From lowry.charles at gmail.com Sat Aug 7 12:17:57 2021 From: lowry.charles at gmail.com (Charles Lowry) Date: Sat, 7 Aug 2021 12:17:57 -0400 Subject: [percy-l] Walker Percy Loves You etc. Message-ID: Honestly, I have never believed that Walker Percy loved me, or that he would have loved me if he had known me. I can say with certainty that Dr. Thomas More would not have loved me, since he says in *Love In The Ruins*, "I believe in God and the whole business but I love women best, music and science next, whiskey next, God fourth, and my fellowman hardly at all." I acknowledge that I am a small and insignificant part of the final category on that list, loved "hardly at all." Doug Brown has not convinced me that Walker Percy loves me, or that Walker Percy has an excellent plan for the rest of my life. My personal view is that if Walker Percy and I had encountered one another in life, we would have handed one another along a ways on the dark journey, "all for good and selfish reasons." It always does come back to *The Moviegoer*, doesn't it? Anyway, after some delay, I finished the book so graciously recommended to us by our esteemed (an actual description, not a formulaic insert) moderator. Although I did not necessarily agree with all the author's literary judgments, I learned something important from this book. I learned how one person was able to integrate literature into life, and for those of us who are not academicians, that is an extremely valuable insight. Several years ago, at a symposium sponsored by Loyola New Orleans, I gave a small and imperfect talk on *The Moviegoer*. I took as my starting point Percy's "ordinary Thursday at 4:00" conundrum: if I read history and philosophy and essays and biography and novels and theology all morning, shall I be a better person after lunch? The twist I gave it was attuned to the theme of the conference: if I read *The Moviegoer* all morning, shall I be a better person after lunch? I realize now that I was probably trying to do what Doug Brown did, though he did it more poignantly and at greater length. We need to know why this matters. We need to know why *The Moviegoer* matters, or "A Good Man Is Hard To Find" or *South of the Border, West of the Sun* or *Crime and Punishment* or "What We Talk About When We Talk About Love" or the *Aeneid *or *The Divine Comedy* or *Don Quixote *or any of it. Doug Brown has offered a solid perspective on how literature not only enriches life (we have surely all thought about that) but also fits into the gristle and ligaments and aches and pains of life. To non-professional readers, that is what makes literature matter. Bravo, Doug Brown! Chuck Lowry Brooklyn, New York -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From wply1223 at gmail.com Sat Aug 7 15:43:05 2021 From: wply1223 at gmail.com (Doug Brown) Date: Sat, 7 Aug 2021 15:43:05 -0400 Subject: [percy-l] Walker Percy Loves You etc. In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: I have received a number of encouraging comments from readers in the Percy-L community, either here at the listserv or directly to my email. All of them have delighted me, but perhaps none have delighted me more than this one from Mr Lowry. (I hope this community will forgive me - a newbie here - for a bit of fanboy gushing: the novelist Ron Rash left me a charming and funny voicemail telling me how much he enjoyed my book.) Part of what I appreciate about Chuck Lowry's posting is that he seems to lean into the irony that is ingrained in Percy's writing. Would Walker Percy love either me or Mr Lowry? Was Percy as misanthropic as some of his writing might suggest? Or was his misanthropy an ironic veneer? Percy certainly loved his characters and had compassion for them. And did Walker Percy have a plan for our lives? I'll hazard a guess that his left eyelid would start to twitch at the suggestion. Clearly, the title of my book is an ironic play on the old expression that God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life. But any plan that Percy might have for us has less to do with moral dogma or a prescription for happiness, and has more to do with the frameworks we construct (or inherit) that shape how we see the narratives of our lives. That's what I appreciate most about Mr Lowry's post. He acknowledges what I see as the key point of my book: that language and literature and narrative all matter - whether it is the poetry and stories that we read, or it is the stories we tell ourselves and each other about our own lives. Thank you, Chuck Lowry. Doug Brown Asheville, NC Walker Percy Loves You and Has a Wonderful Plan for Your Life On Sat, Aug 7, 2021 at 12:18 PM Charles Lowry wrote: > Honestly, I have never believed that Walker Percy loved me, or that he > would have loved me if he had known me. I can say with certainty that Dr. > Thomas More would not have loved me, since he says in *Love In The Ruins*, > "I believe in God and the whole business but I love women best, music and > science next, whiskey next, God fourth, and my fellowman hardly at all." I > acknowledge that I am a small and insignificant part of the final category > on that list, loved "hardly at all." > > Doug Brown has not convinced me that Walker Percy loves me, or that Walker > Percy has an excellent plan for the rest of my life. My personal view is > that if Walker Percy and I had encountered one another in life, we would > have handed one another along a ways on the dark journey, "all for good and > selfish reasons." It always does come back to *The Moviegoer*, doesn't > it? > > Anyway, after some delay, I finished the book so graciously recommended to > us by our esteemed (an actual description, not a formulaic insert) > moderator. Although I did not necessarily agree with all the author's > literary judgments, I learned something important from this book. I > learned how one person was able to integrate literature into life, and for > those of us who are not academicians, that is an extremely valuable insight. > > Several years ago, at a symposium sponsored by Loyola New Orleans, I gave > a small and imperfect talk on *The Moviegoer*. I took as my starting > point Percy's "ordinary Thursday at 4:00" conundrum: if I read history and > philosophy and essays and biography and novels and theology all morning, > shall I be a better person after lunch? The twist I gave it was attuned to > the theme of the conference: if I read *The Moviegoer* all morning, shall > I be a better person after lunch? I realize now that I was probably trying > to do what Doug Brown did, though he did it more poignantly and at greater > length. We need to know why this matters. We need to know why *The > Moviegoer* matters, or "A Good Man Is Hard To Find" or *South of the > Border, West of the Sun* or *Crime and Punishment* or "What We Talk About > When We Talk About Love" or the *Aeneid *or *The Divine Comedy* or *Don > Quixote *or any of it. Doug Brown has offered a solid perspective on how > literature not only enriches life (we have surely all thought about that) > but also fits into the gristle and ligaments and aches and pains of life. > To non-professional readers, that is what makes literature matter. > Bravo, Doug Brown! > > Chuck Lowry > Brooklyn, New York > > > > ---------------------------------- > USING PERCY-L > * Read Percy-L Charter and Policies: > https://ibiblio.org/wpercy/listserv/charter-policies.html > * Manage Your Membership: > https://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/percy-l > * Submit a Post to Percy-L: percy-l at lists.ibiblio.org > * Contact the Listserv Manager: percy.listserv.manager at gmail.com > > LISTSERV ARCHIVES > * View Percy-L Discussion Archives: > https://lists.ibiblio.org/pipermail/percy-l/ > * Search Percy-L Discussion Archives: > https://www.ibiblio.org/wpercy/listserv/how-to-search-archives.html > > THE WALKER PERCY PROJECT > * Visit The Walker Percy Project website: https://www.ibiblio.org/wpercy > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From lowry.charles at gmail.com Sat Aug 7 18:27:52 2021 From: lowry.charles at gmail.com (Charles Lowry) Date: Sat, 7 Aug 2021 18:27:52 -0400 Subject: [percy-l] Walker Percy Loves You: Another Precinct Heard From Message-ID: One of our community members is shy about posting but has, I think, insight worth reading. I adduce the thoughts here as intermediary: <> Chuck Lowry -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From wppdirector at gmail.com Sat Aug 21 09:18:47 2021 From: wppdirector at gmail.com (Henry P. Mills) Date: Sat, 21 Aug 2021 09:18:47 -0400 Subject: [percy-l] Covington, La., erects Walker Percy monument at city park Message-ID: <82C9E649-CA0E-455F-94AA-1F811F3CC8D1@gmail.com> Dear Percy-L: Percyphiles will enjoy reading about and viewing photos of the now second statute of Walker Percy installed in Covington, La. This one, located in the city's Bogue Falaya River Park, follows an earlier statue installed at the St. Tammany Library, Madisonville Branch (photo at https://www.ibiblio.org/wpercy/memorials/). Below are two articles from NOLA.com and WGNO.com providing interesting details about the origin and design of the second statue. One can only wonder what one Percy statue would say to the other if side by side...perhaps the beginnings of yet another compelling self-interview such as "Questions they never asked me so he asked them himself" as published in Esquire. It would be an interesting conversation, no doubt! Enjoy and best wishes, Henry Mills ------- NEWS WITH A TWIST Get to know one of Covington?s favorite sons: author Walker Percy (includes closeup photo) by: Stephanie Oswald https://wgno.com/news-with-a-twist/get-to-know-one-of-covingtons-favorite-sons-author-walker-percy/ Posted: Sep 26, 2018 / 01:27 PM CDT / Updated: Sep 26, 2018 / 01:27 PM CDT COVINGTON, La. ? He?s one of Covington?s most famous residents, and in the world of books, especially philosophical fiction, Walker Percy is a super star. Many of his novels are set in and around New Orleans, and he won the National Book Award for Fiction in 1962, for ?The Moviegoer.? ?People come here and they want to know: where was his house and were is he buried? There?s a definite interest for the people who loved his books,? says Lisa Condrey Ward, the co-owner of the Southern Hotel, and creator of the Covington Public Art Fund. Ms. Condrey Ward has done a lot to promote Walker Percy-related tourism in Covington. One of her hotel?s spacious and well-appointed suites is named for the author, and, at the hotel bar, every Wednesday is ?Walker Percy Wednesday,? based on a quote from the award-winning writer. (Percy is credited with saying, ?Home is where the heart is, but it?s no place to be on a Wednesday afternoon.?) During these special happy hours there are Bourbon specials; apparently Percy enjoyed them during his forty-plus years in Covington. ?Covington has always been known as an artist?s community. We have a long history, for whatever reason, of artists living here or coming here to do their work,? says Condrey Ward. The CPAF?s first commission was unveiled in August, and it also honors Percy: a bronze masterpiece near the entrance to Bogue Falaya Park. It took less than two years for the group to raise $60,000 to make it happen. There?s another piece of art in the works that also honors Percy: a bust that will be placed in the public library once its renovation is complete. Finally, if you?d like to pay your respects at the final resting place for this literary genius, head to St. Joseph Abbey. He and his wife are buried there, and the visitor center can help you find the spot. You might want to call ahead to be sure someone will be on hand to guide you. Percy?s novels speak to the struggle of mankind in the modern world, but you won?t struggle to find markers to celebrate his life when you journey to Covington. (c) WGNO.com ----- Covington to erect Walker Percy monument at city park Kim Chatelain, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune http://www.nola.com/northshore/index.ssf/2017/08/as_monuments_come_down_covingt.html Published Aug 16, 2017 at 11:12 PM | Updated Jul 22, 2019 at 1:21 PM COVINGTON, La. ? As cities and states around the country move to take down divisive Confederate monuments following the clashes at Saturday's rally in Charlottesville, Va., the Covington City Council Tuesday night (Aug. 15) agreed to erect a statue designed to bring people together. The council voted unanimously to place a bronze statue of novelist Walker Percy in Bogue Falaya Park. The 9-foot sculpture entitled "Walker Percy Gateway" pays homage to the prize-winning writer who lived in Covington from 1948 until his death in 1990. It depicts Percy leaning in a doorway, a metaphoric gateway into the author's world. The statue is the work of Covington sculptor Bill Binnings, who was commissioned by the Committee for the Covington Public Art Fund. It will be erected this fall in the center of the park's circular drive near the front of the pavilion, Mayor Mike Cooper said. The City Council Tuesday night approved a resolution authorizing the mayor to accept the statue on behalf of the city and to place it in the park. Because of donations of time and staffing from local companies, the city will bear no cost associated with the transportation or installation of the statue, which has an estimated value of $60,000. "The city is happy to accept this donation," Cooper said. "Walker Percy was one of Covington's most prominent citizens." (c) NOLA.com ---- Full-size photo (photographer unknown) -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... 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