Walker Percy was an American author and philosopher known for his novels and essays that explored the alienation and search for meaning in modern American society.
Born on May 28, 1916, in Birmingham, Alabama.
Moved to Greenville, Mississippi, with his family in 1929.
Studied at the University of North Carolina and Columbia University.
In 1942, he joined the U.S. Army and served in the Pacific during World War II.
Began his writing career in the 1950s and published his first novel, 'The Moviegoer,' in 1961, which won the National Book Award in 1962.
In 1971, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer, which led to his philosophical writings on illness and death.
Died on May 10, 1990, in Covington, Louisiana.
Percy's debut novel and a landmark work in American literature that explores the search for meaning and purpose in modern American society.
A satirical novel that critiques the modern scientific establishment and explores the meaning of human freedom.
A philosophical and satirical book that critiques popular self-help and self-improvement trends of the 1980s while exploring the human search for meaning.
'The Moviegoer' is perhaps Percy's most famous work, for which he won the National Book Award in 1962.
Percy was a Catholic existentialist who believed that the modern scientific and technological society had lost touch with the mystery and wonder of life, leading to a sense of alienation and disorientation among individuals. His work often explored the human search for meaning in this context.
According to Percy, the term refers to the feeling of isolation and dislocation that individuals experience in modern society, where scientific and technological advances have created a sense of distance from the cosmos and from the mystery of life.
The novel critiques the modern scientific establishment and the ways in which it seeks to manipulate and control human behavior, while exploring the themes of human freedom and the search for meaning in life.
Percy's diagnosis led him to reflect on the nature of illness and death, which became key philosophical themes in his later works. In particular, he was interested in how the experience of illness can disrupt and challenge our sense of identity and purpose.