Frederick Buechner
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Frederick Buechner (born July 11, 1926) is a Presbyterian minister and an American author.
Buechner (pronounced BEEK-nur) graduated from Lawrenceville School in 1943 and was accepted to Princeton University. Buechner spent two years (1944-1946) in the military, including combat duty in World War II, before finishing his studies at Princeton. Buechner received a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1947. During his senior year he won the prestigious Glascock Prize for poetry.
In 1948, Buechner returned to Lawrenceville as an English teacher. In 1950, Buechner published his first novel, A Long Day's Dying, which he had begun writing during his senior year at Princeton. Buechner quit teaching in 1953 and moved to New York to become a full-time writer.
Buechner then began attending Union Theological Seminary, and received his Bachelor of Divinity Degree in 1958, which is equivalent to what is now called a Master of Divinity. He then served as the school chaplain at Phillips Exeter Academy from 1958-1967.
His most critically acclaimed novel, Godric, is the semi-fictionalized story of the life of a medieval Catholic saint, Godric of Finchale, told from his own perspective. Godric was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize in 1981.
The poet James Merrill (1926-1995) credited Buechner as an early inspiration. Merrill dedicated First Poems to Buechner in 1951. Merrill and Buechner were friends in high school.
Buechner currently lives in Vermont and as of 2004 continues to write. A film made about him in 2003 can be watched here: [1].
The alternative rock band Daniel Amos released Mr Buechner's Dream inspired by and honoring the author.
[edit] Selected bibliography
- The Magnificent Defeat, 1966
- The Entrance to Porlock, 1970
- Open Heart, 1972
- The Book of Bebb, 1979
- Godric, 1981
- The Final Beast, 1982
- The Alphabet of Grace, 1985
- Peculiar Treasures: A Biblical Who's Who, 1985
- Telling the Truth: The Gospel As Tragedy, Comedy, and Fairy Tale, 1985
- The Sacred Journey, 1985
- Brendan, 1987
- Whistling in the Dark: An ABC Theologized, 1988
- The Wizard's Tide: A Story, 1990
- The Clown in the Belfry: Writings on Faith and Fiction, 1992
- The Son of Laughter, 1993
- Wishful Thinking, 1993
- The Longing for Home: Recollections and Reflections, 1996
- On the Road With the Archangel, 1997
- The Storm, 1998
- The Eyes of the Heart: A Memoir of the Lost and Found, 1999
- Speak What We Feel (Not What We Ought to Say): Reflections on Literature and Faith, 2001
- Faces of Jesus: A Life Story, 2005
- Secrets in the Dark: A Life in Sermons, 2006 (ISBN 0-06-084248-2)
