Frederick Buechner – författare

From “one of our greatest novelists,” a story based on Shakespeare''s The Tempest of family reunited after being torn apart by passion “is a quiet marvel” (Philadelphia Inquirer).

On wealthy Plantation Island in South Florida, an old man waits. Kenzie Maxwell is a writer, a raconteur, a rascal, an altruist, a mystic—a charismatic figure who enjoys life with his rich third wife but muses daily on the sins of his past.

Two decades ago, Kenzie had to leave New York because of a scandal. He''d been a volunteer at a runaway shelter, and he''d fallen in love with a seventeen-year-old girl—a girl who died while giving birth to Kenzie''s daughter. His older brother, Dalton, a lawyer and board member at the shelter, decided to quell the rumors by releasing Kenzie''s note of apology to the press. Kenzie''s reputation—and the girl''s—were destroyed. He has never forgiven his brother.

Now it''s the eve of Kenzie''s seventieth birthday, and a storm is brewing. His beloved daughter, Bree—the child of the scandal—is coming down from New York for his birthday party. But his brother Dalton is coming too, to do some legal work for the island''s ill-tempered matriarch. Now Kenzie must somehow contrive to reconcile with his brother—and make peace with his past.

Infused with humanity, and informed by faith, The Storm is Frederick Buechner''s most captivating novel since Godric—a richly satisfying contemporary story of fragmented families and love''s many mysteries that will move you, make you laugh, and fill you with wonder.

“A fluent storyteller with a fine eye for character and a rich prose style that easily handles poetic tropes.” —Publishers Weekly

When pain is real, why is God silent?

Frederick Buechner has grappled with the nature of pain, grief, and grace ever since his father committed suicide when Buechner was a young boy. He continued that search as a father when his daughter struggled with anorexia. In this essential collection of essays, including one never before published, Frederick Buechner finds that the God who might seem so silent is ever near. He writes about what it means to be a steward of our pain, and about this grace from God that seems arbitrary and yet draws us to his holiness and care. Finally he writes about the magic of memory and how it can close up the old wounds with the memories of past goodnesses and graces from God.

Here now are the best of Buechner’s writings on pain and loss, covering such topics as the power of hidden secrets, loss of a dearly beloved, letting go, resurrection from the ruins, peace, and listening for the quiet voice of God. And he reveals that pain and sorrow can be a treasure—an amazing grace.

Buechner says that loss will come to all of us, but he writes that we are not alone. Crazy and unreal as it may sometimes seem, God’s holy, healing grace is always present and available if we are still enough to receive it.

Learn to see God''s remarkable works in the everyday ordinary of your life.

Your remarkable life is happening right here, right now. You may not be able to see it--your life may seem predictable and your work insignificant until you look at your life as Frederick Buechner does.

Named "the father of today''s spiritual memoir movement" by Christianity Today, Frederick Buechner reveals how to stop, look, and listen to your life. He reflects on how both art and faith teach us how to pay attention to the remarkableness right in front of us, to watch for the greatness in the ordinary, and to use our imaginations to see the greatness in others and love them well.

Pay attention, says Buechner. Listen to the call of a bird or the rush of the wind, to the people who flow in and out of your life. The ordinary points you to the extraordinary God who created and loves all of creation, including you. Pay attention to these things as if your life depends upon it. Because, of course, it does. 

As you learn to pay attention to your life and what God is doing in it, you will uncover the plot of your life''s story and the sacred opportunity to connect with the Divine in each moment.

In these original essays, short stories, and poems, the beloved Frederick Buechner reflects on the moments of transcendence in the midst of his daily existence. In a myriad of commonplace activities, he finds the presence of the divine, and he elegantly describes these persons, events, and observations, nimbly transporting readers into these realities. With his masterly crafted prose, Buechner edifies, inspires, and offers a timeless model for approaching our human experience.