Paul Elie (1) (1965–)
Author of The Life You Save May Be Your Own: An American Pilgrimage
For other authors named Paul Elie, see the disambiguation page.
About the Author
Image credit: By Larry D. Moore, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=22851478
Works by Paul Elie
Tremor Of Bliss: Contemporary Writers on the Saints (1994) — Editor, Contributor — 104 copies, 1 review
Associated Works
American Catholics, American Culture : tradition and resistance (2004) — Contributor, some editions — 12 copies
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Common Knowledge
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Reviews
Featuring biographies of two of my favorite writers, Walker Percy and Flannery O'Connor, this book introduced me to the world of two other religious writer/thinkers, Thomas Merton and Dorothy Day. It also expanded my limited knowledge of Roman Catholicism since I was raised a heathen (Methodist version). Of course, these writers were not necessarily orthodox in their religious beliefs, but they were definitely interesting.
The book is a rich tapestry that features connections, both curious show more and serious, between the subject writers. It is this that raises this book above average biographies. Even though the book does not provide the detail that separate biographies might offer, Elie focuses on the essential nature of each writer's personal pilgrimage discussing how they fit into the modern literary tradition. The marriage of Paul Elie's wonderful prose with such fecund material made a biographical exploration of literary and religious ideas one that I can heartily recommend to anyone who enjoys reading. show less
The book is a rich tapestry that features connections, both curious show more and serious, between the subject writers. It is this that raises this book above average biographies. Even though the book does not provide the detail that separate biographies might offer, Elie focuses on the essential nature of each writer's personal pilgrimage discussing how they fit into the modern literary tradition. The marriage of Paul Elie's wonderful prose with such fecund material made a biographical exploration of literary and religious ideas one that I can heartily recommend to anyone who enjoys reading. show less
The ultimate goal, I believe, of reading is to develop as a person, to take tiny steps towards wholeness, maturity and wisdom. And, I’ve known for some time that my emphasis on non-fiction reflects my overemphasis of the head over the heart.
Paul Elie’s The Life You Save May Be Your Own was that perfect mixture of head and heart where you’re introduced to some of the most compelling people of the 20th century along with their ideas and convictions. Simply put, I loved it, and I’m so show more thankful for Nate suggesting it. (I had read and didn't like or understand Flannery O’Connor’s first book Wise Blood, to which he recommended this.) Their lives pulled your forward with zest; their thoughts, questions and exploits inspired; and on top of it, Elie included ample literary reflection and insight, not to mention perspective particularly on the American 1950s and 60s.
The book interweaves the stories of 4 of the most influential Catholics of the 20th century – Thomas Merton, Flannery O’Connor, Walker Percy, and Dorothy Day. All were writers and all sought after truth and God in their own ways. Here Elie tells of their pilgrimages and particular journeys.
Before reading this book, I had read a bit of O’Connor, Day, and Merton, and knew just bits of their lives, but I was downright shocked at some of the twists in their stories, which I won't spoil here. Many of their ideas, enacted in their lives, were powerful. Here are a few: a theology of the grotesque or “freaks” seen particularly in O’Connor’s fiction. Love for the poor and Therese of Lisieux’s Little Way (mentioned, I believe, by all). The importance of place and committing to a place. Care for the poor. The practice of letter writing. The love of the written word and literature! I hope to read many more of the classics, particularly Dickens, Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, Orwell, James, not to mention many more by these 4 authors. And perhaps most of all – the emphasis on solitude, silence and contemplation. I was left with a yearning for depth.
It is a book to savor, to grow deeper in love with life, and to be inspired by their lives. And, if done well, a 4 part biography cannot be short. So be prepared to read.
Some quotes noted mostly for personal significance:
A quote from Walker Percy: “Life is a mystery, love is a delight. Therefore I take it as axiomatic that one should settle for nothing less than the infinite mystery and the infinite delight, i.e., God. In fact I demand it. I refuse to settle for anything less.”
A quote from Day: “Buddhists teach that a man’s life is divided into three parts: the first part for education and growing up; the second for continued learning, through marriage and raising a family, involvement with the life of the senses, the mind, and the spirit; and the third period, the time of withdrawal from responsibility, letting go of the things of this life, letting God take over.” And that was how she announced her retirement from the Catholic Worker.
Merton:
One from O’Connor retelling a conversation she had with “Big Intellectuals”:
Lastly in the concluding epilogue Elie writes, “What is the meaning of their lives? It is a presumptuous question, and yet one that demands to be asked.” To which he then describes his own pilgrimage to each of their main stomping grounds. He continues: “There is no way to seek truth except personally. Every story worth knowing is a life story. In their different ways, the four writers this book is about sought the truth personally – in charity, in prayer, in art, in philosophy.” A lovely summary, I thought. show less
Paul Elie’s The Life You Save May Be Your Own was that perfect mixture of head and heart where you’re introduced to some of the most compelling people of the 20th century along with their ideas and convictions. Simply put, I loved it, and I’m so show more thankful for Nate suggesting it. (I had read and didn't like or understand Flannery O’Connor’s first book Wise Blood, to which he recommended this.) Their lives pulled your forward with zest; their thoughts, questions and exploits inspired; and on top of it, Elie included ample literary reflection and insight, not to mention perspective particularly on the American 1950s and 60s.
The book interweaves the stories of 4 of the most influential Catholics of the 20th century – Thomas Merton, Flannery O’Connor, Walker Percy, and Dorothy Day. All were writers and all sought after truth and God in their own ways. Here Elie tells of their pilgrimages and particular journeys.
Before reading this book, I had read a bit of O’Connor, Day, and Merton, and knew just bits of their lives, but I was downright shocked at some of the twists in their stories, which I won't spoil here. Many of their ideas, enacted in their lives, were powerful. Here are a few: a theology of the grotesque or “freaks” seen particularly in O’Connor’s fiction. Love for the poor and Therese of Lisieux’s Little Way (mentioned, I believe, by all). The importance of place and committing to a place. Care for the poor. The practice of letter writing. The love of the written word and literature! I hope to read many more of the classics, particularly Dickens, Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, Orwell, James, not to mention many more by these 4 authors. And perhaps most of all – the emphasis on solitude, silence and contemplation. I was left with a yearning for depth.
It is a book to savor, to grow deeper in love with life, and to be inspired by their lives. And, if done well, a 4 part biography cannot be short. So be prepared to read.
Some quotes noted mostly for personal significance:
A quote from Walker Percy: “Life is a mystery, love is a delight. Therefore I take it as axiomatic that one should settle for nothing less than the infinite mystery and the infinite delight, i.e., God. In fact I demand it. I refuse to settle for anything less.”
A quote from Day: “Buddhists teach that a man’s life is divided into three parts: the first part for education and growing up; the second for continued learning, through marriage and raising a family, involvement with the life of the senses, the mind, and the spirit; and the third period, the time of withdrawal from responsibility, letting go of the things of this life, letting God take over.” And that was how she announced her retirement from the Catholic Worker.
Merton:
“Can I tell you that I have found answers to the questions that torment the man of our time? I do not know if I have found answers. When I first became a monk, yes, I was more sure of ‘answers.’ But as I grow old in the monastic life I become aware that I have only begun to seek the questions. And what are the questions? Can a man make sense of his existence? Can a man honestly give his life meaning merely by adopting a certain set of explanations which pretend to tell him why the world began and where it will end, why there is evil and what is necessary for a good life? … I have been summoned to explore a desert area of man’s heart in which explanations no longer suffice, and in which one learns that only experience counts.”
One from O’Connor retelling a conversation she had with “Big Intellectuals”:
I hadn’t opened my mouth once, there being nothing for me in such company to say. The people who took me were Robert Lowell and his now wife, Elizabeth Hardwick. Having me there was like having a dog present who had been trained to say a few words but overcome with inadequacy had forgotten them.
Well, toward morning the conversation turned on the Eucharist, which I, being the Catholic, was obviously supposed to defend. Mrs. Broadwater said when she was a child and received the Host, she thought of it as the Holy Ghost, He being the ‘most portable’ person of the Trinity; now she thought of it as a symbol and implied that it was a pretty good one.
I then said, in a very shaky voice, ‘Well, if it’s a symbol, to hell with it.’ That was all the defense I was capable of but I realize now that this is all I will ever be able to say about it, outside of a story, except that it is the center of existence for me; all the rest of life is expendable.”
Lastly in the concluding epilogue Elie writes, “What is the meaning of their lives? It is a presumptuous question, and yet one that demands to be asked.” To which he then describes his own pilgrimage to each of their main stomping grounds. He continues: “There is no way to seek truth except personally. Every story worth knowing is a life story. In their different ways, the four writers this book is about sought the truth personally – in charity, in prayer, in art, in philosophy.” A lovely summary, I thought. show less
I bought this book as part of a research project on Flannery O’Connor who, despite certain misgivings, still stands as my favorite white female American writer. It does deal extensively with O’Connor and her life and work, but it similarly dives deep into the lives of her fellow Catholic writers Dorothy Day, Thomas Merton, and Walker Percy. I haven’t read any of Day or Percy, and from Merton I only recently read his famous autobiography The Seven Storey Mountain. So, while I cannot show more speak to Elie’s treatment of the other three, I can very strongly recommend his treatment of O’Connor. Of the four, she was the only cradle Catholic, which gave her a different perspective on faith and life, even though faith was indeed central to all four lives and to their writing. This was a brilliant text to which I am sure to return. show less
This is a delightful, if jam-packed, book, detailing the careers and lives of [[Flannery O'Connor]], [[Thomas Merton]], [[Walker Percy]], and [[Dorothy Day]] - all from the perspective of their Catholic faith. I can't say that I completely understood every bit of Catholic and religious philosophy, especially during the stretches where the author took on Percy's essay work. But I enjoyed the exposure to it a great deal. Day was a complete unknown to me, and her life sounds so interesting and show more inspiring. O'Connor and Merton are favorites, but there was much information on both that was new to me. If you've read O'Connor's [Mystery and Manners] or [Merton and Waugh], you'll love this book, as this author does the same thing those books did - expressing the intersection of faith and fiction.
5 bones!!!!!
Highly Recommended!!!! show less
5 bones!!!!!
Highly Recommended!!!! show less
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