Has anyone read 'A Canticle for Leibowitz' by Walter Miller?

[Basil Valentine]

I read this a few years ago and loved it. A UK publisher brought out a collection of his short fiction (entitled 'Dark Benedictions' IIRC) not long after I read Canticle, so I got that and read it. Unfortunately, I didn't think much of most of the stories, which felt badly dated in the main (unlike the novel).

I remember thinking it strange that the novel seemed to contain a strong anti-suicide message, yet Miller ended up killing himself. Odd...

[Red-Headed]

Originally Posted by Basil Valentine

I remember thinking it strange that the novel seemed to contain a strong anti-suicide message, yet Miller ended up killing himself. Odd...

According to this he was a tail gunner on B 25 bombers in WW2, a bit like Joseph Heller. Miller was a convert to Catholicism after the trauma of the war. He suffered from depression for a long time. It may have been delayed PTSD.

[mal4mac]

Originally Posted by Red-Headed

According to this he was a tail gunner on B 25 bombers in WW2, a bit like Joseph Heller. Miller was a convert to Catholicism after the trauma of the war. He suffered from depression for a long time. It may have been delayed PTSD.

Charles van Doren in "The Joy of Reading" says Miller was involved in the mission that destroyed the famous Benedictine Monastery of Monte Casino, and implies that this was a major influence on the writing of the book. There is an interesting parallel to Vonnegut, who experienced the bombing of Dresden.

[Modest Proposal]

Wow, these facts above really influence my reading of the book. Thanks for the information.

As for the irony/strangeness of the suicide message in light of his own death, I don't find it that strange actually. If he struggled with it he was surely working out his ideas and thoughts and struggles in his writting. It was said, I cannot remember by whom, that one doesn't write to explain but to understand. Rather than it being hypocritical that he condemned suicide and then committed it himself, I see it more as him being aware of how seductive the option is and trying to understand his own feelings on it in concurrence with his religious beliefs.

[Modest Proposal]

Anyone else notice that Bloom included the book in his Western Cannon? I thought that was pretty interesting considering Bloom's occupation with aesthetics over subject matter. That SF is so concerned with 'ideas' and that Miller's book is obviously very concerned with its subject and the speculation that marks SF, I think it's very impressive that he managed to gain favor in the eyes of one who doesn't neccessarily put a premium on those qualities.

[Red-Headed]

Originally Posted by mal4mac

There is an interesting parallel to Vonnegut, who experienced the bombing of Dresden.

I'd forgot about Vonnegut! I wonder how many sci fi writers there are who were traumatised by WW2 & whether this could be viewed as some form of a sub-genre of sci fi literature.

[mal4mac]

Originally Posted by Red-Headed

I'd forgot about Vonnegut! I wonder how many sci fi writers there are who were traumatised by WW2 & whether this could be viewed as some form of a sub-genre of sci fi literature.

J.G. Ballard is another. He was imprisoned by the Japanese as a child during WWII (which explains a lot!)

[Red-Headed]

Originally Posted by mal4mac

J.G. Ballard is another. He was imprisoned by the Japanese as a child during WWII (which explains a lot!)

Yeah, I forgot him as well. He died in April this year. I think there are few sci fi writers who have seen action in various wars. Robert A. Heinlein is another one.