Gilead: An NPR Interview with the Author
POSTED BY Andrew Peterson
While you may not agree with everything Mrs. Robinson says, I think you’ll agree that her spirit is as sweet, her mind as sharp, and her thinking as deep as her novel suggests. We still have a few copies of Gilead for sale in the Rabbit Room, and I can’t recommend it highly enough.
(By the way, I think Terry Gross is an excellent interviewer, but she strikes me a little hostile to Christians at times. Marilynne Robinson seems to confound her a bit, and I love it.)
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Thanks Andrew. Gilead is one of my favorite books. My Grandfather is a retired Baptist minister, so this book really resonated with me. I aim to read Housekeeping soon. It is on my list.
Yes, thank you. I, too, loved Gilead. I don’t think I’ve ever read such beauty before.
What an interesting interview. I like Terry Gross, also, but she does seem a little bitter here. Marilynne Robinson is so gracious and kind. And Arthur, Housekeeping is amazing as well.
Thank you, Proprietor, for bringing this to our attention. By the way, I read that Marilynne Robinson has a new novel coming out in the fall of this year (September, if I’m not mistaken), and that it will involve some of the same characters from Gilead.
Those of you who like Marilynne Robinson’s fiction ought to know about her essays, some of which are collected in The Death of Adam. They’re brilliant, and I mean to write about them on the Rabbit Room one of these days, so I won’t say more about them except to recommend them. Actually, I will say this much: one of the interesting things about her is that an essentially Calvinist worldview has led her to a politics that is left of center rather than right–not something you see every day. Whether you agree with her conclusions or not, she has an intellectual honesty that you have to admire.
Can I say one word in defense of Terry Gross? She occasionally offends me with her hostility to Christian guests, but I thought her questions to Marilynne Robinson were fair.
Oh, man. I could not be more excited about her new book in September! I own her book of essays; I just haven’t gotten around to reading it yet.
I should also confess that I went to an IMAGE conference in Houston, and M. Robinson took part - she even read aloud from Gilead. Very moving. But I was such a geek - too shy to talk to her.
I, too, loved this book. It is in my top five; maybe my top two favorites. What struck me about this interview was her intelligence. Terry Gross is no mental slouch, but I think she seemed a bit out of her depth here. I am anxious to read her next book, and her essays.
I read Housekeeping, and did not care for it nearly as much as Gilead.
Jonathan, did you also read Robinson’s book of essays, Mother Country?
I recently read Gilead for the first time — and then right away, for the second. (It’s even better the second time.)
I am in a place in life right now where there’s a lot of waiting and uncertainty — but what *is* known is that in the not too distant future, my parents will be leaving to see Jesus. I have been finding solace in creative works (too cold a word) that point toward hope. Gilead is one of them. The music of AP is another, and the reason I found this site. So I’m here looking for more of the same, and I just wanted to say “thank you” to the folks who put this together. It’s serving for far more than conversation and book sales, I believe.
And Gilead is now my favorite (non-Scripture) book. It edged out Till We Have Faces.
Jana, I agree. It is even better the second time. And I think it will be better still the third and fourth times. There is so much to think about in that book, and the words the ideas are wrapped in are just extraordinarily beautiful. I’m hoping to receive HOME–Robinson’s latest, sort of sequel to Gilead– as a birthday or Christmas present this year.
Well, here’s another book to add to the list. Thanks Jana and Becky for reviving this post.
This seemed to be a standard NPR interview in fact, it reminded me of Mars HIll Audio Journal — which is no surprise given that Ken Meyers came from the NPR world.
http://www.marshillaudio.org/about/aboutmha.asp
It could be the type of recording — the sound of these NPR or Mars Hill recordings is muted and measured. A comforting style that I’ve always enjoyed. So, I agree with Jonathan, Terry’s interview was very good. She unearthed some interesting thoughts on prayer, Marilynne’s writing style, politics and religion, and interpreting The Bible.
Though she lacks depth in biblical thinking, she at least knew the questions to ask. I pray that will encourage Terry to not only continue this type of thoughtful questioning with future guests of this type, but that she would be moved to read and investigate the Bible for her own edification.
Thanks for sharing it Barliman!