Through a fluke of events ( wink, wink) we had Michael O'Brien, the author/artist/educator, speak at our church last night. He was down from British Columbia promoting his new book , A FATHER'S TALE. His talk was entitled "Readers of the Lost Art" and he spoke about the importance of good literature in the lives of children as well as adults. He stated that the literature could even be wildly fantasized but that it had to tell the Truth and quoted Tolkien and his trilogy, saying the dragons and demons are real but we have been lulled to sleep through our electronic over-stimulation and we don't recognized them. Our discernment has been dulled by our culture. He, of course, was a great proponent of reading and story telling but what I heard louder than all that was that we are the ones who have to tell the Truth, in our personal daily stories, our conversations thoughts and actions. His talk was very confirming of our faith, the church and the truth. He brought hope with him.
How cool! What a wonderful opportunity... I just finished A FATHER'S TALE and it was FANTASTIC!! At over 1,000 pages, it is a little intimidating, but I found while reading that it simply flew by! The journey that the novel's protagonist, Alexander Graham, embarks upon, both spiritually and physically, is truly amazing. I highly recommend it. I also highly recommend his last novel, THEOPHILOS, which tells the story of the individual to whom St. Luke addressed his gospel and the Acts of the Apostles. Also a wonderful book!
God is spoiling me with His gifts, I was able to listen to Michael O'Brien again today and came away a better person for it. He was again talking about his latest book but it was obvious self promotion was painful for him. He lives a very simple life in the outback of Canada with his wife, all 6 children have left the nest. For 40 years the support of his family came from his Iconography, the pictures of which he put in a little self published book that was discovered by Ignatius Press. When they contacted him they asked if he had anything besides the art, had he written anything. It was a time of darkness and great failings for him and he said he had a novel but nothing they would ever be interested in as he knew they didn't publish Catholic fiction. They insisted they were interested in the novel but finally he told them that he didn't have the $10 it would take to even post the book to them and besides they wouldn't want it anyway. They sent him the $10! About that time a couple he and his wife were close to were going on Pilgrimage to visit the Tilma of Our Lady of Guadalupe,she had been the mother of Michael's family, wife and children and they had a great devotion to her. The friends gifted tickets to join them in the pilgrimage and while he was in prayer before the Tilma he heard a sweet voice say "the blessings will be waiting for you at home". Upon their return the went to the post office to retrieve the mail collected in their absence and they found a package from Ignatius Press...his novel was bound and on it his name as author. He said that he and his wife were so astounded they fell to their knees right there in thanksgiving. In the Q and A section we asked how he came upon his stories. He said that he had always fasted and prayed deeply and that while in prayer he was being distracted...ideas and images were coming to him. He pushed them away for the longest time until he realized that he was supposed to write them down. The very first one was Father Elijah, an apocalyptic novel, the novel he was sure no one wanted! I asked about his art which has always spoken to me profoundly and in particular the one called THE LAST EXODUS. He said the image was given to him in prayer also. But that he always had to fast and pray to obtain the graces to write. That it was like a river, sometimes it was muddy and a good enough current but a lot of debris in it. But with fasting and prayer the graces given were like a swift and clear river. I was so taken with his humility, peace and the out pouring of love from the man. He said that never in his life had he met an ordinary person. That with a little time and listening each person has an extraordinary tale to tell.
Thank you Lee, for that insight into the process of creating such great works and the humility of the person who did it!
Thanks for sharing, Lee. Having somebody like Michael O'Brien around is a great blessing for all of us!
