The Best of Buckley

Sam Tanenhaus, doing an online Q&A about WFB:

Q: What are some of the projects he has been working on lately? —John Bowman

A: He has a forthcoming book on Barry Goldwater and was two months away, he recently told me, from completing a book on Ronald Reagan, and — sad irony — he was considering compiling an anthology of the roughly 450 obituaries he’d written over the years for National Review. These last are, in fact, among his loveliest writings.

They are indeed, and I hope some enterprising NRnik follows through on Buckley's intentions and turns out just such an anthology. From a purely literary perspective, I tend to think Buckley's finest work could be found in his briefs and letters and columns and occasionals: His artfully recondite style worked best in small, explosive passages. Which is why, for an introduction to the Buckley-the-writer, I think I would probably recommend Cancel Your Own Goddam Subscription or the autobiography-as-anthology Miles Gone By over, say, God and Man At Yale or Up From Liberalism.

Comments

Miles Gone By is a fantastic read, offering the full breadth of Buckley's skill, subjects, and style. It has a cherished spot on my book shelf. Although my own affirmation means nothing when you get down to it, good picks.

(I would add, though, Nearer, My God)

Posted by Stephen Braunlich | February 27, 2008 6:30 PM

This is really off topic, but I thought it'd be a good place to ask... what's the best contemporary book to read, in defense of God and/or Christianity? Something erudite, more likely to be found in the 'Philosophy' section than 'Religion.' A sort of response to Dawkins, Hitchens, etc. Any recommendations welcome. Thanks.

Posted by Derek | February 28, 2008 8:19 AM

Derek,

I'd get hold of anything by Richard Swinburne, starting with his book "Is there a God?".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Swinburne

Posted by David | February 28, 2008 8:43 AM

Yeah, go look up Swinburne. Here's the kind of crap you will find. Swinburne, during a debate with Richard Dawkins (addressing the issue of theodicy; the problem of the existence of evil), said it would be possible to view the holocaust as a good thing because it enabled the Jews to show bravery. Never once did he even consider the purported nature of the god whose existence he defended. An omnipotent god, by definition, could have enabled the Jews to "show bravery" with the sligthest little twitch of his eyebrows. A holocaust could not have been required for that if the god in question was omnipotent. The problem of the existence of evil cannot be reconciled with the concept of an omnipotent god unless one is prepared to accept that such a god is evil. Simple logic. So, excuse my laughter when I hear someone point to Swinburne as an example of a successful practitioner of christian apologetics.

Posted by S Wells | February 29, 2008 7:14 AM

I'm an atheist myself, but I'd love to read the most cogent defender of the other side. Do you have a better suggestion?

Posted by Derek | February 29, 2008 3:34 PM