Frederick Buechner is one of the most gifted writers of his generation, and his legacy casts a long shadow over Christian letters today. As a memoirist, he opened up an entirely new way to think about the genre. As a novelist, hewas a finalist for the Pulitzer. And as a theologian and preacher, he pioneered the art of making theology accessible for a popular audience.Yet for all Buechner's enormous influence, many readers today are unfamiliar with his work, or have read himonly in one genre. In this book, Buechner expert Jeffrey Munroe presents a collection of the true "essentials" from across Buechner's diverse catalog, as well as an overview of Buechner's life and a discussion of the state of his literary legacy today.Here is Buechner in all his complex glory, ready to delight and inspire again.



Makoto Fujimura is an internationally recognized contemporary artist whose work appears in major museums and galleries around the world. He is also an award-winning author of five books, including Art Is, Art and Faith, Beauty and Justice, and Silence and Beauty. He is the founder of IAMCultureCare and the Fujimura Institute. Fujimura served on the National Council on the Arts as a presidential appointee and he is a celebrated speaker and advocate for the arts.







Jeffrey Munroe is executive vice president at Western Theological Seminary, where he also teaches writing. He was a charter member of the advisory board of the Buechner Institute of Faith and Culture, and is an ordained minister in the Reformed Church in America.



Foreword by Makoto Fujimura

Introduction: How Reading Buechner Changed My Life



Part I: Frederick Buechner as Memoirist

1. The Sacred Journey: The Universal Particular

2. Now and Then: Forrest Gump's Feather

3. Telling Secrets: A Deeper Honesty

4. The Eyes of the Heart: Remembering the Lost and Found



Part II: Frederick Buechner as Novelist

5. Godric: A Twelfth-Century Sinner-Saint

6. The Son of Laughter: Heels, Laughter, and the Fear



Part III: Frederick Buechner as Popular Theologian

7. Wishful Thinking: Renewing Tired Words

8. Peculiar Treasures: People We Thought We Knew



Part IV: Frederick Buechner as Preacher

9. Telling the Truth: Tears with Great Laughter

10. Secrets in the Dark: The Wonder of Words

11. Reading Buechner Today

Epilogue

Acknowledgments

Appendix: An Annotated Bibliography of Frederick Buechner's Books

Notes

Index