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My intense three-month love affair with the writings of Paul Hendrickson reached a significant juncture in early 2012. On his advice, I embarked on reading his personal memoir, penned nearly three decades ago, which detailed his time at the Thomas Judge seminary in Holy Trinity, Alabama. At just fourteen, Paul entered the somewhat solemn and serious monastic life and studied there for seven years until he found the courage to leave. In this memoir, he weaves a complex tapestry of stories centered around a spiritual life that, in my view, remained largely unfulfilled by most of those practicing it.
Hendrickson's research involved arduous and challenging interviews, as well as overnight stays at the homes of former novitiates and priests associated with the seminary. This provided the then-forty-year-old Hendrickson with ample material to understand his past and envision his future. Fast forward to today, and Hendrickson is a highly accomplished writer, having authored several biographical works on captivating subjects. He is happily married with two adult children, a sought-after professor of writing in Pennsylvania, and rapidly approaching his seventies.
The lengthy opening of "Seminary: A Search" takes up a good half or more of the book and, to me, reads as juvenile and amateurish linear reporting. It is overly excitable and judgmental when it comes to telling a story that is meant to set the stage for the reader's understanding of the seriousness to follow. I found it interesting that when Hendrickson writes about himself directly, he doesn't come across as particularly good. He seems too excitable and a bit immature, which I suppose is understandable given his age at the time. However, I discovered that Hendrickson shines when he writes about himself in the context of another subject. It is then that his true talent emerges.
It isn't until after the initial linear reportage, followed by his firsthand visits across the country to see his old friends and mentors and understand what they had made of their lives, that we truly get to engage with what is happening inside Paul Hendrickson. His intimate interactions with the survivors, as well as in all his subsequent books, demonstrate his strength as a writer and are a testament to his devoted readership. I count myself among them. As I've said before, there is no better biographer than Paul Hendrickson. His later works are anything but straight and linear. I keep reading him because I know he will venture where others dare not.
This book wasn't a joy to read for me. There was little in it that appealed to me. Certainly not the sex part, which, as in all of Hendrickson's books, is present but not in a way that I found arousing. However, I did learn a great deal about Catholicism, which I wasn't particularly interested in. Thankfully, there was an even more important subject, and that was the author himself. I do believe that it is essential to read a book like this if you plan to continue following Hendrickson's writings. It is clear that he leaves us a distinct trail, and it's not just meager crumbs. It's easy to see how he matures as a writer and thinker after this personal account and why he goes on to write brilliantly about the civil rights era, the Vietnam War, Marion Post Wolcott, the FSA, and Ernest Hemingway. Whether you are a Christian, a Catholic, an agnostic, a demon, or a cur, it is crucial for your understanding of Paul Hendrickson and his passionate engagement with every subject he writes about that you absorb this first effort to understand his truest subject, which is always himself and rightfully so.
Hendrickson's research involved arduous and challenging interviews, as well as overnight stays at the homes of former novitiates and priests associated with the seminary. This provided the then-forty-year-old Hendrickson with ample material to understand his past and envision his future. Fast forward to today, and Hendrickson is a highly accomplished writer, having authored several biographical works on captivating subjects. He is happily married with two adult children, a sought-after professor of writing in Pennsylvania, and rapidly approaching his seventies.
The lengthy opening of "Seminary: A Search" takes up a good half or more of the book and, to me, reads as juvenile and amateurish linear reporting. It is overly excitable and judgmental when it comes to telling a story that is meant to set the stage for the reader's understanding of the seriousness to follow. I found it interesting that when Hendrickson writes about himself directly, he doesn't come across as particularly good. He seems too excitable and a bit immature, which I suppose is understandable given his age at the time. However, I discovered that Hendrickson shines when he writes about himself in the context of another subject. It is then that his true talent emerges.
It isn't until after the initial linear reportage, followed by his firsthand visits across the country to see his old friends and mentors and understand what they had made of their lives, that we truly get to engage with what is happening inside Paul Hendrickson. His intimate interactions with the survivors, as well as in all his subsequent books, demonstrate his strength as a writer and are a testament to his devoted readership. I count myself among them. As I've said before, there is no better biographer than Paul Hendrickson. His later works are anything but straight and linear. I keep reading him because I know he will venture where others dare not.
This book wasn't a joy to read for me. There was little in it that appealed to me. Certainly not the sex part, which, as in all of Hendrickson's books, is present but not in a way that I found arousing. However, I did learn a great deal about Catholicism, which I wasn't particularly interested in. Thankfully, there was an even more important subject, and that was the author himself. I do believe that it is essential to read a book like this if you plan to continue following Hendrickson's writings. It is clear that he leaves us a distinct trail, and it's not just meager crumbs. It's easy to see how he matures as a writer and thinker after this personal account and why he goes on to write brilliantly about the civil rights era, the Vietnam War, Marion Post Wolcott, the FSA, and Ernest Hemingway. Whether you are a Christian, a Catholic, an agnostic, a demon, or a cur, it is crucial for your understanding of Paul Hendrickson and his passionate engagement with every subject he writes about that you absorb this first effort to understand his truest subject, which is always himself and rightfully so.
