Death Comes for the Archbishop
“Death Comes for the Archbishop” by Willa Cather is a quietly beautiful novel published by Penguin on November 14, 2023. This edition, part of the Penguin Classics series, spans 256 pages and is presented in English. The narrative follows Father Jean Marie Latour, a young bishop tasked with overseeing a newly created diocese in New Mexico after the U.S. acquisition of the Southwest. Accompanied by his friend Father Joseph Vaillant, Latour navigates the harsh desert landscape while confronting the complexities of his mission amid the region’s corrupt practices and the diverse communities that inhabit it.
Readers will find a profound exploration of Father Latour’s journey as he grapples with the realities of his role and the cultural dynamics of the area. The novel delves into themes of faith, commitment, and the intricate relationships between the Church and the Indigenous and Mexican residents. Cather’s naturalistic prose captures the stark beauty of the New Mexico desert and reflects her evolving views on race, religion, and gender during the time of its writing in 1927. This edition offers a fresh opportunity to engage with a significant work in American literature, enriched by an introduction from National Book Award finalist Kali Fajardo-Anstine.
Official synopsis Publisher
For the 150th anniversary of Willa Cather’s birth, and for the first time in Penguin Classics, her quietly beautiful novel of one man’s life as he encounters the harsh landscape of the New Mexico desert and the people who inhabit it, with an introduction by National Book Award finalist Kali Fajardo-Anstine
A Penguin Vitae Edition • One of The Atlantic’s Great American Novels of the Past 100 Years
In 1848, following the US’s recent acquisition of the American Southwest from Mexico, the young bishop Father Jean Marie Latour receives instruction from the Vatican to oversee a newly created diocese in New Mexico. With his good friend Father Joseph Vaillant in tow, the pair travel through the unforgiving and seemingly-endless desert on mules in attempt to reclaim the region from corrupt priests who have taken mistresses, exhibited greed, and inflicted abuse and genocide on the Mexican and Indigenous residents. But as Father Latour spends more time in New Mexico with the people who have inhabited and influenced it for centuries, he begins to realize that the task he was sent to do is more complicated than anticipated. Rather than leave, though, Father Latour decides to stay and uphold his commitment to the Church and his faith, and gains an eye-opening perspective along the way. Written in 1927 at a time when Cather herself was expanding her own ideas of race, religion, and gender, Death Comes for the Archbishop remains a moving account of one man’s physical and spiritual journey of understanding in naturalistic prose as sparse as the desert plains.
Author
Publisher
Topics
FAQ
What is “Death Comes for the Archbishop” about?
Who is the author of “Death Comes for the Archbishop”?
When was “Death Comes for the Archbishop” published?
What is the ISBN for “Death Comes for the Archbishop”?
What are the book details (language, pages, edition)?
