Morte d’Urban by J.F. Powers
Winner of the National Book Award (1963), Power’s comical novel narrates the frustrated ascendency of the worldly cleric Fr. Urban. A nationally-known speaker, indulgent in golf, scotch and nearly every imaginable luxury, Fr. Urban’s life and career change course when his provincial assigns him to a run-down retreat house in the far reaches of Minnesota. Powers' detail, symbolism and portrayal of the priesthood introduce us to real spiritual trial as we follow the tragic arc of Fr. Urban.
+© J.F. Powers | NYRB Classics; First Thus edition