Ben Alexander – författare

A literary treasure of over one hundred unpublished letters from National Book Award-winning author Flannery O'Connor and her circle of extraordinary friends. Flannery O’Connor is a master of twentieth-century American fiction, joining, since her untimely death in 1964, the likes of Hawthorne, Hemingway, and Faulkner. Those familiar with her work know that her powerful ethical vision was rooted in a quiet, devout faith and informed all she wrote and did. Good Things Out of Nazareth, a much-anticipated collection of many of O’Connor’s previously unpublished letters—along with those of literary luminaries such as Walker Percy (The Moviegoer), Caroline Gordon (None Shall Look Back), Katherine Anne Porter (Ship of Fools), Robert Giroux and movie critic Stanley Kauffmann. The letters explore such themes as creativity, faith, suffering, and writing. Brought together, they form a riveting literary portrait of these friends, artists, and thinkers. Here we find their joys and loves, as well as their trials and tribulations as they struggle with doubt and illness while championing their beliefs and often confronting racism in American society during the civil rights era.Praise for Good Things Out of Nazareth“An epistolary group portrait that will appeal to readers interested in the Catholic underpinnings of O'Connor's life and work . . . These letters by the National Book Award–winning short story writer and her friends alternately fit and break the mold. Anyone looking for Southern literary gossip will find plenty of barbs. . . . But there’s also higher-toned talk on topics such as the symbolism in O’Connor’s work and the nature of free will.”—Kirkus Reviews   “A fascinating set of Flannery O’Connor’s correspondence . . . The compilation is highlighted by gems from O’Connor’s writing mentor, Caroline Gordon. . . . While O’Connor’s milieu can seem intimidatingly insular, the volume allows readers to feel closer to the writer, by glimpsing O’Connor’s struggles with lupus, which sometimes leaves her bedridden or walking on crutches, and by hearing her famously strong Georgian accent in the colloquialisms she sprinkles throughout the letters. . . . This is an important addition to the knowledge of O’Connor, her world, and her writing.”—Publishers Weekly

A literary treasure from National Book Award-winning author Flannery O''Connor and her circle of extraordinary friends. This compilation of more than 100 unpublished letters from the vault of the Flannery O''Connor estate offers insight into faith, religion, sex, culture, and the literary world of mid-20th-century America. A story of friendship told in letters, this book features never before seen letters from such contemporaries as Walker Percy and Caroline Gordon.Flannery O''Connor is a star of 20th-century American literature. Those familiar with her work know that her strong faith and struggle with Protestantism and Catholicism in the Deep South informed all that she wrote and did. This book is a collection of many of her unpublished letters, along with those of such literary stars as Walker Percy (author of The Moviegoer), Robert Giroux, Caroline Gordon, and movie critic Stanley Kauffmann. Themes of creativity, faith, work, and writing emerge, forming a riveting literary portrait of these friends, artists, and thinkers. Here we find their joys and loves, as well as their trials and tribulations as they struggle with doubt and illness while championing their Christian beliefs and fighting racism in the world of Jim Crow.

Remembering and (Re)remembering is a collection of essays examining 21st century social justice movements through the lens of preservation. Linking activism and archives, the book provides a discussion of strategies for the preservation of the 21st century with an emphasis on social justice movements. The book poses the question of why these country-specific movements have global recognition and how this global reach challenges preservation. Drawing from various perspectives and communities, this book will appeal to researchers and professionals in archives, preservation and cultural heritage.

Remembering and (Re)remembering is a collection of essays examining 21st century social justice movements through the lens of preservation. Linking activism and archives, the book provides a discussion of strategies for the preservation of the 21st century with an emphasis on social justice movements. The book poses the question of why these country-specific movements have global recognition and how this global reach challenges preservation. Drawing from various perspectives and communities, this book will appeal to researchers and professionals in archives, preservation and cultural heritage.

How do archives and other cultural institutions such as museums determine the boundaries of a particular community, and of their own institutional reach, in constructing effective strategies and methodologies for selecting and maintaining appropriate material evidence? This book offers guidance for archivists, record managers and museums professionals faced with such issues in their daily work. This edited collection explores the relationships between communities and the records they create at both practical and scholarly levels. It focuses on the ways in which records reflect community identity and collective memory, and the implications of capturing, appraising and documenting these core societal elements – with particular focus on the ways in which recent advances in technology can overcome traditional obstacles, as well as how technologies themselves offer possibilities of creating new virtual communities. It is divided into five themes: - a community archives model - communities and non-traditional record keeping - records loss, destruction and recovery - online communities: how technology brings communities and their records together - building a community archive. Readership: This book will appeal to practitioners, researchers, and academics in the archives and records community as well as to historians and other scholars concerned with community building and social issues.

How do archives and other cultural institutions such as museums determine the boundaries of a particular community, and of their own institutional reach, in constructing effective strategies and methodologies for selecting and maintaining appropriate material evidence? This book offers guidance for archivists, record managers and museums professionals faced with such issues in their daily work. This edited collection explores the relationships between communities and the records they create at both practical and scholarly levels. It focuses on the ways in which records reflect community identity and collective memory, and the implications of capturing, appraising and documenting these core societal elements - with particular focus on the ways in which recent advances in technology can overcome traditional obstacles, as well as how technologies themselves offer possibilities of creating new virtual communities. It is divided into five themes: a community archives model; communities and non-traditional record keeping; records loss, destruction and recovery; online communities: how technology brings communities and their records together; and, building a community archive. This book will appeal to practitioners, researchers, and academics in the archives and records community as well as to historians and other scholars concerned with community building and social issues.