Catholic or a Marxist -- ahead of the basic artistic demands of plot, characterization, style, and so on. If you do, you end up with what Mark Brumley has called "pious propaganda". Written by Todd M. Aglialoro I'm also interested in hearing thoughts on why we don't have an abundance of "popular" Catholic fiction. Force yourselves to think lowbrow, people. Some might argue that we're more advanced than Evangelicals and thus don't "need" a popular Catholic counterculture -- that we're so intellectually and spiritually secure that we can pick and choose from the secular minefield without worry. I do not make this argument... Written by Todd M. Aglialoro A topic which we've discussed endlessly on my blog, and which is a constant topic of conversation among friends. A few, disconnected points: 1) Throughout the 20th century, there were always two "types" of what we might call "Catholic" fiction, which echoes basic genres distinctions. There was literary fiction, the authors of which would probably shoot you if you tried to call their works "Catholic fiction." You know the canon. But there was also a flourishing Catholic popular fiction - some of it was crossover from the general market. I think that we forget how religious themed fiction sold in the general market, really up through the '60's. The Robe. Taylor Caldwell novels. The Cardinal. Huge bestsellers,dominating, even. But even beyond that, getting a little more "niche" - there was specifically "Catholic" fiction. Some of it - very little of it - was good and popular. The Don Camillo books, for example. (Which I so wanted to bring back into print as part of the Loyola Classic series, but the heirs, while perfectly willing in principle, wanted a whole new translation - they were never happy with the original - which we could not afford to do.) Most of it was awful, and if you read O'Connor's letters you know that one of her areas of freelance work was reviewing fiction for the Georgia Bulletin, the Atlanta Archdiocesan paper. It was a real cross for her! But they were there - when I was editor of Loyola Classics, I gathered a fair collection of what I believe was a quarterly publiciation, modeled after the Reader's Digest series. It was called "Catholic Family Book Club," I believe, and each volume had a collection of novellas, excerpts and abridgements. Sometimes you would find a treasure - say, John Farrow's (Mia's father) bio of Father Damien (not fiction, I know) or a Dom Camillo book or section, but most of it was pietistic evangelistic dreck. My point in this first point is that there was a CAtholic fiction market, it was diverse, but it was also tied to the CAtholic reading market - which has collapsed in general. 2) So,you have two questions,really. First, are there people out there, besides Ron Hansen, who are writing literary fiction that is informed by a faith worldview but not evangelistic in its intent? And is it being published? Secondly, is there a market for "Catholic" pop fiction? The experience of Andrew Greely (and as much as we might want to, he cannot be ignored in this calculus) tells us perhaps. Continued in next post...  Written by Amy Thanks for that (first) comment, Amy. Especially for the details that helped fill out some of the assertions and distinctions I made in my first post. You've obviously been elbows-deep in a world that I'm grasping at from some distance. As for your last question, would you not also include the popularity of Michael O'Brien and, especially (because it was decidedly "pop") Bud Macfarlane? Written by Todd M. Aglialoro 3) One of the problems, as I see it, is that many of those who say they want Catholic fiction are puritanical, skittish about content and simply want what the equivalent of what the CBA market has, but with Catholics going to Mass instead of evangelical chicks at their Bible study. It's an interesting question, and I don't know the answer to it. 4) The more interesting question, to me, concerns literary fiction. I have no doubt that there are people out there striving to write this kind of work (I'm one. Matthew Lickona is another. There are many others. But, I've finally decided, in thinking about all of this, and thinking about the history of Catholic publishing in the 20th century - none of the writers in our Catholic canon did what they did without assistance. They all, to a person, had very supportive editors and publishers. It's not that they didn't have to struggle to publish, but what they had that we don't have now, are serious mainstream literary publishers who were supportive... There is NO SUCH PUBLISHER that exists today. Catholic publishers are for the most part not interested in publishing fiction or are skittish about reader reaction if the content of a novel is "questionable." Mainstream publishers have their own mess, which goes way beyond this - but plays a part in it. Not going to rehash that here. This question touches on a number of issues, including, more generally, frankly, the relevance of Catholic publishers (no offense, Todd!), their willingness to really get out their and engage the culture and their savvy and creativity in marketing. I'm sure I'll be coming back to join in the conversation, but I've got painting to do! BTW, I've written a Young Adult novel that has been shopped around to publishers for about 8 months now by an establish NY-based agent. The novel has a Catholic setting, but is accessible, I think, to anyone. My agent isn't Catholic or particularly religious and really liked it. Obviously, no one has bought it yet, but the fifteen or so rejections I've received compliment my writing, but say the market is tight (which it is..and dominated in YA by certain types of books), but none have mentioned the setting or events in the story as off-putting or a reason not to publish. Basically, it's not about goth girls cutting themselves while shopping. Written by Amy I promise, then I'll shut up. Maybe two I don't think you can separate this particular issue from the broader issues affecting publishing, period, right now. Everyone is running around frantically trying to figure out what people will actually pay money to read, as opposed to getting it free on the Internet. As those involved with CRISIS know better than any of us. I think Catholics DO buy "religious" fiction - I've heard numbers that indicate that 40% of those who shop in Christian (CBA) bookstores are Catholic. Catholics do read - they are reading Joel Osteen, Joyce Meyer, and when it comes to fiction, they are reading Left Behind (or were reading it - in great numbers), and Jan Karon, etc. Finally (I hope), an interesting model, I think is the Waterbrook imprint, which is a part of Doubleday/Random HOuse...whatever that conglomerate is. They publish "Christian" fiction, but it is generally of a quality that is several steps above genre Christian pop fiction. They published, for example, Jeffrey Overstreet's "Auralia's Colors" which is not explictly "Christian" but written by an author with a strong Christian worldview who simply wants to tell a compelling story. It would be interesting if Waterbrook would take a look at Catholic authors to add to their evangelical stable. Written by Amy Amy, very informative and interesting posts above. A couple of thoughts. There is no doubt you are right about the publishing business today. In discussions with my book agent he has discouraged me from passing along to him any fiction writers -- "there is no market," he tells me. He knows the history of "Catholic" fiction as well as anyone, but he also knows what you are finding out: the editors don't see the convergence of the Catholic market with fiction, whether highbrow or lowbrow. Your series with Loyola is quite brilliant, with several items I didn't know about previously, especially the wonderful "Five for Sorrow, Ten for Joy" by Rumer Godden. And many thanks for bringing the great novel by Edwin O'Connor back into print, "The Edge of Sadness," perhaps the best book about a priest I have ever read, except for Bernanos, but they are hard to compare. I've never read John R. Powers but look forward to it. Good luck with finding a publisher for your book; I'm sure you will. Written by Deal Hudson I've been to children's book conferences where secular publishers have said that they are no longer interested in fiction because it's too tough to sell. I've also read numerous articles from publishers for adults who say memoir has now replaced fiction (although it turns out that some of those memoirs really are fiction). It is a universal publishing problem, not just a Catholic publishing problem. Written by Elise Ehrhard Lots of others have come up with good comments. I'd echo Amy's point that Greeley pretty much is Catholic fiction these days. He's a good pop writer, he's popular, and he's identifiably Catholic. He could use some company but the guy churns out books like a printing factory. Who can keep up? As an artist, let me chime in with some doubt on following trails already well-blazed. It is the mark of a tragic lack of imagination that video fiction (read Hollywood and others) pitches are made in comparison to other things. When I read the brief premise of JP2High, I was thinking why does the reading public need another Sweet Valley Universe? Why else would mainstream publishers say the market's already crowded if the best we can do is be derivative? When Tolkien's work hit the big time, there were (and still are) hundreds of derivative works. Some were of quality, and most weren't. But more or less, they all sold copy. My observation is to go deeper in what works in YA and adult fiction and what is essentially Catholic. It seems to me one needs two things. Readers like a book they can see themselves identifying with by setting or character. Nobody goes to wizard school, but Harry Potter succeeds because the characters are utterly believable and identifiable, even by adults. The second essential is a sense of sacrifice and the accompanying inspiration in the readers that they too could make this sacrifice. On the negative front, avoid the message. If an author can't bury it deep in the narrative, just write an apologetics pamphlet instead. Keep in mind young people learn morality from their parents, not from books. Great books challenge already committed people to go deeper, to transcend their upbringing. Send those orthodox Catholic students from JP2High on a mission trip and get them lost. If you have to write the series, please make sure it's real, and not some author's personal fantasy. Written by Todd Hey all - I'll try to drop back when I have a minute, but in the meantime: why do we want Catholic fiction? What do we want it to do? What are our hopes for it? And does anybody really want to read it? Debra Murphy's The Mystery of Things was a really fine "pop" novel (and I mean no denigration in calling it that). A tremendous first effort, especially since she lacked the community Amy mentions - she made that thing happen all on her own. Did the Catholic community rush out and buy it? They did not. Shakespeare, murder, Theology of the Body, Our Lady of Guadalupe - it was all there but the sales. She's undaunted, God bless her, but still. Written by Lickona Lickona, that's the first I've heard of Murphy's The Mystery of Things, so I can't be accused of not supporting it. I would imagine most people are in the same boat, and I speak as someone who tries to keep up with such things and support them. I see that it has good reviews on Amazon, which helps but the publishing house is new to me, Idylls, nice name. I will give it a read. Written by Deal Hudson ...and I am wondering who here is subscribed to Image Journal? http://imagejournal.org/ Written by Santiago Ramos Hi Todd, fellow Sophia Press editor, and thanks for this good discussion. For years I've heard the question "why bother with Catholic fiction?" for many of the reasons enumerated above, including the arguments, "Why copy the Protestants?" "Why not just get our kids to read the classics?" and let's not forget "But isn't every really good book 'Catholic' in some sense anyhow?" For myself, I am a Catholic who is a writer and who also writes for Catholics. For those who think that every "good" writer would just write for universally "good" books, I would say that I have found for myself, that is too vague. To quote or paraphrase William Carlos Williams, "I write for myself, and for my friends, and I write to ease the passing of time." In my case, I have found my "friends" are serious Catholics. And yes, I deliberately write for them, the kind of stories that I know that they will particularly enjoy. This means, btw, that I can't preach, because the choir finds preaching boring. I write stories that speak from my experience to their experience: the way I phrase it is "I write books about people like us." I hear people sniff at this concept all the time, but this isn't an extraordinary concept. Almost every serious writer understands the concept of genre. Dorothy Sayer and Chesterton wrote mysteries, darn good mysteries. Hansen and O'Connor wrote/write adult literary fiction. Occasionally great works transcend the categories, as does Harry Potter, (and Tolkien, who created his own genre) but the fact is, by the time they are adults, most people choose a reading genre and stick with it. So I tell writers not to ignore the concept of genre. A book that could be read and enjoyed "by anyone" is a book that is likely not going to get read by anyone. Categories are a writer's friend: use them! Pick the genre you like best and master it. So for the past few three years I have been working with Sophia Press on what I have termed "Catholic genre fiction": books written by Catholics for a specifically Catholic readership. This is, by definition, lowbrow fiction, and as Amy has noted (I love when Amy writes on this topic, because she's so knowledgeable, btw), there used to be lots of it in the past. Some of it is somewhat timeless (Mr. Blue being one example) but most of it does fall by the wayside. That's okay. A serious writer doesn't produce a classic by aiming to, but by aiming to please the readers before him in the here and now. And that fiction from the 50's did please its readership then. It succeeded. Written by regina doman Lickona asked: why do we want Catholic fiction? What do we want it to do? What are our hopes for it? We want Catholic fiction because we want a Catholic identity. We long for a Catholic culture. We want to hear that "Catholic echo" rebounding back out at us from every direction. We want something to give to our kids. It's a real need, and we should take it seriously. And does anybody want to read it? If it's good, people will read it. And they will want more. I speak from experience: I have at least a few thousand readers of my book, many of whom are die-hard fans of my Fairy Tale Novel series. They have their own message board, they frequent my website, they pester me with weekly emails about the next book in the series (which I should be writing now). These girls (and a handful of boys) love these books at least partly because they're Catholic fiction, about "kids like them." That was why I started looking into creating the John Paul 2 High series, because I think there is a market. Todd thinks so too. We'll find out if we're right. And to answer Todd from CatholicSensibility,(heh heh heh) those "orthodox kids from John Paul 2 High" aren't what you apparently think they are. >:) Take a read and see what you think. To sell the series to people, I've used the tagline, "John Paul 2 High. It's just like Sweet Valley High. Except Catholic. And not stupid." :) Don't worry, we're not trying to pander to Puritans with this series. Written by regina doman I don't know whether O'Brian was Catholic, but Stephen Maturin of his Aubrey/Maturin novels is Catholic. Jack Aubrey is a not very imaginative Anglican who reflects the anti-Catholicism of the era (Napoleonic Wars.) O'Brian paints a fascinating picture of the religious beliefs and practices of the period. Then there's Rumer Godden. Surely she belongs in the canon? (BTW is commenter Lickona Matthew Lickona of <i>Swimming with Scapulars</i>? If so, I really enjoyed it.) Written by Polly Prim Lickona's question about what we want out of Catholic lit is a good one, but I'm not sure I know. Reading the summary of The Mystery of Things on Amazon makes it sound like something I'd be interested in picking up (but, like Deal, I'd never heard of it). It's easier for me to say what I don't like: Andrew Greeley's novels aren't my thing; similarly, I have no interest in a Catholic Osteen/Left Behind knockoff (Bud McFarlane's stuff being sort of like the latter, I guess, which …well, not a fan). But those books seem to be what sells, so I just might not be the target audience here. On the other hand, I'm not anti-lowbrow, just anti-low-quality-lowbrow. Generally speaking, I'm more interested in something being well-written than in having any recognizable Catholic touchstones (not that these are mutually exclusive, of course). So Todd A.'s suggestion about "Catholics acting like Catholics" -- I'm personally not too invested in seeing that one way or another. Amy's description of "literary fiction that is informed by a faith worldview but not evangelistic in its intent" pretty well describes what I'd be interested in seeing more of. Written by Margaret Cabaniss Amy Welborn wrote: One of the problems, as I see it, is that many of those who say they want Catholic fiction are puritanical, skittish about content and simply want what the equivalent of what the CBA market has, but with Catholics going to Mass instead of evangelical chicks at their Bible study. It's an interesting question, and I don't know the answer to it. I have encountered this as well, but I actually don't think it's a problem. In my three books so far, (www.fairytalenovels.com) I have portrayed date rape, seduction, and struggling with homosexuality, and the violence portrayed includes attempted suffocation, shooting, torture, and being burned alive. Yet some of the strictest Catholics "in babushkas and minivans" love my books. It has to do with two things: a) the mechanics of how the material is presented and b) the attitude of the writer's heart. With skill and discreet ambiguity and tact, you can portray just about anything in fiction without grossing your reader out. It's a learned skill, and novice writers (including myself) first usually "let it all hang out." A good editor can pull them back, as my editors did with me. But too many amateur writers, I suspect, have the wrong attitude towards their audience. They don't really love them and they don't really want to please them or delight them. They want readers to buy their books, but they resent it if the readers have any kind of expectations about what those books contain. It's not a good attitude for any writer to have. Yes, we're not here (as writers) tell readers only what they want to hear, but if you want to wake up or shake up your readers, make sure there's lots of honey in that medicine. It's *fiction*, after all! You're an entertainer: entertain! I honestly see the problem as a lack of love for the audience. And as we all know, they should "know we are Christians by our love," writers included. If novice Catholic fiction writers would quit despising some of their readership for what they consider puritanism (and is it really? Maybe the readers have had too much tragedy in their own lives. Maybe they're sensitive to nightmares. Maybe they're struggling with a sexual addiction. You really don't know why they want clean fiction, when it comes down to it), they would probably win themselves many more readers, and more sales. Written by regina doman (sorry so long...) Please don't misunderstand my point. I don't think Catholic fiction should ban tough subjects. But how we handle those subjects is the question. I think being kind to our readers' sensibilities is key. Remember, it's not only Catholics and Christians who dislike graphic in-your-face portrayals of sex and violence. Godless secular pagans appreciate discretion too. :) As I told Amy Welborn when she interviewed me about teen trash fiction (including the book "Rainbow Party") if I had an idea for a book about teens invited to a party that featured oral sex, which showed a teen who had a creative and dynamically orthodox way of transforming the situation, I would write it. Because our heroes should fight real dragons. Not imaginary ones or ones that became extinct decades ago. Okay, must go. If anyone wants to say a quick prayer for me as I go back to my manuscript (The Midnight Dancers), I'd be very grateful. Peace. Written by regina doman Todd A.'s suggestion about "Catholics acting like Catholics" -- I'm personally not too invested in seeing that one way or another — SomeoneMargaret, let me unpack that a bit. It's a sore spot for me how popular entertainment, typically produced by an intellectual elite class that is generally less religious than the public as a whole, gives us a fictional reflection of "real life" in which religion is curiously absent -- except when convenient for a punch line or bogeyman. Sitcom characters don't go to church (even though you see them in school, at work, at the gym, at the dinner table, and so on). You don't see movie heroes praying; the protagonists of youth novels usually aren't found considering their actions in light of religious doctrines or their soul's eternal destiny. Popular fictional entertainment feeds us a steady diet of thoroughly secularized realism; and inasmuch as art affects life, the effect can only be to make us adjust our own vision of reality in the secular direction. This is why I so admire the Evangelicals' effort to create fictional entertainments in which tokens of their religious realities are present. Especially for younger people -- who find therein affirmations of the way they're being raised to live: praying, reading the Bible, speaking of Jesus as personal Lord and Savior, making difficult and countercultural moral stands. For those readers, There's the reflection of real life -- not the nihilistic, vain, and dysfunctional world that secular fiction invites us to dwell in. And so I think it would be good to have this in Catholic form: books that reflect the Catholic lifestyles, practices, concerns, and vocabulary. Written by Todd M. Aglialoro This is a good discussion, and I'm taking notes as we go since a number of authors have been mentioned who are new to me. Lickona asks what we want from Catholic fiction. It seems to me that in part it should illuminate what it is like to be a Catholic. C.S. Lewis wrote that in fiction he could be many men, and see with many eyes, and thereby enlarge his inner life. When fiction is written from a Catholic sensibility, and grapples with Catholic themes, and takes seriously the truths of our faith, it takes its legitimate place in the literary world by adding another "set of eyes". For those who are trying to live as faithful Catholics, and to see the world as our faith teaches us it really is, why wouldn't quality fiction that illuminates that world appeal? To quote Lewis again, Catholic fiction is a contribution to the "baptism of imagination". Personally, I don't know of many examples of this sort of fiction. Michael D. O'Brien's novels are getting close to what I mean, or Shusaku Endo's Silence, and some of Graham Greene's work. Another role for Catholic fiction would be to imaginatively portray important events or figures in our history. The best practitioner of this art of which I am aware is Frederick Buechner (technically not a Catholic, but...). His books on Jacob (The Son of Laugher), Tobit (On the Road with the Archangel), St. Brendan (Brendan), and St. Godric (Godric), for instance, are excellent. Written by cnb "And to answer Todd from CatholicSensibility,(heh heh heh) those "orthodox kids from John Paul 2 High" aren't what you apparently think they are. >:) Take a read and see what you think. To sell the series to people, I've used the tagline, 'John Paul 2 High. It's just like Sweet Valley High. Except Catholic. And not stupid.' :)" Thanks for the good points, Regina. My daughter reads a bit of Sweet Valley. And my bit is smaller. I don't know I'd call it "stupid" as much as "juvenile" in the positive sense of that word. If you're "selling" this series, your handlers may well advocate you tagline it as you have. But I don't think they could sell it to me on that basis. Probably not my daughter either. It sounds like you may have a marketing error here. As a fellow writer, I'd suggest writing a bit more streamlined. The "heh heh heh" (to name one example) doesn't really add to your point except to attempt a subtraction from mine. But I think the line is still a loss. Written by Todd I've already received The Tripods Attack; it's waiting for my son's 11th birthday. Mark Shea's recent article on science fiction also applies in this case. My wife and I want books about the Big Story (human nature & the reality behind reality). We get that from Charles Williams, JRR Tolkien, CS Lewis, Graham Greene, and a few others. (Dante comes to mind!) It'd be nice to have some more recent authors to put there--Powers and Koontz make a good start. Amy, didn't you do a big feature on Catholic books for Our Sunday Visitor a year or two ago? Written by Eric Pavlat Sorry about the botched HTML tags. Now I understand what those round buttons are for. Written by cnb I understand wanting Catholic fiction as part of a Catholic culture/identity. But I think that what we will get instead is a Catholic sub-culture. It will be put off in a corner of a bookstore where people who want it can find it and everyone else will never see it. Didn't CS Lewis say that we don't need Christian literature if that means books written by bishops; that we need writer who are Christians writing the best books they can. Looking for another, I found this Lewis quote: "Even in literature and art, no man who bothers about originality will ever be original: whereas if you simply try to tell the truth (without caring twopence how often it has been told before) you will, nine times out of ten, become original without ever having noticed it." Madeline L'Engel: "I told her that if she is truly and deeply a Christian, what she writes in going to be Christian, whether she mentions Jesus or not. And if she is not, in the most profound sense, Christian, then what she writes is not going to be Christian, no matter how many times she invokes the name of the Lord." Brian Written by Brian Sullivan Brian, I don't think creating a "Catholic subculture" is to be feared, at least not on the face of it. (In our context, given your quote, I find it a little ironic that Lewis's own writings are today part of a Christian subculture.) I know that to some it signals a defeatest, bunker mentality; to others a lack of sophistication. But I think on the whole it's a good and healthy pursuit: a necessary tactical maneuver when, in the battle against secularism, we are beset on all sides. Madeleine L'Engle's own version of Christianity was always a bit "loose," and got looser as she aged. I suspect that quote of hers reflects her doctrinal and ecclesiastical leanings as much as it does her artistic ones. Written by Todd M. Aglialoro It's a sore spot for me how popular entertainment, typically produced by an intellectual elite class that is generally less religious than the public as a whole, gives us a fictional reflection of "real life" in which religion is curiously absent -- except when convenient for a punch line or bogeyman. — Todd M. AglialoroThanks for the clarification, Todd. I agree with this, but more as a point of verisimilitude. It bothers me when this type of religion-free zone is passed off as "the way things are," but by the same token I don't need to see it in every story if it doesn't relate to that particular character/subculture/etc. This is why I so admire the Evangelicals' effort to create fictional entertainments in which tokens of their religious realities are present. Especially for younger people -- who find therein affirmations of the way they're being raised to live: praying, reading the Bible, speaking of Jesus as personal Lord and Savior, making difficult and countercultural moral stands. — Todd M. AglialoroFor YA novels in particular, yeah, I could agree with this. But again, as far as "adult lit" goes, I don't personally feel a need to only see characters who live and act like me, unless the situation/subculture described in the story warrants it. Catholic themes arising from a description of a very non-Catholic world work just as well for me. Written by Margaret Cabaniss Brian, I don't think creating a "Catholic subculture" is to be feared, at least not on the face of it. — Todd M. AglialoroI think it has happened, but I don't fear it: I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain. (In our context, given your quote, I find it a little ironic that Lewis's own writings are today part of a Christian subculture.) Lewis maybe known by the sub-culture, but I don't think he is part of it. He is in it but not of it. People who are not Christians have heard of CS Lewis and read him. I think on the whole it's a good and healthy pursuit: a necessary tactical maneuver when, in the battle against secularism, we are beset on all sides. Sometimes a retreat to one's base camp is necessary for recovery and resupply, but it is usually a mistake to stay there, especially to mistake one's base for the whole theater of war. Some must go to the front while others keep the base running. Madeleine L'Engle's own version of Christianity was always a bit "loose," and got looser as she aged. I suspect that quote of hers reflects her doctrinal and ecclesiastical leanings as much as it does her artistic ones. But she still wrote some smashing good yarns! <;-).> Brian Written by Brian Sullivan "But I think on the whole it's a good and healthy pursuit: a necessary tactical maneuver when, in the battle against secularism, we are beset on all sides." If we are talking about tactics, let's have an official Catholic Aesthetic. Let's call it... yes, "Catholic Realism." Has a nice ring, no? I thought we agreed that literature was an end in itself, even Catholic literature? Why then this talk about "tactical maneuvers"? Art-as-tactics is a betrayal of art; those who advocate it usually aren't artists (or if they are, they are bad ones). Written by Santiago Santiago, methinks distinctions are in order. When I say "tactic," I refer generally to the idea of a popular "Catholic counterculture," not specifically to that class of fiction we might call "art." The Protestants have it -- and no one tells the Veggietales guys they're sell-outs. So yes, I agree in principle that if you aim to create art with some kind of utilitarian purpose as your primary aim, you're not likely to end up with good art. But that doesn't mean art can't serve a purpose (hasn't it often been used as an adjunct to an ideology or movement?) outside itself; more to my point, I'm referring to a class of literature and other popular entertainment that doesn't have the noble aim of being art for art's sake. Written by Todd M. Aglialoro Here's a thought from the soon-to-be-beatified John Henry Cardinal Newman: "By 'Catholic Literature' is not to be understood a literature which treats exclusively or primarily of Catholic matters, of Catholic doctrine, controversy, history, persons, or politics; but it includes all subjects of literature whatever, treated as a Catholic would treat them, and as he only can treat them." -- The Idea of a University: "English Catholic Literature", chapter 1, p. 1 That being said, I have to second the plug for Ron Hansen. I discovered his novel The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford after enjoying the adaptation for the big screen. I think he's a kindred spirit to Flannery. Written by Clayton Clayton, good to hear from you. I hope you're well, and thanks for joining the discussion. That's good stuff from JHN. Written by Todd M. Aglialoro coincidentally, today I received my set of Lenora Mattingly Weber books! She wrote a number of books for girls, two of which, the Beany Malone series and the Katie Rose/Stacy Belford series have been reprinted by Image Cascade press (imagecascade.com) The families in those books are Catholic, while totally in the world; the settings may seem dated to kids today, but the feelings, emotions and situations are as true today as they ever were. I can't recommend them enough. I am sure there are other readers of a certain age (late 40's-50's) who will remember these fondly and might like to share them with their children or grandchildren. Written by Kathleen Boyer My googlereader doesn't seem to enjoy Inside Catholic's opinions I guess. The absence of good Catholic writers is a problem of the state of faith in contemporary culture. The springtime of evangelization is undoubtedly here, but literary efforts seem to be reflected and contained in basic back-to-basics which are so needed. While O'Brien may be preachy, Ron Hansen doesn't emerge as the Catholic writer either. Ann Rice? Fr. Dwight Longnecker seems to like her: http://gkupsidedown.blogspot.com/search?q=anne+rice Good Catholic writers will come, I believe, soon, from a generation that perhaps is still spelling words at home, solidifying an education revolution brought by the family--taking reins of what belonged to it in the first place. Amy: our son at Notre Dame is your fan. And here's wishing my native Portuguese would be enough for translating Don Camillo gratis: I grew up with him and used to save college money to buy the Priest Vs the Communist delightful books. May St Antonio find you a publisher, and one for me too, as I have written a kids' book about the Brazilian Blessed Mother whose shrine the pope visited. For me it will be harder: I never published anything beyond articles. Written by Ana Braga-Henebry ....no longer exists. What we are left with is a remnant, a flicker of what once was. Writers no longer command the attention they once did, as Film has become the "new literature" as some have said. I think Catholics today have to find their own voice, instead of trying to imitate others. I'm sure there are authors pointing that way... Written by David W. I think Amy's point about broad cultural shifts taking their toll also on Catholic fiction is important. In general, I think American culture, especially among the young, is less-and-less interested in reading. Attention spans are shorter and shorter. The ability to focus one's mind upon a sustained agrument or a subtle train of thought that builds upon itself is becoming ever weaker. There are more than a few cities in the country where a teenager who graduates high school is in a minority. It seems to me that the capacity to comprehend any product of the human intellect (whether visual art or music or writing) that is based at least in significant part upon the use of higher reason is dwindling. So much of the cultural habitus that is ingrained into young people today is distinctly contra-reason that it is impairing the human ability to use the intellect to appreciate art in any form. So often now, evaluating a work of art has become merely about noticing and verbalizing the experience of one's immediate visceral reaction--the initial subjective response--raw and unexamined by the mind. Whether something is pleasing--in a distressingly shallow sense--is the only thing that seems to count. It's as though the mind in all this has simply become a sort of mechanism--a tracing paper--to register and express one's immediate subjective response to a work of art. But the deeper, rational meaning of one's encounter with deeply human, aesthetic values, remains buried beneath the surface of scattered, disarticulated bits of thought. A decent work of fiction has a very tough row to hoe to gain fans in such a cultural context. We need somehow to help our culture reconnect the intellect with the passions so that human persons can engage works of art as more complete and integrated human persons. Written by Scott J I hope Ron Hansen fans have not missed reading his "Hitler's Neice," published in 1999. It's my favorite among his many fine works now getting their due because of the excellent film adaptation of his book about Jesse James. Among his other books, the only one I couldn't quite appreciate was "Isn't It Romantic" (2003) where Hansen, in a very slender volume, sought to evoke a comic/magic mood. "Hitler's Neice," like "Jesse James" exhibits, in my opinion, one of Hansen's real strengths, exploring the humanity that remains in men who destroy themselves and others. Written by Deal Hudson Regina Doman and I have been exchanging emails about Catholic fiction for women for some time. Here's where we disagree: I think there is room for books about explicitly Catholic characters, and about characters who are confronting Catholicism, accepting and rejecting faith in their lives. I guess if I had to make comparisons with current popular fiction, I would say a Catholic Jan Karon or a more defined Katherine Valentine. In other words, books that affirm faith while telling a good story. Regina's fairy tale books are great, but young people (and those who will read books whose characters are mostly mature teens) are not the only audience. I'm probably not talking about literary works, but surely something a little better than a Catholic Harlequin novel. If you put up a "Catholic Fiction" booth at a women's conference, you would find buyers -- I look for this stuff in vain myself. Written by Karin Morin During our years of living in Nebraska when my husband taught at the University of Nebraska we encountered Ron Hansen and made a point of reading his books. (I was also working through Willa Cather's oeuvre, of course). We gave "A Stay against Confusion" to friends as gifts after hitting a jackpot of brand new hardcover copies for $1. He enjoyed Jesse James, I loved Atticus, a prodigal son tale. We read Nebraska, an early collection of stories. We had found a friend: a contemporary Catholic author from our then-home-base state. Then he published "Hitler's Niece". As my husband says: his writing is his usual, highly controlled; the portrayal of the characters effective, the subject matter unsavory. The Romantic comedy did not grab me either, although I thought it would, by the premise. Written by Ana Braga-Henebry Has anyone out there read the sci-fi/fantasy Young Wizards series by Diane Duane? They're not specifically Christian, and I don't know if she is or not; but they pick up and run with a number of extremely Christian themes. Plus they're just a fun read :) - sometimes light-hearted, sometimes spot-on poignant. Written by Margaret Catherine No expert me on the reading tastes of American Catholics, and certainly no fan of market-driven publishing ventures that unduly reward a Bud Macfarlane with sales of millions of copies of "gifted'n'unread" tripe in paperback. If publishers want to burgeon their bottom line in order to fund 'risky' authors, they should become canny in what folks enjoy relaxing with and where, and sell that product in that channel (not the parish book rack or online St. Jude store): See Mollie at GetReligion for an idea of what American consumption of news looks like: http://www.getreligion.org/?p=3435 Why a bubble over New York, DC, and Hollywood? Surprised? Where's EWTN? Where's Monaghan? Where's the Morley Group? Ignatius Press etc etc.? They're back in Plato's cave trying to make sense of the shadows they fear... Written by Clare Krishan Get out into the light with Dawn Eden and, like her, battle the harridans on the Today show for an hour and keep your dignity and grace, see churchofthemasses blogspot com /2008/04/ thrill-of-meeting-dawn-eden.html (and read the rest of BarbNicolosi's blog for some pointers on how to engage the culture with EXCELLENCE not pabulum) and then I'll have some interest in reading your saccharine "Catholic subculture platitutes" but so far I'm not impressed with the tone of this thread... too incestuous and self-serving by far... Where's the book that tells the tale of the cardinal's insignia revered by the Japanese protagonist in Akiro Kurosawa's 1980 movie en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kagemusha ? Where's the book that tells the tale of the Spaniard Vitoria, the hero lauded by the Pope at the UN this month? Where's the book that tells the tale of the first millenium of the Polish commonwealth, rooted in ancient family nobilities of Sarmatia, precursor to the modern concepts of democracy and constitutional confederation? The Queen who brought the liturgy in the vernacular (Glagolithic) from Constantinople long before John Carroll bewailed the futility of evangelizing the New World in Latin... Our problems didn't start with Vatican II. The authochtonouos churches of Eastern Europe resisted the depridations of the Reformation for a lot longer than we in the West, their vitality sourced in a vigorous sense of identity... the Chaldean and Syriac churches buried in the sands of the Orient have worked veritable miracles considering their circumstances. What's their secret? No lack of interest? ... that can't be it - folks get killed in that part of the world for reading Christian texts, so not a big market there to be sure. No lack of investors? ... that can't be it either - subtract the cost of feeding and clothing the indigent souls trapped in Palestine from the pittance we remit to the Holy Land Sanctuaries at Xmas leaves 'remainder naught' for artisanal endeavors other than carving olive wood ornaments for some random festive season No lack of imagination? -- now that's more like it!!! Written by Clare Krishan Ana, I wondered when I read "Isn't This Romantic" if it was just me, or perhaps I was used to a certain kind of seriousness in Hansen's writing and I just couldn't change gears. I recall it as beautifully written and evocative, but containing a murky narrative. Yes, the subject matter of "Hitler's Neice" is unsavory, but as so many of the posts above have said, good books, fiction we can call Catholic for whatever reason, will embrace all that is, including all that mankind if capable of, all that we celebrate and abhor -- That's the hook of fiction: We can enter the mind of a murderer without any danger of becoming one. (I know there are those who dispute this last line, and they are the ones who tend toward avoiding any art that does not affirm virtue, sort of like the Hays Code in the 30s tried to police the sexual and political content of movies.) Written by Deal Hudson I currently TIVO twice weekly episodes of a KBS TV show broadcast here in Philly on the Korean historical figure Dae Jo Yeong, who united the disparate tribes in Manchuria shortly before Mohammed swept into power. All 134 one-hour episodes are a delight, since the Koreans are typically Asian in their modesty and storytelling discipline, and deeply proud of their abiding identity in the maelstrom of Russian and Chinese hegemony in that area. Where's the correspondent creativity of our Catholic culture in the maelstrom of secular atheist logical positivist materialist hegemony? The best idea yooze can come up with is "JPII High".....? PFUI! Take a deep breath, confess your sloth, and as penance get cracking on unpacking the treasures of our globe, the eternal universals, i.e. the catholic values in the best sense of the word... In the meantime, hire some translators and sell the foreigners' books to make some money. Or recruit some talented comic book illustrators like SERGIO TOPPI AND TONY PAGOT "Karol Wojtyla: The Pope of the Third Millennium" or Gene Luen Yang and Gene Yang "American Born Chinese" And most importantly, lobby your bishops conference to discontinue supporting secular textbook publishing of catechetical materials - we should be raising up our own crop of talented Catholic souls creating sacred art, not settle for the insipid clip-art cut-n-paste layouts of the atrocities we're forced to use to teach the faith to our kids... So, Basta, rant over! God Bless you for bearing with me... its sunny outside, come enjoy the fun, the Pope showed us how to hope, now just do it ! I C X C N I K A Written by Clare Krishan "Next to the saints, the art which the church has produced is the only real apologia for her history." Pope Benedict XVI from insidecatholic.com/Joomla/index.php? option=com_content&task=view&id=3509&Itemid=48 And lest folks mistake my tying into the "DC music controversy" as approval for Neuhaus et al, FAR FROM IT! What where those two doofus's doing while the Pope delivered his Homily? Putting cotton balls in their ears....? "At the same time she senses, often painfully, the presence of division and polarization in her midst, as well as the troubling realization that many of the baptized, rather than acting as a spiritual leaven in the world, are inclined to embrace attitudes contrary to the truth of the Gospel. "Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth!" (cf. Ps 104:30). The words of today's Responsorial Psalm are a prayer which rises up from the heart of the Church in every time and place." As an artist, I could see some sensibility in the discordant chronisms that accompanied those words - evocative of how far we are from a state "East of Eden" that we are as yet clanging symbols... But the irony is those two ornery, disagreeable old men like the Muppets Statler and Waldorf, evinced far greater "bitterness" than anything Obama could have conjured up -- shame on them! If the Holy Mass is a celebration of the conjugal love of Creator for his Creation, then please forgive my candor, EWTN's commentators are the porn-flick consumers smoking a cigarette after consumption of the act: "Was it good for you?" "No, it left a lot to be desired, I prefer to climax in sexier company" The opposite of love isn't hate, its "use" (and these two men "used" the DC mass for their own juvenile pleasure, and it was ghastly to endure) Written by Clare Krishan If you put up a "Catholic Fiction" booth at a women's conference, you would find buyers -- I look for this stuff in vain myself. — Karin MorinKarin, that's a great idea! Maybe I'll try it. :) BTW I don't think you and I disagree about books having "explicitly Catholic characters, and about characters who are confronting Catholicism, accepting and rejecting faith in their lives." Our disagreements I think were more about *how* that sort of thing is handled, not whether or not it should be handled. Written by regina doman "You are not a saint because you keep the rules and are blameless; you are a saint if you live in the real world, going out and loving the real people whom God has put into your life." Sr. Wendy Becket on Mother Theresa illustration, p.21 Dan Paulos "In the Midst of Chaos, Peace" http://www.amazon.com /gp/reader/0898707641/ ref = sib_dp_pt#reader-link Written by Clare Krishan >The best idea yooze can come up with is "JPII High".....? Well, it's maybe not the BEST idea, but it's someplace to start. :) You have to start somewhere, you know... You realize that part of the reason for the disagreement here is that there are two issues involved in Catholic fiction: writing it and publishing it. When you're writing fiction, you're in the Mystery. You're struggling with the mechanics and the voice and the structure, but you're mostly trying to get in touch with the Muse, the Holy Spirit, and see what it is that He wants to bring forth. When you're publishing, you're thinking about costs, markets, profit margins, page margins, market placement, and all the stuff that is so egregriously mundane and money-concerned and horrifying to the artist steeped in craft. Unfortunately in today's market, the writer and publisher are often forced to be the same person. At the very least, a writer has to think like a publisher. So if this conversation seems to be stacking up between the purists who want art and the marketeers who want money, that's because the Catholic fiction problem encompasses both. This is probably a nice way of saying that we don't really disagree, since we're talking about different parts of the same fruit bowl. No one is arguing, I think, that oranges shouldn't have rinds and taste too bitter or that apples are too easily bruised and should divide neatly into sections. As for John Paul 2 High, well, who knows, it may be tripe. But if it's a good read, it'll make money. And if it makes money, Catholic publishers will have the money to publish the artsy stuff and not lose their shirts. And then Clare can write the new Great Catholic Novel and actually get it published by someone. :) Opening up the market is a dirty job, but someone's got to do it. Thanks to Todd A. and Sophia press for stepping up to the plate. If you want to help, buy a copy. Give it to your parish library if you can't stand to read it yourself. Or buy The Mystery of Things (which was a good read, but SCARY). Peace out. Written by regina doman As a former evangelical (now Catholic) who once worked in the Christian music industry, I have to say that I echo Clare's perspective - as an artist and as a Christian, I am not enthused about the creation of a "Catholic contemporary fiction" subculture, or any sort of Catholic artistic ghetto, for two main reasons: 1. Artistic quality suffers as a result of lack of contact with fellow artists in the mainstream and with the aesthetic principles at the base of our shared culture. When we isolate ourselves, we develop our own "code language" for the concepts we want to communicate to each other, our imaginations aren't challenged, and we soon become unintelligible to the world outside. 2. The popular culture at large is not evangelized; it continues to grow more and more hostile to the Gospel as talented artists leave the mainstream. My experience in the Christian record industry encompassed most of the things folks here have mentioned, including the debate over whether it's ever OK to "shock" the Christian reader/listener; how on earth to advertise and market our product to people who will buy it; if financial success is elusive, how much of that is due to the resistance of secular culture and how much to our own ignorance/ineptitude; and whether the goal should be "entertainment"/art for consumer culture or "art for art's sake". Here's where I stand: I'm with Flannery O'Connor on the shock issue, because sometimes it's necessary to "shout" to those who are "deaf" whether they're in or out of the Church. How you market that, I don't know. The artist and/or publisher has to decide for themselves whether the risk is worth taking. We can't blame our lack of traction in the marketplace solely on secularism and the Devil's resistance; there have been plenty of works that have gotten through that Iron Curtain (Passion of the Christ, Ron Hansen's work, etc.), so it can be done. We don't break through or break down secularism by not confronting it; we break through it by meeting it head-on. Some Christian artists have giftings that are suited for ministry within the Christian community; others have giftings that must be used outside of it in order to thrive. Recognition of this fact as as a basis on which to begin designing support structures would be a great beginning. IMHO. Written by Kathleen Lundquist I think Catholic writers face the same kind of identity crisis as many of the great black American writers. Langston Hughes wrote that he was "ashamed for the black poet who says, 'I want to be a poet, not a Negro poet,' as though his own racial world were not as interesting as any other world." Is the Catholic world as interesting as any other world? I think it can be, but I think a writer has to show how Catholic life relates to life in general. Isn't all literature about human beings who are not like us? If it is a good story, then it shouldn't matter whether the reader is Catholic or not, even if the characters are. I think it is important that Catholic characters have an identity beyond being Catholic. They shouldn't be a generic "Catholic" character, they have to be fully developed. For example, a Mexican Catholic in the Southwest is going to be a different character than an Irish Catholic from Boston. There is a lot of great American literature about different ethnic groups, and different regions of the country. I think there is room for a "Catholic regionalist," so to speak. Written by Jason Hi Kathleen: Thanks for a thoughtful post from your unique-to-this-thread perspective. By the way, looking over your website, I see you list Karen Peris as an influence. I'm a big Innocence Mission fan myself, and have had the pleasure of meeting and speaking with Karen on a few occasions. (I love the Anonymous 4's "English Ladymass" too.) I do understand the concern (which you and others have expressed in different ways) about "isolation," but I don't think a "counterculture" necessarily has to be analogous to holing up in a cave like some Japanese soldier who never got the word that WWII was over. Indeed, prior to the 1960's I'd argue that all of the American Catholic experience was "countercultural"; Catholics were *different,* and they knew it -- and they expressed it in the ways, big and small, they live and talked and spent their time. You might even go a step further and say that the entire spirit of Christianity is countercultural: to be a sign of contradiction and a stumbling block, to be in the world but not of it. Salvation history is full of instances of God setting his people apart from the unbelievers, and this basic dynamic doesn't change even though since Pentecost we have been saddled with the additional, seemingly paradoxical duty of going "out to the world." But I believe that today, for various reasons we needn't go into, Catholic culture (such as it is) has swayed the balance of that formula heavily towards being "of the world." So when I advocate a new "Catholic counterculture," it's not to suggest that we abdicate our responsibility to evangelize, to penetrate "the world" with the Gospel. And it's not to ignore "secular" standards of good art (any more than good science or good medicine) just because it's secular, thus ending up with worthless schlock. But I do mean to suggest that a Catholic culture grown indistinct, a culture whose recent close contact with "the world" has, on balance, made *it* more worldly rather than the world more Christian, needs to get back to basics. Before it can expect to make any sort of effective evangelical witness, it must be strong and secure in its own identity. The "counterculture" -- of which entertainment is really just one small part; it also comprises family and parish life, education, friendship and fraternity -- nurtures that identity and helps provide that security. Frankly, today I don't see Catholics providing much in the way either of countercultural material *or* the kind of highbrow, subtly "Catholic" art that penetrates the world. (With regard to your examples, "Passion of the Christ" doesn't really qualify IMO, being very much a standard-bearer and icon of the Christian counterculture, and Ron Hansen, for all his ubiquity in this thread, doesn't get us very far.) So it's not as if my suggestion of a counterculture would mean abandoning other worthy endeavors. There's no reason not to have both (such, as many posts in this thread prove, as we had in generations past). Written by Todd M. Aglialoro I've written something that I would consider to be a work of fiction with a Catholic message. Whether or not my fellow Catholics would agree is yet to be seen, I suppose (I have generally positive feedback from Rhonda Chervin, though). Look up The Knight of Power by Michael Healy on amazon.com or on lulu.com. On the latter site, you can even view the maps and read the prologue. Written by Michael Healy, Jr. Yes, the subject matter of "Hitler's Neice" is unsavory, but as so many of the posts above have said, good books, fiction we can call Catholic for whatever reason, will embrace all that is, including all that mankind if capable of, all that we celebrate and abhor -- That's the hook of fiction: We can enter the mind of a murderer without any danger of becoming one. (I know there are those who dispute this last line, and they are the ones who tend toward avoiding any art that does not affirm virtue, sort of like the Hays Code in the 30s tried to police the sexual and political content of movies.) — Deal HudsonI'd say Flannery did bring the grotesque and otherwise unsavory theme without ... immersing the reader in the sickening mud? She was a master of that. "Hitler's Niece" may be crossing a line, a thin line Flannery managed to never cross. Written by Ana Braga-Henebry I told her that if she is truly and deeply a Christian, what she writes in going to be Christian, whether she mentions Jesus or not.... Brian, that's a great quote from Madeline L'Engle. Can you tell me where you got it? All the discussion here has been excellent. I'm of two minds: on the one hand, I've been burned repeatedly by the poorly written sermon-as-novel brand of Christian fiction, which has inclined me to dislike Christian fiction generally and side with those who say it's more important for fiction to be good than to be explicitly Christian. On the other hand, I remember that some of the greatest works in literature, such as Paradise Lost or The Divine Comedy, are blatantly Christian. If Milton decided not to write plainly Christian work because he was afraid of preaching, what would have happened? I think the answer is in what's already been stated here, and in that L'Engle quote. Strunk or White, in The Elements of Style, says the good writer writes for himself and not to please an audience. A deeply Christian writer who writes to please himself will inevitably write Christian work because that is what pleases him, whether the Christian themes are explicit or not. Perhaps instead of asking where the Catholic fiction is, we should ask where the Catholics who write fiction are. We might find there are more of them than we realized. Since others have dropped titles, I must add the recently released sf novel Space Vulture by Gary K. Wolf and Archbishop John J. Myers! Written by D. G. D. Davidson Lest this seem to be tooting my own horn (as I'm an assistant editor for the publication and have also had my work appear there), I will toot my colleagues' horns by bringing up the literary magazine for emerging Catholic writers, Dappled Things (www.dappledthings.org). While we're not exactly mainstream, we are engaging in exactly this conversation and this endeavor, trying simultaneously to build the aforementioned counterculture as a community and to break through into the mainstream as individuals. We believe that there is a future for both kinds of "Catholic fiction," and we want to be part of it. If you hope the same, you might give us a look. :) Written by Katy Carl Well, I gather that I'm in the minority, but I'm actually quite hopeful about the prospects for Catholic fiction in the not-so-distant future. I'm curious to know: are many/any of you familiar with Dappled Things magazine (www.dappledthings.org)? As president of Dappled Things, I've had the chance to meet some very promising writers and artists and even publish some of their work. Several members of our board, for example, currently have novels in the works with which I am very impressed. I don't know how we'll manage to find them a publisher, but I have no doubt we will. We have also received work from several poets for whom I have serious hopes. I hope this does not sound too much like an advertisement, but seriously, if all of you are craving for Catholic literature, I highly encourage you to stop by our site at www.dappledthings.org. Go ahead and take a look at our current fiction offerings: 1. "The Sacred Way" by Neil Brown 2. Pear Trees by Dena Hunt 3. The latest part of Eleanor Bourg Donlon's "The Letters of Magdalen Montague," a novella which she has been publishing in installments and for which she is currently seeking a publisher. You will have to go to our SS. Peter & Paul 2007 edition (go to the archives through the link in the sidebar) to read the first part of the series, but I promise it is well worth it. We are also trying to engage the matter of *thinking* seriously about art and literature and trying to develop a sound aesthetic built upon the riches of the Catholic tradition. In regards to this I highly recommend reading: 1. "When the Eagles Don't Fit in Capistrano" by Matthew Milliner (yes, that's a reference to a recent essay by Jody Bottum in First Things) 2. "Self-Gift in the Vocation of the Literary Artist" by Katy Carl (what you might call a "manifesto" for the "Catholic realism" that Santiago Ramos was calling for in a post above... this one is also in the archives in the SS. Peter & Paul 2007 edition) 3. "Eclipse: A Painting by Carl Schmitt" by Carl Schmitt, Jr. (in the Mary, Queen of Angels 2007 edition) I also encourage you to check out the art and poetry we are publishing. Take a look, for example, at some of Gabriel Olearnik's challenging and delightful poems like "An English Apocalypse" (Mary, Queen of Angels 2007 edition) and "The Builders," (SS. Peter & Paul 2007) and then tell me poetry is dead. Written by Bernardo HA! Small world! I promise Katy and I did not plan to post both comments about DT at the same time! We both arrived into the conversation by pure coincidence. I must admit I'm not too shy about tooting the Dappled Things horn because I don't see the magazine as my own in any way... it's just something I want to share with the Catholic community, especially a group of Catholics so obviously interested in these matters. At the risk of making my comments sound even more like and ad, let me ad a few more thoughts. First, if you like the website, you should really try subscribing to our printed edition. The subscription is inexpensive and people are always pleasantly surprised with the high production quality and design. Matthew Lickona will attest to that if you don't believe me! Second, I encourage anyone that's interested to join us in our own forums for further discussion. You can get to them from our home page. Third, I want to re-assert that I see good reasons to hope for a renewal of Catholic art and fiction. Now we just have to pray that book publishers will give some of these emerging authors a chance. And seeing there are some publishers lurking: DID I MENTION ELEANOR DONLON IS LOOKING FOR SOMEONE TO PUBLISH "THE LETTERS OF MAGDALEN MONTAGUE"? Check it out! Written by Bernardo she doesn't seem to understand Catholic writers or Catholic publishing. Edwin O'Connor didn't get a Pulitzer Prize for "The Edge of Sadness" because he wrote in or for a Catholic ghetto or because his work was marketed only to a certain group of people. While his work used an enduringly Catholic theme, it spoke also to the perpetual concepts of sin, betrayal, and redemption, themes that resonate with all people. That was true of Catholic fiction in general at one time. And it didn't have to be shocking in vulgar, obvious ways; it was shocking in the way all great literature is: by reminding us of our perpetual dilemmas and sins. That's how it always broke through secularism. Written by Janice I was quite delighted to hear of this conversation (from Bernardo) and thrilled to see Dappled Things promoted (not to mention surprised and honored to be promoted myself). It is nice to see many familiar contributers here. Janice has hit the nail squarely on the head. While I agree that pedantry and proselytism are important, the fundamental importance of Catholic fiction (to which many of you have gestured) is the fact that we believe as Catholics that the lived experience of our religious identity is more than superficial or soppy spirituality. Essentially Catholic themes -- sacrament, conversion, vocation, the transformative power of grace -- are valuable both within Catholic circles and across the boundaries of religious affiliation. Catholicism grants a unique and unparalleled perspective of humanity. Graham Greene's contention that only bad Catholics can be good writers is utter bosh. Authentic belief must beget a more comprehensive understanding of humanity and that is the basis of true value in fiction (or any other writing, for that matter). This doesn't mean we need to repopulate the market with priest and nun books (although there is nothing wrong with them if well-written). We want to write in what Ralph McInerny aptly describes (although in another context) as the “ambiance of faith” and such an ambiance is much more subtle and foundational. But it does mean that Catholicism should not automatically disqualify good writing! I think there is great hope for the future. Catholic publishing (which experienced such extraordinary growth at the beginning of the last century, then declined through the fifties, sixties, and so on) has been growing steadily in the last thirty years in terms of non-fiction. It is time for fiction to catch up. In fact, I think that fiction publication will be the determining factor of whether the present generation of Catholic publishers survives. Written by Eleanor Donlon DANNY GOSPEL is a literary novel with Christian themes. My intent was to write something akin to the works of Cervantes, Flannery O'Connor, Walker Percy, Dostoevsky, Annie Dillard... C. Michael Curtis, Senior Fiction Editor at The Atlantic, recently gave the book a nice blurb: "DANNY GOSPEL is the answer to a prayer...written with grace, artfulness and good humor." For more blurbs/reviews/discussions, please send me a note: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it Kind regards, David Athey Written by David Athey I think the issue of how upsetting material is handled in fiction is important. I write on very dark subjects [child abuse, suicide, murder and rape have all featured in my books] but am very careful about the way I deal with the material. Yes, I think it is possible to write sensitively about these issues and we need as Catholic writers to be capable of dealing with difficult subjects. However, I think there is an element of puritanism in some [v limited] Catholic circles. For example, some years ago, I wrote a short story in which a character hears some bad news and says 'Oh my God! Oh God!' A moment later he is asked by his sister not to say that and yet a reader denounced it as 'blasphemous.' On another occasion, a student at the university chaplaincy I attended tried to get Brideshead Revisited banned, basically because the characters were not squeaky clean from chapter one. Catholic puritanism may be the reserve of a minority but it certainly does exist and it is damaging. Written by Fiorella Ana, I'm thinking that Hansen didn't cross any line in "Hitler's Niece" that O'Connor didn't cross in "A Good Man Is Hard to Find" or even "Wise Blood." Perhaps I am not able to recall the part of Hansen's book that you find objectionable. I found parts of the only Andrew Greeley novel objectionable on the grounds that hated one of his main characters, a conservative Catholic. As the Catholic novelist Julian Green once said, "I pray for my characters," and his novels showed it. Written by Deal Hudson I think the issue of how upsetting material is handled in fiction is important. I write on very dark subjects [child abuse, suicide, murder and rape have all featured in my books] but am very careful about the way I deal with the material. Yes, I think it is possible to write sensitively about these issues and we need as Catholic writers to be capable of dealing with difficult subjects. However, I think there is an element of puritanism in some [v limited] Catholic circles. For example, some years ago, I wrote a short story in which a character hears some bad news and says 'Oh my God! Oh God!' A moment later he is asked by his sister not to say that and yet a reader denounced it as 'blasphemous.' On another occasion, a student at the university chaplaincy I attended tried to get Brideshead Revisited banned, basically because the characters were not squeaky clean from chapter one. Catholic puritanism may be the reserve of a minority but it certainly does exist and it is damaging. Written by Fiorella As a new Catholic novelist, this has been a very interesting discussion. I just wanted to jump in and "second" what David Athey posted about Danny Gospel. I'm about halfway through it now, and it is excellent. The central character isn't Catholic, but neither is he the stereotypical type one might usually associate with CBA fiction. There are several supporting characters who are Catholic, and they are quite well-portrayed. Dave Long, David's editor at Bethany House, has been working to develop a "new model" of Christian fiction. I've found his "faith in fiction" blog to be a thought-provoking read, and this book shows the fruit of his efforts. Written by Chris I'm late to this discussion, as usual. But it's a good one, and one that as an aspiring writer of young-adult fiction I find interesting. As a Catholic, I *can't* write non-Catholic fiction, and I suspect that every Catholic writer here is in the same boat. This doesn't mean that we have to have smells and bells on every page, just that our way of looking to the world, to the people in it, and to the challenges and struggles those people face is going to be wrapped up in a kind of Catholic blanket called transcendence--the notion that this life isn't all we have, that risking one's life for others is brave, not stupid or wasteful, and that in the end the person who approaches life without a touch of both humility and gratitude isn't actually operating properly in regards to the reality in the way that he thinks he is. Granted, I choose to write sci-fi/fantasy because I find this to be the most liberating genre, especially when writing for younger readers. All due respect to Regina, but I couldn't write a "Rainbow Party" story, because the temptation to draw too-sharp lines between the "good" characters and the "evil" ones would be much too strong for me, let alone the corresponding temptations both to realize that the "good" character would be much more likely to be ostracized and targeted for years of threateningly tiresome retaliation for going against the incorrigible crowd than viewed as any kind of potent influence for good and to be unable to refrain from having my good characters editorialize about the nauseatingly stupid behavior of the others in terms that wouldn't really be appropriate either for the verisimilitude of the character or the vocabulary of the young readers. And that, I think, is the key to writing good Catholic fiction: create, as a Catholic, a character or group of characters who somehow have the capacity to come to share Catholic values (that is, some redemptability) without even them necessarily realizing it at the outset. In the completed manuscript I consider my best work so far the main character begins as a thief--but he's not very good at it. Finding out, not only that he is good, extremely good, at something uncommon is part of the path he takes to find out just how good he's capable of being--and yet the other characters he encounters recognize his capacity for goodness almost from the beginning. So the difference between Catholic fiction and other sorts of fiction, it seems to me, has to do with this instinct to portray one's characters as affected by goodness. Either they're trying to escape it, or trying to find it, or trying to hang on to a belief in it, or crawling their way back to a belief in it after tragedy or hardship for the sake of their own intrinsic natures--but they know it's there, and they may even grasp, in some tiny and not-preachy way, that it's not an It at all. Written by Red Cardigan Find who has the copyright for the work of R. A. Lafferty, buy them, and print his complete works. The man was a genius, and he could be a very good example of what top-notch Catholic fiction can be. Then try to sign up Gene Wolfe, and reissue his New Sun tetralogy. Written by Adriana I. Pena I liked Father Elijah from Michael O'Brien. In this House of Brede (Evelyn Waugh?) is also a fun read. Written by magdalen With regard to Janice's comment: she doesn't seem to understand Catholic writers or Catholic publishing. Edwin O'Connor didn't get a Pulitzer Prize for "The Edge of Sadness" because he wrote in or for a Catholic ghetto or because his work was marketed only to a certain group of people. While his work used an enduringly Catholic theme, it spoke also to the perpetual concepts of sin, betrayal, and redemption, themes that resonate with all people. That was true of Catholic fiction in general at one time. And it didn't have to be shocking in vulgar, obvious ways; it was shocking in the way all great literature is: by reminding us of our perpetual dilemmas and sins. That's how it always broke through secularism. — JaniceI believe she mistook my meaning. I was not referring to the "Catholic counterculture" (Todd's phrase) of the early 20th century, which produced and supported such great Catholic writers as O'Connor, as a "Catholic ghetto". Rather, I was warning against admiration and emulation of the contemporary evangelical Protestant subculture and publishing industry, which produces and supports such writers as Tim LaHaye. There is a big difference (in my thinking, at least) between a Catholic <i>counterculture</i>, which is energetically engaged in fruitful dialogue with the wider culture, and a Catholic <i>subculture</i> which is submerged out of its view and cut off from contact with it. And I would venture also to say that literature which "reminds us of our... sins" doesn't "always {break} through secularism". American popular culture is now so depraved that people can barely assent to the concept of objective truth, let alone the concept of sin, and we must do some real inspired creative work in order to communicate these concepts to modern people. In my experience, the answer to the question of whether a work breaks into the larger market depends on the overall quality of the work, the financial resources behind it, and sometimes just dumb luck. I am all for this conversation and the hope that is being expressed by many of you. We need all the ideas we can generate in order to support one another in our endeavors. Written by Kathleen Lundquist My goodness. Here is their site. Go there. Subscribe. Support. Donate. They have a lovely print issue, and a sampling online: www.dappledthings.org Written by Dena Hunt Hello all: I've put a link to this post and discussion on the front page. You'll find it in the lower right corner, under the Special Reports banner, entitled, "Is There A Future For Catholic Fiction?" That'll help you follow the discussion if it should get bumped down the blog today. Written by Brian Saint-Paul A friend asked me to visit this interesting post. Thank you for alerting me to this learning opportunity. I am pretty much in the Jacques Maritain camp. Art is the habit of the artist and the standard to judge art is: beauty. I refuse (strongly) to accept shoddy art on the basis of its alleged catholicity for the same reasons that I would not hire a bad plumber because he is a faithful Catholic. That is reality now, but we should move to the point where a plumber, a musician, a writer... are all good because of their catholicity. Let me explain (oh well, this is going to be long!). As Catholics we are to deliver Christ to the world. That includes delivering beauty. When the West was Catholic, beauty was a given. Not so today. The root of beauty in catholicity is the gracious tension between the local and the universal. Paint your village, then you´ll be universal as the saying goes. I don't have the solution but I know what I want: I want a Catholic Paul Auster that writes like Evelyn Waugh and is capable of penetrating the culture like Dante Alighieri. I want catholic writers that can fascinate a buddist, a communist, an atheist. Beauty seduces and elevates the soul to the divine heights. Like Dante said in the last canto of the Inferno: Lo duca e io per quel cammino ascoso intrammo a ritornar nel chiaro mondo; e senza cura aver d’alcun risposo, salimmo sù, el primo e io secondo, tanto ch’i’ vidi de le cose belle che porta ‘l ciel, per un pertugio tondo. E quindi uscimmo a riveder le stelle In English... My guide and I came on that hidden road to make our way back into the bright world; and with no care for any rest, we climbed-- he first, I following--until I saw, through a round opening, some of those things of beauty Heaven bears. It was from there that we emerged, to see--once more--the stars. displayed by heaven Written by Carlos Caso-Rosendi Many thanks to good friend Kathleen Lundquist for giving me the heads up on this discussion, and to Matthew Lickona for the nice mention of my novel, The Mystery of Things. (Yes, dear, "undaunted"--good word, that. But the very fact that this discussion is taking place among such bright people tells me that there's light at the end of the "Catholic fiction" tunnel.) A quick story about my publishing history which may be illustrative: When I started writing, I intended my novel to be a nice little mystery along P.D. James lines. Unfortunately, I have one of those minds in which everything is connected to everything else in a sort of intellectual Butterfly Effect, and before I was finished I had a thematically ambitious doorstopper that read like a strange Catholic cross between, oh, Dostoevsky, Ayn Rand and Thomas Harris. I found an incredibly supportive NYC agent-- we're still great buddies-- who shopped the novel around for several years. We kept getting the most interesting comments upon rejection, to the effect that, "The writing is good, I really like the story, but I don't know how to position it on our list... I wouldn't know how to market it... literary thriller?... Christian fiction...? (No, no, too much sex and violence, and Catholicism, for the CBA!) There was no thought to try for a Catholic publisher. None at the time were publishing fiction at all, save O'Brien's books at Ignatius, and we knew the thing would be way too edgy for them. So I started Idylls Press in 2004, thinking not only to publish TMOT, but perhaps other novelists who were similarly unable to get trade or Catholic publishers because their work fell between marketing cracks. Its a completely mom and pop operation, and we've only put out six books so far, but I believe they're high quality. (One is a book of poetry, three new novels, and two "classics".) My goal is, frankly, to put myself out of business; to serve as a seed-bed of talent that blooms in the larger publishing world. In our little way I hope to help launch the next Catholic literary revival by putting enough quality stuff out there, in however small a way-- our marketing resources are pitiful!-- that larger publishers eventually take note and think, "Hm, this is good stuff, we could market this." The Overt vs Covert issue: I don't see the conflict. It's not either/or, but both/and. Bl. Flannery said, a Catholic novelist is "a Catholic mind looking at anything." Catholic minds can write about Southern Protestants, like Bl. Flannery, or Western gunslingers, like Ron Hansen, or hobbits and elves and orcs, like Tolkien. And sometimes that Catholic mind is looking at overtly Catholic subjects, as in Brideshead, or Ron Hansen's masterpiece, Mariette in Ecstacy. Giminy Crickets, we're a billion-plus people, world-wide, we have stories to tell! I hate that right now Dan Brown and Steve Barry are telling more of them than l the rest of us put together. More anon... Written by Debra I think it should also be mentioned that a "catholic" mind looking at anything can produce as wonderful a reading experience as a "Catholic" one, for if a novelist is a careful and honest observer, and his work faithfully reflects reality, he's written a sub-rosa "Catholic" novel whether he knows it or not. Examples: Madame Bovary by the otherwise Voltairian Gustave Flaubert; ex-Catholic Cormac McCarthy's No Country for Old Men; the works of Anglican Jane Austen; the works of the furiously anti-Catholic Dostoevsky; Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell by that daughter of a Methodist minister, Susanna Clarke. (This latter book, in my view the best fantasy since Tolkien, posits an alternative history of England in which Magic flourished, especially in the North, until --surprise!--around the time of the Reformation, when it fell into decline. I wonder if Clarke's been dipping into Eamon Duffy.) As for Idylls Press, mine is the only title with very overt Catholic themes. Farrell O'Gorman's Awaiting Orders has a subtle Catholic theme, and is reminiscent of Ron Hansen and the Holy Ghost school; but it's also (like mine) a bit too "edgy" for most Catholic publishers. It's been enthusiastically reviewed in Commonweal and America, and I suspect Farrell is destined eventually for a big publisher. Our Narnia-esqe YA fantasy, Maureen McQuerry's Wolfproof, mentions Christianity only obliquely; its Celtic mythology context would probably render it too "pagan" for most CBA publishers, though the Gospel is throughout the structure of the Story. Speaking of the CBA: I like highbrow and lowbrow, literary and popular, and just about every genre of fiction, but I'm not a fan, either as reader, writer or publisher, of the CBA "approach", which has influence some Catholic novelists. It comes across (to me) as either 1) unrealistically G-rated when dealing with certain inherently R-rated themes, or 2) so certain of God's POV, as it were, that the Christian faith reads more like an ideology, a faction in the Culture War, than a mystery. There is certainly a place for this type of fiction in the market, probably a larger share tha I would care to admit, but I confess it's not my thing, and I hope Catholic publishers who decide to publish fiction will not go this route just because they think they'll sell more books. It's the surest way, in my view, to guarantee that "Catholic fiction" will indeed become just another genre, like "Christian fiction," displayed on separate shelves in the stores. A complaint as a publisher: Judging by many of the manuscripts I've read, too many nascent Catholic novelists don't realize that writing is a craft, and an arduous one. You have to study it, practice it, do your homework...and you'll never get it right. It's not enough that your theology is faithful to the Magisterium and your story is intended to convey some Important Truth. Good faith doesn't equal good writing; it doesn't give you a pass on storytelling and craftsmanship. I come in contact with too many dear good people, sincere writers, who just don't get this. Maybe Flannery was right in this, too: Catholics don't know how to read novels. Written by Debra Murphy While reading Deb Murphy's novel, THE MYSTERY OF THINGS, I often rejoiced at the beauty of the sentences, and I often lamented the fact that she had to self-publish such a good work. Because of its overt Catholicism, THE MYSTERY OF THINGS would be hard to place in the CBA or Secular markets. Ignatius probably should have published it, but someone there needs to catch a vision. I know Dale Ahlquist is working on them. My novel, DANNY GOSPEL, works within the CBA because I never set out to write a fictional catechism. I just followed a Christian character who followed a mystical mosquito... and there was more than enough Holy Mystery in that. Written by David Athey I think Debra just hit the nail on the head by pointing out what I see as a formidable obstacle to promising new Catholic novelists: their writing tends to be too edgy for the large Catholic publishing houses out there, and too Catholic for secular ones. What to do? I am convinced that these works would sell if there was someone willing to publish them. For that reason I commend Debra on starting Idylls Press. It seems like a very worthy effort! Now if only we could get some serious donors/investors to see the importance of such efforts and take a risk on them... Are there any established Catholic institutions (universities perhaps?) that would be willing to take the chance? Written by Bernardo The Overt vs Covert issue: I don't see the conflict. It's not either/or, but both/and. — Debra*Thank* you, Debra. Same goes for the highbrow/lowbrow, "literature" versus "pop novel" argument. I think some people are so put off by novels that are overt AND bad that they've come to associate overtness with badness substantially -- leading to the belief that the only way to produce a true "Catholic novel" is for a Catholic simply to write well and let his Catholic-ness seep out of him; suffusing itself into the page in subtle and mysterious ways. But like you I favor a broad and generous definition of Catholic fiction. Written by Todd M. Aglialoro This discussion has been very helpful to me. I think Amy's point about genres is critical here: Literary fiction is one animal; popular fiction is another (and there are of course a variety of genres within each category). If we read a book assuming that all fiction, Catholic or otherwise, must fit one or the other category, we may well be disappointed, even angered, because our expectations have not been met. Yet it's not really fair to read, for example, a Chesterton mystery novel and then complain that it's not artsy enough. We have to take a book on its own "generic terms," so to speak, or we're better off reading something else. I believe that there's room in "Catholic fiction" for nearly every genre. And there's certainly no dishonor in writing popular rather than literary fiction. I've seen all this at work in the response to the one novel I've written, MY VISIT TO HELL (Strang, 2007). The reactions have tended to be extreme--either enthusiastic or dismissive. I know the book is far from perfect, and I've of course learned from the criticism, which I intend to take to heart if I should try writing a second novel. But as one reviewer noted, some readers who dislike MY VISIT TO HELL (not my choice of title, but the publisher's) may be failing to understand that it belongs to a certain genre of spiritual fiction with a long tradition, works known as "tours of hell." (Dante's 13th-century INFERNO is the best-known example of the genre, but there are others, going all the way back to ancient times.) This genre features theological discussion as an essential part of the story. But many contemporary readers turn up their noses at such writing as "preachy," which is unworthy of "true" fiction. As that particular reviewer pointed out, this is simply a failure to understand the genre and an overly narrow view of what constitutes acceptable "fiction." Real people in real life sometimes have substantive theological discussions. They are explicit about their faith--they ask questions about God and the world; they debate the answers to those questions. Why should all Catholic literature have to labor under the artificial and unwarranted burden (which, I think, is ultimately grounded in a secularized worldview) that in "good" fiction the Catholic worldview must be implicit rather than explicit? There is room in the world of Christian fiction for O'Connor, Hansen, McFarlane, Koontz, and just about everyone in between, just as in the past there was room for Dante, Spenser, Bunyan, Benton, Chesterton, Sayers, Tolkien, and Lewis (though the fiction of several of these would probably be dismissed by some readers today as too "preachy"). I'm not saying that the genres themselves don't have standards of excellence proper to them. But let's judge books by those "generic" standards, not by the norms of one particular category for which the book was never intended. Our contemporaries--Catholic and otherwise--have a vast array of tastes in reading. Why not provide them all something to enjoy, in accordance with their tastes, that will be wholesome, spiritually challenging, and entertaining as well? Written by Paul Thigpen David Athey wrote: "My novel, DANNY GOSPEL, works within the CBA because I never set out to write a fictional catechism. I just followed a Christian character who followed a mystical mosquito... and there was more than enough Holy Mystery in that." DANNY GOSPEL is a lovely book; that it works within CBA standards shows that one can indeed write and publish a fine book which does so. My reason for hoping that future Catholic fiction publishers (as a whole) do not *restrict* themselves to that standard is simply that it excludes so many other potentially wonderful possibilities. It threatens to become a sort of "Good Housekeeping seal" or super-genre that says nothing about the literary quality of the work, only that it won't offend a certain group of people. It's good to remember in this context that Tolkien was received by many good Christians as paganish and wholly un-Christian, and that novels which are now spoken of as classics by even very "conservative" (oh that word) Catholics were, upon publication, perceived by the conservative Catholics of their own day as unwholesome and even dangerous. (Flaubert was tried for obscenity for BOVARY, and leading Catholic newspapers panned BRIDESHEAD REVISITED as immoral. Flannery used to receive letters from readers taking her to task for writing about nothing but disturbing subjects and characters.) I have read, however, here and there, that the CBA is slowly rethinking its viewpoint. I hope so, but if so, I wonder if "edgy" content won't come in before overt Catholicism. Goodness knows, the publishing industry is in incredible flux right now, in any number of areas. The digital revolution has changed everything, and I'm not sure anyone knows, really, what they're doing. I certainly don't. But yes, Bernardo, a visionary Catholic fiction-publishing sugar-daddy would come in real handy, right about now. I wish Mel Gibson would take a sudden interesting in novels. Written by Debra Murphy Are there any established Catholic institutions (universities perhaps?) that would be willing to take the chance? — BernardoI have tried the academic avenue with both Magdalen Montague and an "adventure novel/literary romp" but while the representatives of the Catholic academic presses thought each project interesting, neat, etc., in the end they did not feel they had the resources to market novels properly. Of course, they may be open to novels other than the ones I write, so I enthusiastically encourage anyone to try that avenue again. Be sure to let us all know how it works out! Written by Eleanor Donlon But yes, Bernardo, a visionary Catholic fiction-publishing sugar-daddy would come in real handy, right about now. I wish Mel Gibson would take a sudden interesting in novels. — Debra MurphyHas anyone approached him? :) We could start a special novena for the conversion of wealthy bibliophiles/bookworms... Written by Eleanor Donlon Dear Debra, Idylls sounds like a great project! The books y'all are talking about sound really good. I'll have to get myself some of them. I went by the website and was very encouraged to see a publisher, even if only a small one, dedicated to publishing "the Catholic imagination." I only have one suggestion that you may take or ignore as you please: whatever that old saying recommends, the truth is people *do* judge books by their cover. I think the cover designs on pretty much all you books leave something to be desired... it's hard to put my finger on it, but they just don't look as professional as something a major press might put out. The cover design I like best is the one for "The Mystery of Things," which nevertheless seems somewhat... I don't know... bland or something. I'm ambivalent about "Awaiting Orders." "Wolfproof" and "The Man Who Was Thursday" I just don't like. Of course, that's only one guy's personal opinion, so take it for what it's worth. At least, though, I *would* encourage you to consult a professional graphic designer for a second opinion. But, again, let me express my admiration for your project! Written by Gabriel Kathleen says (the quote feature is on the fritz): "There is a big difference (in my thinking, at least) between a Catholic <i>counterculture</i>, which is energetically engaged in fruitful dialogue with the wider culture, and a Catholic <i>subculture</i> which is submerged out of its view and cut off from contact with it." I'm not sure about this distinction. Seems to me it only works if you force a pejorative sense on the idea of "subculture" from the start. By my way of thinking, subculture becomes counterculture by its relation to the dominant culture. The counterculture can't *always* be engaged in combat with the culture; most of the time it just minds its own business... as subculture. In comparison to the dominant culture, or when it's directly engaged with the culture, you can call it "counterculture." I agree that a subculture can abdicate its countercultural duties by becoming too insular. No doubt about it. But I don't think that's an intrinsic feature of subculture. Hence, I'm all for subculture. An island can be a place to hide, or it can be a base for mounting attacks and a safe haven for refueling. Written by Todd M. Aglialoro Very well put Todd! Written by regina doman I missed a good Catholic food fight! Drat. I've actually learned a great deal from readers, writers, and publishers.The comments on the primacy of Beauty I found to be persuasive. On the dilemma of writing *as* Catholics formed and informed by the faith vs. writing *for* Catholics, I lean toward the former. We Catholics are not suspended a few inches above the human condition, we live in it, just differently. If a story that wants to be told naturally includes priests and religious, mitres and chant, then by all means authors ought to include them. But if a story and its setting do not organically develop Catholic signs and markers, to feature such is to risk manipulation of the reader, it seems to me. Rumer Godden (Mentioned by others) illustrates the point. Her novel,IN THIS HOUSE OF BREDE,is *about* vocations, discerning a vocation, living with the vocation one has chosen. But her endearing story, THE BATTLE FOR THE VILLA FIORITA has the scanty brush with a priest despite its setting in Italy in mid-20th century. Yet, it is a very Catholic novel that charmingly paints the heart-wrenching distress of children of "civilized" divorce. The children are wiser than their adulterous parents, and one child understands that only a freely made sacrifice has any hope of restoring order. Muriel Spark, in THE BACHELORS, makes a wry observation: When an epileptic tells a priest he thinks he has a vocation, the priest turns him away because epileptics cannot become priests. The character laments, "But what am I to do?" whereupon the padre replies, "Be the best epileptic you can be." Catholic novelists are called to be the best novelists they can be. It would seem that dedication to one's art is the primary task. When that is done well, the "catholicity" will shape the story. I'm thinking here of Walker Percy, who did not write "Catholic novels" but whose stories were drenched in the Catholic world view. Cormac McCarthy (though no longer a practicing Catholic) writes stories that underscore Flannery's point about the "action of grace" that characters either accept or reject--with all the attendant disorder and mayhem that rejection brings (No Country for Old Men). If there is such a concept as Intellectual Beauty it is the beauty of order, including the spiritual order of a soul that struggles--or has struggled. It includes truth fought for heroically even if actual resolution is not achieved in the character's time frame. What is important is that the choice for truth was made, no matter the cost. By its nature Truth (however told) is Catholic. Last thought: I read through the comments, but missed any mention of Heinrich Boll, a Catholic Nobel Laureate. His novel of love and marriage, AND SAID NOT A WORD, has been translated into English. His work may be too dreary for some, and I do not agree with his post-war pacifism, but his work is replete with a Catholic vision of life. I'm grateful to all who commented here--very insightful exchange. Written by mary jo anderson Two questions posed to all in general which I have pondered on this topic. I really don't know the answers, so thoughts from those in the know would be great. 1. Where is the advertising? I can't recall the last time I saw a Catholic work of fiction advertised. Secular fiction doesn't seem to get all that much advertising, either, unless its a book which has been made into a movie. But cruising around the Catholic web, there's plenty of advertising for non-fiction. In this day and age, it seems that advertising is crucial to a product's success. Do Catholic publishers not advertise the fiction they do have available because the sales are not high enough to cover the cost, or do you think perhaps the sales aren't that high because of the lack of advertising? People like me don't need to be asked twice to buy a book, as evidenced by the piles surrounding me at the moment, and I'd love to buy Catholic fiction. But we have to know about it first. 2. Do you think that good literary fiction does not get published these days because of its challenging (to the reader) nature? I often wonder how Tolstoy and Melville and Dostoevsky would do in today's market. "A book with 400 characters and a thin plot set in Russia during the Napoleonic Wars? And it's over a thousand pages long? We'll get back to you." Written by Bear I am new to "Inside Catholic" but was a subscriber to Crisis for many years. I have read The Mystery of Things and thoroughly enjoyed it. I'm glad to hear that Ms. Murphy is soldiering on as I am hoping she will stick with her plan for a trilogy and look forward to reading the next installment. I think it's well-written with believable dilogue and interesting characters. I recommend it. I'm not sure how I discovered it - perhaps at Godspy, at any rate I went there and read Matthew Lickona's essay on it. Idylls plans to publish both "revived" works and new material. Written by Signe Thank you, Signe! (Your bribe is in the mail.) Bear asked: "Where is the advertising?" Yes, by and large it is too expensive for us micro-presses. I've seen Ignatius and Bethany advertise, but they have large lists and can promote multiple titles in a single space. Too, the experts will all tell you that ads don't work as single shots; in our ad-saturated society, a potential customer has to see a product advertised something like a half dozen times or more before it registers in their minds. The cost of such a program is prohibitive for us wee folk. Moreover, you really have to pick the right venue, target the right audience. If I had a thousand to spend on advertising for THE MYSTERY OF THINGS, I wouldn't waste it on a single NYT ad, no matter what the rag's circulation; not if I could buy repeated print ads in, say, FIRST THINGS, IMAGE, SECOND SPRING, COMMONWEAL, or AMERICA. You see, whether perceived as orthodox or heterodox, Right or Left, these publications are read by my target audience: well-educated Catholics, a reasonable percentage of whom are at least open to reading fiction. Reviews, which cost only the price of a review copy and postage, are even better. We got noticeable upticks in sales when SECOND SPRING and GODSPY reviewed THINGS, and AMERICA, COMMONWEAL and IMAGE reviewed O'Gorman's AWAITING ORDERS. The problem with reviews is the lingering Catch-22 of our market: Few Catholic journals review fiction, just as few Catholic bookstores stock it on the shelves, other than those published by Ignatius. For every mile of newsprint given to countering the Da Vinci Codes of the publishing world, only a foot or two is given to eviewing or promoting any sort of positive Catholic alternative. The bottom line for all of this is...the bottom line. That's why I said we could use a major publishing house getting serious about fiction; to put their resources behind it and something of a visionary at the head of it. (Throwing money at it won't be enough.) That's also why, when I spoke of Sugar Daddies, I think of the Mel Gibson rather than the Tom Monaghan variety--someone who understands the demands of art and storytelling as well as business. (Mel's clearly very good at both.) What Mel did for Catholic filmmakers, for example, cannot, I think, be overestimated. Yes, he proved that a "Catholic movie" can have crossover mojo and make millions, so there's more potential money to back Christian projects out there now; but it's more than that. There were many Catholics working in the movie trenches before the Mel revolution, but Mel's artistic "breakout" also served to remind a whole new generation that Art doesn't have to be "nice" to be Catholic, and sometimes shouldn't be. (For my opinions on this subject, see my article, "Wrestling with the Angel of Strangeness" in the old GodSpy archives: http://tinyurl.com/5v2oc6 ) Whether belonging to a "subculture" or a "counterculture", I don't believe Catholics will once again leaven the broader literary and artistic culture until we take the "Passion" lesson to heart. Written by Debra Murphy Infinite Space, Infinite God Robert & Karina Fabian, Editors Anthology of Catholic-themed SF that agrees with what Amy et al are talking about. It's published by one of the smaller presses and available mainly through Amazon.com, so we have to do our own marketing. Like me slipping this plug into your blog. Book's Website is at http://isigsf.com/. Editor's Website is at http://karinafabian.com/. When I co-wrote the longest story in the book, my intent was something that could have gone head-to-head against Poul Anderson or H Beam Piper in Analog of the 1960s, not Left Behind: The Neverending Series on the shelves of Christian Book & Gift (TM) or its Catholic equivalent. All too often these days, "Christian" has meant "pious shoddiness". We're the original Western-Rite Church; the last thing we need is our own version of the Evangelicals' hermetically-sealed Christian Bizarro World. And if this one sells well, you might see a Volume 2. And 3. And more. Written by Ken Whether belonging to a "subculture" or a "counterculture", I don't believe Catholics will once again leaven the broader literary and artistic culture — Debra Murphyuntil we take the "Passion" lesson to heart. Hear, hear, Debra! We need to shatter this bizarre stereotype that Catholics are too... Catholic!... to make valid and intriguing contributions to contemporary art. That there is a lot to say for the future. That "well-educated" crowd (the great-great-great-great-grandchildren of Newman's "intelligent and well-instructed laity"?) thrives on all the Church has to offer. Aside from the productivity of Catholic artists in important positions (Dana Gioia, at the National Endowment for the Arts, is an interesting example), there is a great deal of support on a smaller scale. The enthusiasm I have witnessed with regard to "Dappled Things" is quite thrilling; it is the same enthusiasm that has made the growth in reliable Catholic non-fiction possible. So many people are eager to learn about their faith and to recover from the felt-banner education they endured as children. As has been noted, we are also fighting against a lowest-common-denominator phenomenon with regard to the quality of fiction now being generally embraced by the reading public. Aside from all the obvious problems with the Da Vinci code, the fact is that it is cheap airport reading. I would argue the same (and potentially make dire enemies) with regard to Harry Potter. The "it makes children read" argument is nearly as irritating as the "Rowling writes like Austen/Tolkien/Shakespeare/Dickens/etc" refrain. That doesn't mean that we need to write at that level. It means that we need to capture the public imagination and give them high-quality literature -- in spite of themselves! Luckily, this "siege" situation in which we find ourselves will only make our work stronger and more impressive. Cut off from the mainstream, we will work harder than the average artist to hone our craft and to earn the chance to be heard. And I think that a Mel Gibson(esque) contact is an important step to be taken. Written by Eleanor Donlon I should clarify that I am all for fun/pop/fluff lit. There is a difference, though, between the sort of smut written today and the work of yesterday. Agatha Christie (like many of the Golden Age mystery novelists) produced shelves and shelves of popular fiction and though she was no Jane Austen, she was really quite a skillful writer. Wodehouse was likewise popular, and his use of language is staggeringly sophisticated. (The fact that he is currently shunned by academics is quite interesting.) In the end, a work doesn't have to be made up of two page chapters, pruriency, and endless ellipses to be entertaining. Written by Eleanor Donlon I'm a reader, not a writer, and I'd love to see a Catholic version of Christian fiction. I tried to post here several times but couldn't get past the question. Amy told me the secret, but only after I blogged on the subject myself. I explain it in more detail here: http://rannthisthat.blogspot.com/ but basically I'm looking for light feel-good reads and what is marketed as Christian fiction is far more appealing to me than Flannery O'Connor. Written by Ruth Great conversation; I learned about this venue via the Catholic Writers Guild Conference which just concluded. I wrote and published two historical novels with CBA houses in the 1990s, while I was a faithful evangelical Presbyterian. Funny thing is, both books have a strong Catholic coloring. The first (The Throne of Tara) is based on the life of Saint Columba of Iona, and the second (Relics) revolves around the medieval trade in relics and the crusade of Saint King Louis IX. Both books are respectful of Catholic institutions and practices (without being blind to flaws), and it surprises me now, when I think about it, that Crossway and Thomas Nelson - rather conservative Protestant houses - would take a chance with these titles. I see the books now as part of my own journey toward becoming a Catholic. And now that I'm writing mysteries with a strong sacramental flavor and Catholic backdrop, I'm having a hard time finding a publisher. I feel that I'm in a similar situation as Deb Murphy. My agent once told me my work was too secular for Christian houses and too Christian for secular ones. Now they're too "Catholic" for either, I guess! Written by John Desjarlais I've enjoyed Tom Grace's books. The protagonist in each of them is a faithful Catholic. His latest book, The Secret Cardinal, has a lot of Catholic theology and practice woven through it. It also explores the relations between the Vatican and China and the persecution of Roman Catholics in China. Very good read. Written by Joshua Raymond I love to read. I read all kinds of things from Shakespeare to children's lit. I would love to read Catholic fiction even if it is copycat, Catholic mysteries, chick lit, etc. What I would like to see is ordinary lay Catholics living out and applying their faith within their life within their genre even if it is pop. I am really sick of "Catholic" literature where the main characters are priests or nuns. Come on, most of us are laypeople and living out our faith does not mean just going to church and hanging out with clergy. Why people like some evangelical pop fiction literature is not because it is preachy and definitely not because it is great literature but because the characters apply their faith to their lives and try to live it and it (some of it) is fun to read. Most of us don't want some dreary highbrow story where everyone dies in the end. We just want to enjoy a good story and see how someone might apply their faith in various circumstances. I can't write but I had an idea of a series based on the corporal acts of mercy. Each book in the series has as a theme one of them. The series could be mystery or romance or young adult or any genre but each story would be based around the theme of one of the corporal acts of mercy. Did you that in the Chronicles of Narnia, each story has as a subtheme one of the seven deadly sins? Actually, I think young adult would be best. I have two teens who love to read and are part of a young adult advisory council to the library. Are you aware of the filthy, degrading books which constitute the bulk of the young adult section? Ick! Catholic writers, Christian writers, where are you? Please write some good stuff!!! Give an alternative to our poor young people. Written by Kathy Pauline Books and Media is interested in starting a new section in our PBM Centers called: Storytelling in the Catholic Imagination" which would feature fiction and film that provide a lens through which to interpret popular culture in a way that reveals the dignity, destiny, freedom and responsibility of the human person. The fiction carried by PBM aims to engage the imagination, emotion and mind of readers so that they might discover the “seeds of the Gospel” in popular culture. I would appreciate suggestions for what you think would fit in the shelves for this section.... Written by Sr. Kathryn James Hermes, fsp Not Catholic, but I would write fiction with a Catholic-friendly worldview if there was a market for it. My books are unabashedly Protestant in mindset. I am a Pentecostal. I want to read fic that identifies my faith by name (although in the niche market that is CBA, we can't do that). The question in my mind is: not why WOULD a Catholic want to read Catholic fiction (written with this worldview), but why wouldn't they? Isn't it logical that a Catholic readership wants the same things I do? If you want "secular" fic with an unabashedly Catholic worldview, try Catherine Anderson's well-written romances. It's a shame & a pity I can't think of any others. Maybe the Catholic publishers oughta step up to the plate & think in terms of modest print runs? I believe there is a market, and if someone is willing to look at a good Catholic-friendly romance, drop me an e-mail <G>...my friends & I are waiting to talk to you. Written by Deb Kinnard Not Catholic, but I would write fiction with a Catholic-friendly worldview if there was a market for it. My books are unabashedly Protestant in mindset. I am a Pentecostal. I want to read fic that identifies my faith by name (although in the niche market that is CBA, we can't do that). The question in my mind is: not why WOULD a Catholic want to read Catholic fiction (written with this worldview), but why wouldn't they? Isn't it logical that a Catholic readership wants the same things I do? If you want "secular" fic with an unabashedly Catholic worldview, try Catherine Anderson's well-written romances. It's a shame & a pity I can't think of any others. Maybe the Catholic publishers oughta step up to the plate & think in terms of modest print runs? I believe there is a market, and if someone is willing to look at a good Catholic-friendly romance, drop me an e-mail <G>...my friends & I are waiting to talk to you. Written by Deb Kinnard First chapter of a "Catholic novel" - not exactly a "dreary highbrow story," but also definitely not kid-friendly. It's fairly explicit and skeevy - at least two people on this thread have already read it and didn't care for it - but it does have the virtue of placing a Catholic character in a modern setting and having him struggle to apply his faith therein. Just thought I'd toss it out there to give people some fodder for discussion... http://www.korrektiv.org/ Written by F.X. Martin Has anyone out there read the sci-fi/fantasy Young Wizards series by Diane Duane? They're not specifically Christian, and I don't know if she is or not; but they pick up and run with a number of extremely Christian themes. Plus they're just a fun read :) - sometimes light-hearted, sometimes spot-on poignant. — Margaret CatherineI picked up To Visit the Queen by Diane Duane, not part of her Young Wizards series which are more directed to young adults, I think. But the universe she has created is the same in all the books: cats are "Persons", some of whom are wizards. I did enjoy the world and agree with the "light-hearted, spot-on poignant." But Christian themes? She gets most explicit about her religious ideas here. In this passge, Rhiow, a cat wizard, is setting out for the day. After making a sort of New Age morning offering: The joke is, she thought…that knowing the Powers are there and listening doesn’t really solve that many problems. It seemed to her that ehhif (humans) had the same difficulty, though differing in degree. They were either absolutely sure their gods existed or not very sure at all: and those who were most certain seemed no more at peace with the fact than those who doubted. The city was full of numerous grand buildings, some of them admittedly gloriously made, in which ehhif gathered at regular intervals, apparently to remind their versions of the Powers That Be that They existed (which struck Rhiow as rather unnecessary) and to tell Them how wonderful they thought They were (which struck her as hilarious—as if the Powers Who created this and all other universes, under the One, would be either terribly concerned about being acknowledged or praised, or particularly susceptible to flattery)….Urrah [another cat wizard] had accidentally confirmed her analysis some months back. He had some interest in the vocal music made in the bigger versions of these buildings, some of it being of more ancient provenance than most ehhif works he heard live in concert in town. He’d gone to one service in the great “cathedral” in Midtown to do some translation of the music’s verbal content, and had come back bemused. Half the verses addressed by the ehhif there to the Powers That Be had involved the kind of self-abasement and abject flattery that even a queen in heat would have found embarrassing from her suitors, but this material had alternated with some expressing a surprisingly bleak worldview, one filled with a terror of the loss of the Powers’ countenance—even, amazingly, the One’s—and a tale of the approaching end of the Worlds in which any beings who did not come up to standard would be discarded like so much waste, or tortured for an eternity out of time. Rhiow wondered how the Lone Power had managed to give them such ideas about the One without being stopped somehow…They’re scared, she thought: they feel they need protection from the Universe. Nor does it help that though they may know the Powers exist, ehhif aren’t sure what their role is. They’re not even sure what happens to them when they die. — To Visit the Queen...segueing into some reflections on death and cats’ nine lives. Christian? I don't think so. New Age. And useful for a glimpse of how New Agers think of Christians! Written by Mary V. I totally agree with this article. In fact, I am currently working on a Catholic Teen fiction book right now and I have sent a manuscript to Sophia Institute Press a few weeks ago. The need is great, and teens (like me) love to read good Catholic fiction, which is almost impossible to find these days! Although, I highly suggest the wonderful Fairy Tale Novels by Regina Doman. (Shadow of the Bear, Black as Night, Waking Rose, and Midnight Dancers) All are wonderful suspenseful romance books for teens. For pre-teens, I have found the St. Philomena mystery series (Break-In at the Basilica and Lost in St. Peters Tomb) to be really good as well. I have not read the John Paul 2 High books yet, but I plan to read the 1st book soon. Thanks so much for this article! :) Amanda C. Bell Written by Amanda For those looking for an exciting and hilariously funny mystery series written from an unabashedly traditional Catholic point of view, I would suggest The Endless Knot by William L Biersach. This and other works of Catholic fiction can be found at http://www.tumblarhouse.com. Written by Stephen Several things have happened since the 60's which may account for the dirth of Modern Catholic Fiction. First there was the great apostacy which began about that time. Secondly, we had Vatican 2 about the same time. Thirdly, we had the Vietnam War, followed by the Balkan War, The First Gulf War, and the Second Gulf War. Fourthly, T.V. really came into its own in the 60's. Fifthly, came the internet beginning in the late 80's. Finallly, we can't forget the demise of all the great Catholic publishing companies. And we can't forget the demise of truely Catholic Universities and Collages and the secularization of Catholic grade and high schools. All this may not account for the current for Catholic Fiction but it must certainly be a partial answer. Though, if you search the net there does seem to be a rebirth of Catholic Writing but not necessarily Catholic Fiction. And let's be honest, much of the Catholic Fiction in the early to mid 20th century just wasn't all that great. Too much of it was just too syrupy, at least the short stories. Written by Linus I thought you might be interested in reading a contemporary short story with a catholic point of view. It is entitled, "Lovely Peggy," and works, I hope, on both the literal and allegorical levels. As of this date, December 22, 2008, it is on the home page of the website, shortstory.us.com (Short Story Library). After two weeks, it will be accessible through the Archives on that site. James Mulhern Written by James Mulhern I am one of those writers! My name is Nancy Carabio Belanger and I just self-published my first Catholic 'tween novel, called Olivia and the Little Way. It is the story of a ten-year-old girl who has trouble fitting in at her new Catholic school and is introduced to St. Therese of Lisieux, who becomes her new best friend. I had contacted a few publishers, only to be told, "We don't publish fiction." I was in a quandry: I felt I had a great story, but how to get it out there in the hands of pre-teen children? It turned out that self-publishing was the way to go for me: I sold my entire print run (1,000 copies) in less than two months, and am getting ready for my second printing. I feel tremendously blessed and happy to have done this in such a short amount of time, but I do wonder why it is so hard to reach the Catholic audience and why more fiction is not available to them: adult or child. Yet when I do have book signings or radio/tv/newspaper interviews, people tell me that they can't get enough of Olivia, and when can I write more? It pleases me but also makes me sad that the audience is so hard to reach! I feel like saying to my readers, "Spread the word! We Catholic authors need all the help we can get!" I tell them all to PLEASE support Catholic fiction; it is so needed by children and adults alike. The selection at Family Christian Stores is great...but it's not Catholic, as you know. Written by Nancy Carabio Belanger I would like to let all the Catholic writers who posted here know that I have started a new Catholic blog devoted to Catholic Fiction. The purpose is to generate interest in Catholic works of fiction by posting excerpts of longer works or complete short stories. Please visit http://catholicblogfiction.blogspot.com. I am currently taking submissions. Thank you! Written by Patrice Fagnant-MacArthur I write every so now and again, perhaps once a year on a subject that burns or rubs me until I do. They tend to be Catholic or spiritual, historically inaccurate perhaps, too. But I write them for me. The last was on the Crucifixion. The one before was on the falling down of the fallen angels and their misery. Whether they're badly written or not, I try. We need Catholic fiction and it needs to be well done. Encourage those who write to continue. Written by Colin, Bixby, OK Thanks for the lively and insightful discussion. I just wanted to point any interested folks toward the magazine I edit: Ruminate, a Christian Arts and Literature publication. We are always looking for great new work from Catholic artists and writers: http://www.ruminatemagazine.org/ Written by Brianna Van Dyke Try reading IN-SIGHT, a modern prodigal son story set in Jacksonville, Florida. The level of conflict is on several levels: first, Ward McNulty is a political columnist who has abandoned his family's Catholic values to pursue success. Outwardly, he achieves it--but at a terrible cost to himself. His conscience is awakened and he's forced to consider his life, his relationships, and his liberal politics. Second, Ward is talked into backing the conversion of a sleepy island town into a resort. But to do this, the developer has to control the entire island. This pits Ward against his father, a resident of Timuqua Island, in a bitter eminent domain battle. Too late, Ward learns that the financial backers of the resort are not who or what they claim. And they'll stop at nothing to get what they want. IN-SIGHT is the story of fall, forgiveness, and redemption. Most of all, it's the story of a lost son coming home--and of traditional family values triumphing over a culture gone awry. IN-SIGHT has received the Catholic Writers Guild seal of approval and has won 2nd place in the Creative Arts Council 2009 Book Awards. It's available on Amazon.com and has received nine 5-star reviews, one 2-star review. For more info, visit the website - http://outskirtspress.com/insight or look it up on amazon.com. If you're interest in reviewing it, I'd be glad to send a copy. Just let me know to whom and where (address) I should mail it. Thank you - Ora et labora! Gerard Webster Written by Gerard Webster Thank you for all of these comments and for the initial posting. I am a struggling writer myself. When I began, my writing reflected my lack of faith and frustration with the Catholic Church as I saw it at the time (through dark and muddy glasses, to be sure). Thanks be to God, He didn’t take his hand off me and I have been back to the church…well, coming back…for several years now. My passion in writing and my “muse” has changed with my renewed faith. As a secular writer it is ridiculously easy to find authors whose style you are drawn to and whose stories and technique you’d like to emulate. Catholic writers and readers do not find a home so easily. It’s sad that modern Catholic fiction is so rare a commodity. In Christian fiction I’ve found a foster home of sorts. There are many ideas and stories, authors and styles that draw me as a reader and inspire me as a writer. However, they are not my true family. I’m searching for a family of Catholic writers. I pray that God grants me the patience and perseverance to continue writing that I might one day be published and take steps towards creating a home for readers and writers alike who are similarly driven by the desire to bring God’s love and mercy to all. Written by Regina Srajer Regina, I just read your comment and am happy to report that there is a place for Catholic writers. Check out the Catholic Writers Guild. They have chats every Sunday evening on their web-site and will have an on-line Catholic Writers conference early in 2010. Hope this helps! Gerard Webster - author of IN-SIGHT, a novel Written by Gerard Webster |
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