Synopses & Reviews
Postmodernity has shoved a stick through the spokes of any story that tries to take us somewhere. With postmodern literary theory insistent that a story can mean nothing, serious writers see their seriousness linked to maintaining the position that their fictions have no particular point. How can a literary work without a message inform our faith?
Dale Brown here collects the stories of many contemporary writers whose work does carry meaning and message. Though perhaps not the normal fare on the shelves of many Christian bookstores, their works nonetheless have much truth to tell in their wrestle with the sacred. Some of them begin with the problems they have with faith, while others are deeply enmeshed in their beliefs but take atypical ways of expressing it through their writing.
Following Brown??'s earlier collection, Of Faith and Fiction, these conversations with popular American writers offer a new dialogue in considering the power of art to sustain faith in unexpected ways.
Synopsis
For years, Dale Brown has interviewed American writers, listening particularly for what they have to say about "wrestling with the sacred" in their writing. In this book, a follow-up to his earlier collection, Of Fiction and Faith, Brown gives readers the opportunity to listen in on his thoughtful conversations with ten contemporary writers. While many of these authors shy away from being labeled "Christian" writers, they all have much truth to tell through their work as they struggle with expressing both faith and doubt. The conversations recorded here offer a fresh dialogue on the power of art to sustain faith in unexpected ways. Interviews with: Eleanor Taylor Bland, David James Duncan, Terence Faherty, Ernest Gaines, Philip Gulley, Ron Hansen, Silas House, Jan Karon, Sheri Reynolds, Lee Smith.
Table of Contents
Eleanor Taylor Bland: busy lady -- David James Duncan: river mud, mysticism, and Corvette Stingrays -- Terence Faherty: doggedly low key -- Ernest Gaines: a lesson for living -- Philip Gulley: Mrs. Gulley's husband -- Ron Hansen: participating in the divine -- Silas House: ruralist -- Jan Karon: called to write -- Sheri Reynolds: Oprah, Jesus music, and pressing stories -- Lee Smith: writing for joy.