Episode 52: Flannery O'Connor - Interview with Fr. Damian Ference

Five Books for Catholics

The books recommended in this episode are:

1. The Complete Stories (also available for Kindle) by Flannery O'Connor
2. Mystery and Manners: Occasional Prose (also available for Kindle) by Flannery O'Connor, seleceted and edited by Sally and Robert Fitzgerald
3. The Habit of Being: Letters of Flannery O'Connor (also available for Kindle) by Flannery O'Connor, selected and edited by Sally Fitzgerald
4. A Prayer Journal (also available for Kindle) by Flannery O'Connor
5. Understanding the Hillbilly Thomist: The Philosophical Foundations of Flannery O'Connor's Narrative Art (also available for Kindle) by Fr. Damian Ference

Five Books for Catholics may receive a commission from qualifying purchases made using the affiliate links to the books listed.

Mary Flannery O’Connor (1925-1964) was a novelist and writer of short stories whose Southern Gothic fiction is informed by a deep Catholic faith. Born and raised in Georgia, after graduating from college, she earned a master’s degree at the University of Iowa’s prestigious Iowa Writer’s Workshop, after which she embarked upon a career as a writer. In 1941, her father had died from lupus, and in 1952 she was diagnosed with the same disease. Undeterred by her illness, she attended Mass every day, supported local Catholic newspapers with numerous book reviews, and wrote most of her fiction. She is remembered for her short stories, which won the U.S. National Book Award for Fiction in 1972.

In this interview, Fr. Damian Ference will discuss O’Connor’s work.

Fr. Damian Ference is a priest of the Diocese of Cleveland where he serves as Vicar for Evangelization, Secretary for Parish Life and Special Ministries, and as Professor of Philosophy at Borromeo Seminary. He holds a licentiate in philosophy from The Catholic University of America and a doctorate in philosophy from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome. He writes regularly on the intersection of faith and culture for a variety of outlets and is the author of the award-winning book, The Strangeness of Truth (Pauline Books & Media, 2019) and Understanding the Hillbilly Thomist: The Philosophical Foundations of Flannery O'Connor's Narrative Art (Word on Fire, 2023). Fr. Ference is the founder and director of Tolle Lege Summer Institute and is a life-time member of the Flannery O’Connor Society.

Read the interview at https://www.fivebooksforcatholics.com/flannery-oconnor/

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