Lost in the Cosmos; the Last Self-Help Book by Walker Percy
Image
Book Title
Lost in the Cosmos; the Last Self-Help Book by Walker Percy
Author
Walker Percy
Lifespan
1916-1990
Author Biography
Walker Percy, born into a wealthy family in Birmingham, Alabama, faced personal tragedies early in life, including his father's suicide and the death of his mother in a car accident. He found refuge with his cousin, William Alexander Percy, an author, who became his guardian along with his two younger brothers. Despite initially pursuing medicine, Percy's battle with tuberculosis led him to explore his interests in literature, philosophy, and Roman Catholicism. Settling in Covington, Louisiana, he wrote essays on philosophy and semiotics, but it was his third novel, The Moviegoer, set in New Orleans, that garnered critical acclaim and won the National Book Award in 1961. Percy continued to write and publish novels and nonfiction, receiving accolades such as the Jefferson Lecture at the National Endowment for the Humanities in 1989. His contributions earned him membership in esteemed institutions like the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the National Institute of Arts and Letters.
Publisher
Alabama Authors of the 19th & 20th Centuries, edited by Beverley Park Rilett, http://AlabamaAuthors.org
Publication Date
1983
Original Publication
Lost in the Cosmos; the Last Self-Help Book. New York; Farrar, Straus, 1983.
Collection
Citation
Percy, Walker, “Lost in the Cosmos; the Last Self-Help Book by Walker Percy,” Alabama Authors of the 19th & 20th Centuries, accessed October 5, 2024, https://alabamaauthors.org/items/show/8727.