In the late 1990s, I discovered Evelyn Waugh, who during his life and after his death was often acclaimed the greatest Catholic novelist of the 20th century. Now, a half-century since his death on Easter […]
“I am amused that so many of the reviews of this book begin with the statement: ‘This book is hard to classify.’ Then why bother?”—Willa Cather, 1927 Willa Cather’s novel—or “narrative” in the style of […]
In Antony and Cleopatra, Shakespeare has his great heroine tell her attendant Iras how she foresees posterity treating her and her entourage after death, Nay, ‘tis most certain, Iras: saucy lictors Will catch at us, […]
For all the praise and accolades directed at Harper Lee, “serious” literary types have already weighed in, calling To Kill A Mockingbird a nice little story that doesn’t belong in the great literature category; simplistic, […]
Fear is underrated by most people. Fearlessness is what gets lauded. But fear is an essential part of a healthy perspective on life. If we don’t fear a hot stove, we may get burned; if […]
Like many other terms, the word liberalism has been so distorted by abuse that writers who would speak about it to a popular audience must begin by clearing up some misconceptions. What is called “liberalism” […]
On January 29, 1959, Pope John XXIII shocked the Church and the world with his announcement at the Basilica of St. Paul outside the Walls in Rome that he was convoking the first ecumenical council […]
One my favorite books of 2015 was a new and exceptional biography of Russell Kirk, a man of letters whose many writings helped me understand, rethink, and contemplate a host of topics when I was […]
Looking back on his time in World War I—something he hated to discuss—J.R.R. Tolkien revealed that he had written some of the first parts of his massive legendarium under less-than-ideal circumstances. He had conceived The […]
In one of his informative dispatches from Rome during the Synod on the Family last fall, Robert Royal remarked with regret on the extent to which the synod fathers appeared to have taken their prescriptions […]
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