I’m offering another course at OLLI-Emory, the adult education program that has created a lively community of Baby Boomers who love teaching and learning, mostly in retirement. I don’t know if anyone will be as interested in this as they might be in other more practical courses for June, such as understanding kidney stones, garden slugs and defensive driving. In any case, here is the OLLI-Emory link and my Course Description.

Walker Percy: His Life, Novels and Ideas (Doug Cumming)

Instructor: Doug Cumming

Is there a writer you value as your favorite and a lifelong guide? Walker Percy is that writer for me. Percy, from Old-South families, was trained as a doctor and scientist, but recovering from TB immersed him in Russian novels, existential philosophy, Catholic conversion, and a riddling career as a novelist. His first novel, The Moviegoer, won the National Book Award in 1962. Five other novels followed until his death in 1990, along with collections of his fascinating works on language as the sole human mystery. I would like to present this writer’s worldview, humor and character in hopes that you will share some of how these have grown on me. One class: bio. Another: philosophical writings on language. Another: Love in the Ruins: The Adventures of a Bad Catholic at a Time Near the End of the World. Finally: The Second Coming. Books needed: “Love in the Ruins” and “The Second Coming”

 Bio: I taught journalism for 19 years as a professor at Washington & Lee University. This academic stretch came after 26 years of reporting, writing and editing for metro papers (including the AJC in the 90s) and magazines.

Thu 11:30AM – 1:00PM
Jun 05, 2025 to Jul 03, 2025

Available

$40.00