Any Flannery O'Connor fans out there?

[ICRED]

She is really amazing. I recently finished THE VIOLENT BEAR IT AWAY. I had read many of her short stories beforehand, which are really incredible.

I was inspired to read her novels because of the U2 connection. They are admirers of her and Bono was turned on to her novel WISEBLOOD by Bruce Springsteen.

 

[IWasBored]

u2 connection? *scracthes head* i wonder if i knew about that...

did you read...i forget if this was actually the title or not, i think it is: "good country people"? i read another short story but can't remember what it was called. this guy basically shows up at the home of this mother and her deaf daughter, he fixes stuff and i'm not going to give away the ending...that was interesting but i read it in the middle of winter break while my brains were mush...

 

[ICRED]

I have read GOOD COUNTRY PEOPLE. I forget the name of the other story as well. O'Connor really plays with grotesque characters. I think that influenced some of the aspects of THE JOSHUA TREE. These twisted perceptions of the American South.
Religious fanaticism among other things.

 

[IWasBored]

now i think i vaugly remember watching something and the edge was talking about influential books and mentioned o'conner...

that whole prosthetic leg thing freaked me out at first. i was about 12 and my mom had to read the story for a class, and she goes "oh you've really got to read this!"...

 

[john1800]

I have her book with all the short stories, but I haven't gotten around to reading it yet. My wife has read several of the short stories.

A friend of mine has a band called The Shots of Perspective and he named his album The Lame Shall Enter First after Flannery O'Connor's short story of the same name.

 

[Katey]

Yeh I read wiseblood.. great book !!!!

 

[jkayet]

I've read some of her short stories - I love them. It's great how she can have humor with such a sinister undertone, or vice versa.

 

[ultraviolet299]

Yep, I am a fan. Written a couple of papers on her stories too

As regards to influencing U2- the one thing I noticed as a connection in Wise Blood, was about the man who preached from his car. I dont know how accurate its connection can be trace to the lyric from Please about, "your sermon on the mount from the boot of your car". Well its a possibility i suppose!

Anyhow, great author. Lots of biblical references, and she uses "violent" (and often rediculous or funny) moments as moments of truth and moments of grace.