From Powells.com
Our favorite books of the year.
Staff Pick
Robinson's graceful, gorgeous prose is matched only by her magnificent intelligence, and nowhere is that more evident than in her essays. Exploring subjects as complex as faith, metaphysics, and capitalism, The Givenness of Things shows Robinson at the height of her powers, urging us to be more thoughtful about our role in the universe and to each other. Recommended By Jill O., Powells.com
Synopses & Reviews
The spirit of our times can appear to be one of joyless urgency. As a
culture we have become less interested in the exploration of the
glorious mind, and more interested in creating and mastering
technologies that will yield material well-being. But while cultural
pessimism is always fashionable, there is still much to give us hope. In
The Givenness of Things, the incomparable Marilynne Robinson
delivers an impassioned critique of our contemporary society while
arguing that reverence must be given to who we are and what we are:
creatures of singular interest and value, despite our errors and
depredations.
Robinson has plumbed the depths of the human spirit in her novels, including the National Book Critics Circle Award-winning Lila and the Pulitzer Prize-winning Gilead,
and in her new essay collection she trains her incisive mind on our
modern predicament and the mysteries of faith. These seventeen essays
examine the ideas that have inspired and provoked one of our finest
writers throughout her life. Whether she is investigating how the work
of the great thinkers of the past, Calvin, Locke, Bonhoeffer — and
Shakespeare — can infuse our lives, or calling attention to the rise of
the self-declared elite in American religious and political life,
Robinson's peerless prose and boundless humanity are on display.
Exquisite and bold, The Givenness of Things is a necessary call for us to find wisdom and guidance in our cultural heritage, and to offer grace to one another.
Review
“These bravely and brilliantly argued, gorgeously composed, slyly witty,
profoundly caring essays lead us into the richest dimensions of
consciousness and conscience, theology and mystery, responsibility and
reverence.” Booklist
Review
“Robinson's genius is for making indistinguishable the highest ends of
faith and fiction....The beauty of Robinson's prose suggests an
author continually threading with spun platinum the world's finest
needle.” Bookforum
Review
"Robinson’s handiwork is capacious and serious, but also mysterious and
wondrous; like the night sky, it deserves our attention." The New Republic
About the Author
Marilynne Robinson is the recipient of a 2012 National Humanities
Medal, awarded by President Barack Obama, for "her grace and
intelligence in writing." She is the author of Gilead, winner of the 2005 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the National Book Critics Circle Award, Home, winner of the Orange Prize and the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, and Lila, winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award. Her first novel, Housekeeping, won the Hemingway Foundation/PEN Award. Robinson's nonfiction books include The Givenness of Things, When I Was a Child I Read Books, Absence of Mind, The Death of Adam, and Mother Country, which was nominated for a National Book Award. She teaches at the University of Iowa Writers' Workshop and lives in Iowa City.