Literary Converts Pb [Paperback]

Joseph Pearce (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 2, 2000

The 20th century has been marked both by belief and unbelief. While attendance at church has declined dramatically, the lives of many leaders have been influenced and inspired by Christianity. Joseph Pearce explores the world of some writers in the English language who have believed. Most of those included converted to Roman Catholicism and some to Anglicanism. The list includes Oscar Wilde, Evelyn Waugh, C.S. Lewis, Malcolm Muggeridge, Graham Greene, George Bernard Shaw, H.G. Wells, Hilaire Belloc, G.K. Chesterton, Dorothy Sayers, T.S. Eliot and J.R.R. Tolkien.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This erudite book vividly contrasts the faith that marked the lives of many of Great Britain's more prominent writers of the 20th century with the unbelief that, the author believes, largely marked their times. Many of the book's "converts" began life as Anglicans and then converted to Roman Catholicism, though some, such as C.S. Lewis and T.S. Eliot, remained with the Church of England. Pearce is at his best when he situates writers within the frameworks of a changing Church and a changing world. For example, he claims that the Catholic Church's move away from the Latin mass hastened the emotional deterioration that directly preceded Evelyn Waugh's death. Pearce suggests that because of communist attacks on Catholics in Spain, Scottish poet Roy Campbell supported Franco and was somewhat sympathetic to Nazism. In discussing the post-World War II era, Pearce loses some of his focus: too many minor figures, including Ronald Knox and novelist Robert Hugh Benson, crowd the stage and detract from his more compelling descriptions of such deeply influential authors as G.K. Chesterton, Waugh, Eliot and Graham Greene. Despite its flaws, this volume nonetheless will edify and absorb the reader. (Mar.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

'[An] admirable book' A N Wilson in the Literary Review '[An] illuminating account of a phenomenon firmly rooted in its period' Sunday Times Books

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Product Details

• Paperback: 464 pages
• Publisher: Harper Collins Pb (May 2, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0002740796
• ISBN-13: 978-0002740791
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,917,790 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

65 of 65 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Irresistible for Anglophiles, May 25, 2000

By 

Sheila L. Beaumont (South Pasadena, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Literary Converts: Spiritual Inspiration in an Age of Unbelief (Hardcover)

This book is a fascinating and well-written exploration of the 20th-century Christian literary and artistic revival in England that arose in response to the prevailing secularism of the age. It focuses on Christian converts, mostly Catholic and some Anglican, among them Oscar Wilde, G.K. Chesterton (who seems to have influenced almost all of the others), Evelyn Waugh, T.S. Eliot, C.S. Lewis, Edith Sitwell, Graham Greene, Muriel Spark, E.F. Schumacher, Alec Guinness and Malcolm Muggeridge. There's also the occasional cradle Catholic (Hilaire Belloc), childhood convert (J.R.R. Tolkien) or cradle Anglican (Dorothy L. Sayers), along with non-Christians such as H.G. Wells and George Bernard Shaw, all of whose lives intersected with and influenced those of the converts. Joseph Pearce's writing is clear, pleasant and literate, making this an irresistible read for Catholics and other Christians, especially those who are also Anglophiles. If you enjoy this book, you might also want to read Mr. Pearce's biographies of Tolkien and Chesterton.

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great look at a particular slice of history, April 12, 2001

By 

"swift112" (Pittsford, Vermont USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Literary Converts: Spiritual Inspiration in an Age of Unbelief (Hardcover)

A friend loaned me this book. I read it and loved it so much that I went out and bought my own copy (and I rarely buy hardcover books!). This is a wonderful introduction to English Christian writers (mostly converts) of the twentieth century. It is an introduction only, for further details about each one you'll have to find individual biographies. The book discusses the impact of the time period on various people in a way that really illuminated some events in history for me. The biggest frustration that I had after reading this book is that so many of the authors mentioned are largely out of print and our local libraries don't have their books either. I'm still trying to track down Robert Hugh Benson's Lord of the World. But I have managed to read some Knox, and a lot more Chesterton after reading this book.

If you want to know why some Christians supported Franco, why the post World War I generation was so disillusioned, and why a lot of very bright young men and women became Christian in an age when many were turning their back on the Church this is a book that touches on all of these issues.

Just be prepared for frustration when you can't easily find books by the authors that Pearce is writing about.

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating portrait of the British literary giants, October 8, 2002

By 

David P Henreckson (Mundelein, IL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Literary Converts: Spiritual Inspiration in an Age of Unbelief (Hardcover)

I picked it up over the weekend and was fascinated by Pierce's portrait of the 20th century Christian literary world. I could be very wrong, but I have trouble imagining any of the contemporary Christian writers interacting much with each other. But early in the 20th century, it seems things were much different. I never guessed that writers as diverse as Lewis, Sayers, Tolkien, Williams, Waugh, Chesterton, Greene, and Eliot would interact so much with each other. Just reading the correspondence between these literary giants is a joy.