PZ's Picks Of 2008
We asked the very merry Rev. Paul Zahl to contribute a year-end list, and he graciously obliged (Thanks Dad!):
1. Anything by Thornton Wilder, author of “Our Town”. His two novels that are absorbing me right now are "Heaven's My Destination" from 1934 and "The Woman of Andros". I had a most illuminating visit recently with his literary executor and nephew -- Wilder touches important nerves Christianly and contemporarily.
2. Jack Kerouac's notes on religion remain stunningly up to date. Those are worth keeping under your pillow.
3. I am also looking forward COMPLETELY to the Roberto Rossellini television reissues on DVD in January: Cosimo de Medici, Blaise Pascal, and Cartesius -- it's the number one DVD event of the early new year, so far as I am concerned. These were done in the late 60s for Italian television, and are just full of inspiration (I trust) -- and almost no one has ever seen them.
4. Mark Rutherford's (aka William Hale White's) short story on marriage and eternity, entitled "The Sweetness of a Man's Friend" from his very, very last publication, entitled "Last Pages from a Journal". "Sweetness" has a definitely "Our Town" feeling, with a strong Christian feeling and theme.
Oh, and let's not forget "I don't want to be a freak (but I can't help myself)".
1. Anything by Thornton Wilder, author of “Our Town”. His two novels that are absorbing me right now are "Heaven's My Destination" from 1934 and "The Woman of Andros". I had a most illuminating visit recently with his literary executor and nephew -- Wilder touches important nerves Christianly and contemporarily. 2. Jack Kerouac's notes on religion remain stunningly up to date. Those are worth keeping under your pillow.
3. I am also looking forward COMPLETELY to the Roberto Rossellini television reissues on DVD in January: Cosimo de Medici, Blaise Pascal, and Cartesius -- it's the number one DVD event of the early new year, so far as I am concerned. These were done in the late 60s for Italian television, and are just full of inspiration (I trust) -- and almost no one has ever seen them.
4. Mark Rutherford's (aka William Hale White's) short story on marriage and eternity, entitled "The Sweetness of a Man's Friend" from his very, very last publication, entitled "Last Pages from a Journal". "Sweetness" has a definitely "Our Town" feeling, with a strong Christian feeling and theme.
Oh, and let's not forget "I don't want to be a freak (but I can't help myself)".
Labels: Film, Literature, Mockingbird, Paul Zahl, Year In Review
posted by Mockingbird at
11:42 AM
2 Comments:
I read Rutherford's "Sweetness" for the first time today and was literally brought to tears. Thanks PZ... timely and relevant as always.
I read it too. Very touching! He really waits until the last paragraph to wallop the reader.
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