The Walker Percy Project
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THE UNIVERSITY PRESS OF KENTUCKY
Peter Augustine Lawler, Brian A. Smith, eds.
In 1962, Walker Percy (1916–1990) made a dramatic entrance onto the American literary scene when he won the National Book Award for fiction with his first novel, The Moviegoer. A physician, philosopher, and devout Catholic, Percy dedicated his life to understanding the mixed and somewhat contradictory foundations of American life as a situation faced by the wandering and wondering human soul. His controversial works combined existential questioning, scientific investigation, the insight of the southern stoic, and authentic religious faith to produce a singular view of humanity's place in the cosmos that ranks among the best American political thinking.
An authoritative guide to the political thought of this celebrated yet complex American author, A Political Companion to Walker Percy includes seminal essays by Ralph C. Wood, Richard Reinsch II, and James V. Schall, S.J., as well as new analyses of Percy's view of Thomistic realism and his reaction to the American pursuit of happiness. Editors Peter Augustine Lawler and Brian A. Smith have assembled scholars of diverse perspectives who provide a necessary lens for interpreting Percy's works. This comprehensive introduction to Percy's "American Thomism" is an indispensable resource for students of American literature, culture, and politics.
Peter Augustine Lawler is Dana Professor of Government at Berry College. He teaches courses in political philosophy and American politics. He has written or edited fifteen books, including A Political Companion to Walker Percy. Brian A. Smith is an Associate Professor of Political Science and Law at Montclair State University.
Publication Date: July 2013