Conversations with American Writers

The Doubt, the Faith, the In-Between

by Dale Brown

Imprint: Eerdmans

330 Pages, 6.00 x 9.00 x 0.78 in

Paperback
9780802862280
Publication Date: April 14, 2008

$33.99

£51.99

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Description

For years, Dale Brown has interviewed American writers, listening particularly for what they have to say about “wrestling with the sacred” in their writing. In this book, a follow-up to his earlier collection, Of Fiction and Faith, Brown gives readers the opportunity to listen in on his thoughtful conversations with ten contemporary writers.

While many of these authors shy away from being labeled “Christian” writers, they all have much truth to tell through their work as they struggle with expressing both faith and doubt. The conversations recorded here offer a fresh dialogue on the power of art to sustain faith in unexpected ways.

Interviews with: Eleanor Taylor Bland, David James Duncan, Terence Faherty, Ernest Gaines, Philip Gulley, Ron Hansen, Silas House, Jan Karon, Sheri Reynolds, Lee Smith.

Authors

Praise

Christianity & Literature
"What brought me sheer delight in this volume was getting to know some authors for the first time. In fact, a reader can compose a very good reading list simply by sampling sections of this book and turning to the works that Brown and the authors discuss. The well-seasoned Brown is at the top of his game here. . . Brown's own nimble mind works synchronously with the writers in something of a mutual exploration."

Publishers Weekly
"Brown is an enthusiastic and knowledgeable interviewer. . . This warmhearted collection capably introduces readers to new authors and illuminates the inherent tensions serious writers face in tackling spiritual themes."

Clyde Edgerton
— author of Solo
"In a time when the meaning of Christianity can be blurry, Dale Brown is clear, direct, and insightful. He asks the right questions, and asks them to good writers. In answering, a writer surprises you and then on the next page says something you believed only you had thought about. This book is entertaining as well as educational and inspirational. It works for people of all faiths and all persuasions who love storytelling, who think and worry about our world, who seek delight. Open to any page and read a little. I think you'll want to read it all."

Living Church
“Brown is a skilled interviewer and editor. He provides a welcome reminder that ‘secular’ writing can ‘raise more intriguing religious questions than do many of the books sold in so-called Christian bookstores.’”

Literature & Theology
“Brown’s book of conversations offers what could be a startlingly diverse collage of perspectives on US Christendom — particularly its more evangelical regions — and on lived experiences of the faith-doubt dynamic.”

Literature and Belief
“Conversations provides interesting reading with an original point to make about the importance of Christian ‘truth-tellers’. . . . [It] functions as a useful companion to Brown’s previous work, Of Faith and Fiction (1997), and succeeds in eroding stereotypes of ‘Christian’ writers.”