Beyond being a repository for his fears about the bomb, “A Canticle for Leibowitz” was a means for Miller to work through the trauma and guilt that haunted him from his wartime experiences, especially the bombing of the abbey at Monte Cassino. By his own admission, the Miller did not become fully aware of the driving force behind his novel until he was working on its third part. “I was writing the first version of the scene where Zerchi lies half buried in the rubble,” Miller recalled. “Then a light bulb came on over my head: ‘Good God, is this the abbey at Monte Cassino? . . . What have I been writing?’”
Thursday, October 23, 2014
War and remembrance …
… A Science-Fiction Classic Still Smolders - The New Yorker. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)
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Your posting reminds me: I ought to read this one again. I will add it to my "bucket list" -- the bucket is too full, and the time . . . well, I will not speculate on the time . . . Now, to Leibowitz.
ReplyDeleteBTW, I love the title. It reminds me of the girl upon whom I had a huge crush when I was a callow freshman in college. Jean Leibowitz. The one that got away. Hell, the one that had no idea I existed. Ain't life funny that way.