'Morte D'Urban' by J.F. Powers follows the life of Father Urban, a priest in the fictitious Order of St. Clement, based in 1950s Chicago. After being transferred to a remote outpost in Duesterhaus, Minnesota, Father Urban initially struggles to adapt to the simple and unassuming life at St. Clement's Hill. However, as he immerses himself in the community and takes on pastoral duties, he begins to thrive and make a positive impact, showcasing his charisma and leadership skills. The story delves into Father Urban's relationships with fellow clergy, a wealthy benefactor named Billy Cosgrove, and various townspeople, revealing his complexities and the emotional depth of his character.
The narrative of 'Morte D'Urban' is characterized by dry wit and subtle humor as J.F. Powers skillfully satirizes elements of the Catholic Church, the priesthood, and small-town life. explores themes of ambition, faith, community, and the complexities of human relationships, offering a nuanced portrayal of Father Urban's journey of self-discovery and growth within the constraints of his religious calling.
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Winner of The 1963 National Book Award for Fiction.
The hero of J.F. Powers's comic masterpiece is Father Urban, a man of the cloth who is also a man of the world. Charming, with an expansive vision of the spiritual life and a high tolerance for moral ambiguity, Urban enjoys a national reputation as a speaker on the religious circuit and has big plans for the future. But then the provincial head of his dowdy religious order banishes him to a retreat house in the Minnesota hinterlands. Father Urban soon bounces back, carrying God's word with undaunted enthusiasm through the golf courses, fishing lodges, and backyard barbecues of his new turf. Yet even as he triumphs his tribulations mount, and in the end his greatest success proves a setback from which he cannot recover.
First published in 1962, Morte D'Urban has been praised by writers as various as Gore Vidal, William Gass, Mary Gordon, and Philip Roth. This beautifully observed, often hilarious tale of a most unlikely Knight of Faith is among the finest achievements of an author whose singular vision assures him a permanent place in American literature.
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