 | |
| Author | Frederick Buechner |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | Anthology |
| Publisher | Seabury Press, NY |
Publication date | 1970 |
| Preceded by | The Hungering Dark |
| Followed by | Wishful Thinking: a theological ABC |
The Alphabet of Grace is a collection of addresses on Christianity and faith by Frederick Buechner. It was first conceived as a trilogy of sermons, delivered at the Harvard Memorial Church in the winter of 1969. It was subsequently published by Seabury Press, NY, in 1970.
In his second autobiographical work, Now and Then , Buechner recounts his receipt of an invitation to deliver the 1969 William Belden Noble Lectures at Harvard Memorial Church by the chaplain, Charles Price. [1] [2] The author writes that it was Price’s prompt, that he should speak on ‘religion and letters’, that became the catalyst for the series: ‘I found myself thinking of letters literally instead’, he writes, ‘of letters as the alphabet itself, the A’s, B’s, C’s, and D’s out of which all literature, all words, are ultimately composed’. He continues:
[F]rom there I wandered somehow from the notion of the events of our lives – even, and perhaps especially, the most everyday events – as the alphabet through which God, of his grace, spells out his words, his meaning, to us. [3]
The Alphabet of Grace was Buechner’s seventh published work, and was released to the public shortly after his fifth novel, The Entrance to Porlock (1970).
1. Gutturals (6:45-7:30 a.m.)
2. Sibilants (7:30-8:30 a.m.)
3. Absence of Vowels (8:30 a.m. – 11 p.m.)
In Now and Then, Buechner writes that the addresses centre around ‘a single representative day of my life’, and that they consider ‘what there [is] of God to hear in it’. [4] Throughout the sermons the preacher draws from a broad list of literary and theological influences, including Leo Tolstoy, Mark Twain, G.K. Chesterton, Heinrich Zimmer, and John Milton. [5] Buechner also discusses the writing process, referring often to the novel he was finishing as he composed the sermon series, The Entrance to Porlock.
Buechner scholar Dale Brown writes that The Alphabet of Grace represents a ‘turning point in Buechner’s career’, and that it is ‘impossible to classify’. [6] Brown ventures that the anthology is the author’s ‘first run at memoir’, [7] a ‘loosening of the tongue, a first draft of the life he will tell in many volumes beginning in the 1980s’. [8] Literary critic Jeffrey Munroe concurs with this, writing that 'The Alphabet of Grace marks a new phase for Buechner's readers'. Munroe notes that the work represents 'Buechner's first use of himself as his subject', and that, 'in many ways, from this point on, his career will be defined by using his interior life as his theme.' [9] Munroe also suggests that the work is an early demonstration of Buechner's synthesis of his own thought with that of Paul Tillich, [10] and that, more generally, 'the process of writing The Alphabet of Grace helps [Buechner] articulate what becomes his core philosophy'. [11]
That 'core philosophy' is the central theme of the work, which is concerned with the interaction of the extraordinary with the ordinary, and the presence of God in the mundane. Reflecting on The Alphabet of Grace in Now and Then, Buechner offers the following famous summary of the message at the heart of the work:
[I]f I were called upon to state in a few words the essence of everything I was trying to say both as a novelist and as a preacher, it would be something like this: Listen to your life. See it for the fathomless mystery that it is. In the boredom and pain of it no less than in the excitements and the gladness: touch, taste, smell your way to the holy and hidden heart of it because in the last analysis all moments are key moments, and life itself is grace. [12]
Carl Frederick Buechner was an American writer, novelist, poet, autobiographer, essayist, preacher, and theologian. He was an ordained Presbyterian minister and the author of thirty-nine published books. His work encompassed different genres, including fiction, autobiography, essays and sermons, and his career spanned more than six decades. Buechner's books were translated into many languages for publication around the world. He was best known for his novels, including A Long Day's Dying, The Book of Bebb, Godric, and Brendan, his memoirs, including Telling Secrets and The Sacred Journey, and his more theological works, including Secrets in the Dark, The Magnificent Defeat, and Telling the Truth.
Godric is the tenth novel by the American author and theologian, Frederick Buechner. Set in the eleventh and twelfth centuries, the novel tells the semi-fictionalised life story of the medieval Roman Catholic saint, Godric of Finchale. It was first published in 1980 by Atheneum, New York, and was a finalist for the 1981 Pulitzer Prize.
The Book of Bebb is a tetralogy of novels by the American author and theologian, Frederick Buechner. Published in 1971 by Atheneum, New York, Lion Country is the first in the Book of Bebb series. It was followed by Open Heart (1972), Love Feast (1974), and Treasure Hunt (1977). In 1972 Lion Country was named a finalist in the National Book Award for Fiction. The Book of Bebb is an edited single volume edition containing the four novels, and it was published by Atheneum, New York, in 1979.
This is a list of published works by writer and theologian Frederick Buechner.
The Final Beast is the fourth novel by the American author and theologian, Frederick Buechner. It was first published in 1965 by Atheneum, New York.
The Entrance to Porlock is the fifth novel by the American author and theologian, Frederick Buechner. It was first published in 1970 by Atheneum, New York.
Now and Then: a memoir of vocation (1983), is the second of four partial autobiographies written by Frederick Buechner. Published in 1983, the work describes the author's life from his conversion to Christianity in 1953, at the age of twenty-seven, up to his residency in Vermont at the age of fifty-seven.
Telling Secrets: a memoir (1991), is the third of four partial autobiographies written by Frederick Buechner. Published in 1991, the work considers in depth several scenes and events from the author's life, from his father’s suicide through to his time spent as a visiting professor at Wheaton College.
The Magnificent Defeat is a collection of meditations on Christianity and faith by Frederick Buechner. It was first conceived as a series of sermons, delivered at the Phillips Exeter Academy throughout 1959. It was subsequently published by Seabury Press, NY, in 1966. The Magnificent Defeat is Buechner’s first non-fiction publication.
The Hungering Dark is a collection on meditations on Christianity and faith by Frederick Buechner. Preceded by The Magnificent Defeat, it is the second in a series of sermon anthologies preached in 1959 during the author's time at the Phillips Exeter Academy. The Hungering Dark is Buechner's second non-fiction publication, and it was published by Seabury Press, NY, in 1968.
Wishful Thinking: a theological ABC, reissued in 1993 as Wishful Thinking: a seeker’s ABC, is a collection of meditations on faith, Christianity, and theology by Frederick Buechner. It is the first of Buechner’s lexical trilogy, which includes Peculiar Treasures (1979) and Whistling in the Dark (1988). Published in 1973 by Harper and Row, Wishful Thinking is Buechner’s fourth non-fiction work.
The Faces of Jesus: a life story is a collection of meditations by Frederick Buechner on the life and person of Jesus Christ. The work gathers and discusses a selection of artistic portrayals of Jesus, including a variety of forms, from tapestry to sculpture. Published in 1974 by Simon and Schuster, Faces of Jesus is Buechner’s fifth non-fiction work.
Telling the Truth: the Gospel as tragedy, comedy, and fairy tale, is a collection of essays by Frederick Buechner on the subject of homiletics. It was first composed for and delivered at the Yale Divinity School Lyman Beecher Lecture series in 1976. Telling the Truth was subsequently published in 1977 by Harper Collins. It is Buechner's sixth non-fiction work.
Peculiar Treasures: A Biblical Who's Who, is a collection of meditations on the stories of biblical figures, written by Frederick Buechner. It is the second of Buechner's lexical trilogy, which includes Wishful Thinking (1973) and Whistling in the Dark (1988). Published in 1979 by Harper and Row, Peculiar Treasures is Buechner's seventh non-fiction work.
Whistling in the Dark: a doubter's dictionary, first issued as Whistling in the Dark: an ABC theologized, is a collection of meditations on faith, Christianity, and theology by Frederick Buechner. It is the third and final instalment of Buechner's lexical trilogy, which includes Wishful Thinking (1973) and Peculiar Treasures (1979). Published in 1988 by Harper and Row, Whistling in the Dark is Buechner's ninth non-fiction work.
The Clown in the Belfry is an anthology of sermons, lectures, and articles, authored by Frederick Buechner. Published in 1992 by Harper and Row, The Clown in the Belfry is Buechner's tenth non-fiction work.
The Longing for Home: recollections and reflections is an anthology of sermons, poetry, devotional pieces, essays, and autobiographical reflections authored by Frederick Buechner. Published in 1996 by Harper Collins, The Longing for Home is Buechner's twelfth non-fiction work.
Speak What We Feel : reflections on faith and literature is a collection of literary critical and theological essays authored by Frederick Buechner. Published in 2001 by HarperCollins, Speak What We Feel is Buechner's thirteenth non-fiction work.
Secrets in the Dark: A Life in Sermons is a collection of sermons and lectures authored by Frederick Buechner. Published in 2006 by Harper Collins, Secrets in the Dark is Buechner's fifteenth non-fiction work.
The Wizard's Tide: a story is a novella by the American author and theologian, Frederick Buechner. It was first published in 1990 by Harper and Row, before being re-issued in 2005 under the altered title, The Christmas Tide.