The Last Gentleman
Posted by Rebecca Teti in Reviews on Tuesday, January 12, 2010 12:00 PM
Are there any Walker Percy fans in this audience?
I haven’t read him in a while, but was an absolute addict in my college and grad school days.
Here’s a trailer for an upcoming documentary on his life.
If you are a fan, what are your favorites?
I don’t actually understand the appeal of The Moviegoer,
However, I adore The Second Coming
I wouldn’t argue that Percy is a great novelist. His stories at times digress into essays and vice versa. But he’s always an enjoyable read and his ability to embody the doubts and angst springing from “the scientific age” and argue for Catholicism and marriage are thoroughly enjoyable—and helped me to understand our time more deeply and articulate Catholicism to my skeptical peers (especially those of the Drama Major variety, in whose circles I ran, with very little Catholic company).
His Lost in the Cosmos: The Last Self-Help Book,
Or that’s what I thought in my twenties at least. Now that I’ve recommended these things so boldly, I suppose I should re-read them and see if my opinion holds.
Here’s an interview with him you might enjoy as an introduction to his work. And Carl Olsen of Ignatius Press once wrote a lovely essay about Percy’s effect on him while he was only on the path to Catholicism, not yet converted.
Look for the documentary—and if you’re also a fan, tell us about your favorites in the combox.
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