Favorite 20th Century Catholic Novelist?

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Hey folks, just wondering who your favorite Catholic novelists are… And, any other reccomendations?

And yes, I know I didn’t put J.R.R. Tolkien on there, I figured he would have dominated everyone else.

And yes I know Graham Greene was a pretty bad Catholic.

And yes I know John Kennedy Toole killed himself.
 
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bengeorge:
Hey folks, just wondering who your favorite Catholic novelists are… And, any other reccomendations?

And yes, I know I didn’t put J.R.R. Tolkien on there, I figured he would have dominated everyone else.

And yes I know Graham Greene was a pretty bad Catholic.

And yes I know John Kennedy Toole killed himself.
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lol, I was just thinking “Where the heck is Tolkien?” I actually haven’t read any of these other authors, but I’ve been meaning to read some Flannery O’Connor. Is Thomas Flanagan Catholic? Seems like he should be based on the kinds of books he’s written.
 
I can’t really vote as I’ve only really read Graham Greene so far. I’d be awfully biased in my voting. However I do appreciate having a list of authors here; it gives me the chance to look up some more reading material later.
 
The National Catholic Register just had an article on Catholic Novelists (meaning I just read it, it may have come out 2 or 3 weeks ago, sorry I did not save the article).

Several authors were listed: Marianne Robinson, Ralph McInerny, Louis de Wohl, Michael D O’Brien, Evelyn Waugh, AJ Cronin, Graham Greene, Joan Mahowald.

There was a seperate article on Michael D O’Brien’s new novel Sophia House. Just came out, rave reviews. It about mans suffering while exiled from God. That’s what I took away from the article, haven’t read the book yet.

Michael D O’Brien sounded very interesting in and of himself. Said that he was really a painter of religious icons but out of obedience to the Holy Spirit he began writing novels. He apparently has several. First novel Father Elijah and then another called Children of the Last Days.

If anyone has read any of these would be interested in hearing your opinion. Have a neighborhood book club I’m trying to introduce sound doctrine to…
 
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bengeorge:
Hey folks, just wondering who your favorite Catholic novelists are… And, any other reccomendations?

And yes, I know I didn’t put J.R.R. Tolkien on there, I figured he would have dominated everyone else.

And yes I know Graham Greene was a pretty bad Catholic.

And yes I know John Kennedy Toole killed himself.
Click to expand...

I look foward to reading Antonio Fogazzaro & Sigrid Undset. And “Monsignor Quixote” - by Graham Greene. And Bernanos, of course.​

Tolkien was not a novelist. I am not a reader of novels - except for Dickens, perhaps. But he was not a Catholic.

As things are at present, I’ll settle for Waugh. ##
 
No one mentioned James Joyce yet–Catholic? Does non-practicing count? He would get my vote, if he’s an option.
 
Very tough. I went with Graham Greene, though in many ways I prefer Flannery O’Connor. But Greene left a much larger body of work and he is more enjoyable to read.

I like Waugh as well, but he combined O’Connor’s malicious humor with Greene’s antinomian darkness, and the result leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

Edwin
 
I’ve only heard of Green and O’Connor. Like them both ok, but not thrilled with either.
 
Gene Wolfe. He’s one of the top three science fiction/fantasy writers of the second half of the 20th century and a co-inventor of the machine that shapes Pringles potato chips.
 
notprot said:
There was a seperate article on Michael D O’Brien’s new novel Sophia House. Just came out, rave reviews. It about mans suffering while exiled from God. That’s what I took away from the article, haven’t read the book yet.

If anyone has read any of these would be interested in hearing your opinion. Have a neighborhood book club I’m trying to introduce sound doctrine to…
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I’ve read Father Elijah and A Cry of Stone. They are both very well written; Father Elijah is an apocalyptic thriller, about a priest who is sent by the Pope to try and convert the Antichrist. A Cry of Stone is about the life of a Native American artist who is brilliant but rejected her whole life. Both are very touching. They seem to be sound in doctrine as well.
 
I guess it’s a bad sign if I don’t recognize any of the authors on the list…😦
 
fcbv said:
:amen:

Well, I didn’t read any book, but I saw all the 3 LOTR movies… and I love them! :love:
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You’ve got to read the books - they’re great. Movies are good, but books have much more depth to them.
 
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