Marilynne Robinson (born November 26, 1943, http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/05/magazine/the-revelations-of-marilynne-robinson.html?_r=0 ) is an American novelist and essayist. She has received several awards including the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2005 and the 2012 National Humanities Medal. One high profile admirer is Barack Obama.
If ever there was a time when we should heed the voices of wisdom and compassion derived from the great cultural treasures of our history, it is now. As I write, the media is saturated with news and comment about terrorist massacres in Paris. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/November_2015_Paris_attacks) To ever escape from hatred, bloodshed, violence and war humanity will have to really concentrate on what we share in common. What we share is what we’ve all been given by powers far beyond our understanding. Perceiving that should encourage humbleness and fellow feeling.
In these 17 essays Robinson achieves what many great writers do – conveys a sense of the beauty and fragility of human existence, the wonders of the universe, and a profound gratitude for everything. This is a thoroughly stimulating read and I commend it to you.
Enquire at your local library or consult http://www.amazon.co.uk/Givenness-Things-Marilynne-Robinson/dp/0349007314/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1447591352&sr=8-1&keywords=givenness+of+things for full bibliographic detail.
304 pages in Virago
First published 2015
ISBN 978-0349007311
Marilynne Robinson