I believe that because the people about whom I am writing share with me a vocabulary, a set of images and shared practices, there are some firm grounds on which we can all stand.

Just as St. Augustine had aimed “to kindle the light of things eternal in human hearts no longer supported by temporal institutions which had seemed eternal but which were crashing on all sides,” so did John S. Dunne, C.S.C., in his many erudite books.

Going through old files, America's editors found a few interesting submissions (and rejections).

Daniel Hornsby's debut novel, 'Via Negativa,' is the story of a Roman Catholic priest on the road to many destinations, both material and spiritual.

Caroline Gordon's 'The Malefactors,' a novel lost to prospective generations of readers, was a classic Catholic tale told by an author of considerable talent.

The highest tribute I can offer this biography is that it is not unlike a Nichols film itself: incisive, dense with detail yet somehow brisk.