Religious Fiction Books

Religious fiction, American -- history and criticism
Fiction -- religious aspects
Religion in literature
Theology in literature
Examples:
* Detweiler, Robert. Uncivil Rites: American Fiction, Religion, and the Public Sphere. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1996.
* Hawkins, Peter S. The Language of Grace: Flannery OUConnor, Walker Percy, & amp;
* Iris Murdoch. Cambridge, MA: Cowley, 1983.
For more specific topics:: heaven in literature; hell in literature
For books of fiction with religion-related subjects or themes, add the word fiction to subject words (recent books only):: clergy fiction; clergy fiction; God fiction; belief and doubt fiction
An anthology:: Hayward, Stephen, and Sara Lefanu, eds. God: An Anthology of Fiction. London: SerpentUs Tail, 1992.
Selected authors to start with in your reading:: Frederick Buechner; Gail Godwin; Andrew Greeley; Graham Greene; Susan Howatch; Brian Moore; Iris Murdoch; Flannery OUConnor; Iris Murdoch; Flannery OUConnor; Walker Percy; Chaim Potok; J.F. Powers; Reynolds Price; Philip Roth; Evelyn Waugh; Morris West
Religious fiction takes many forms and topics. Here are some examples: * Stories of religious founders, then and now: The Last Temptation of Christ by Nikos Kazantzakis; The Joshua stories of Joseph F. Girzone

* About clergy and the churches; Novels by Anthony Trollope; Evensong by Gail Godwin; The Ultimate Intimacy by Ivan Klima
* Clergy involved in detective stories and mysteries: The Father Brown stories by G.K. Chesterton; The Rabbi David Small stories by Harry Kemelman
* Thrillers with clergy involved: The Seville Communion by Arturo Perez-Reverte (Spanish title: Piel del Tambor)
* Novels of the best-selling sort: One More Sunday by John D. Macdonald; The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough
* Historical novels, such as in the time of Henry VIII of England: The Fifth Queen by Ford Madox Ford; The Man on a Donkey by H.F.M. Prescott
* Classic all-time-great or influential novels: Death Comes for the Archbishop by Willa Cather; A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce; Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie
The Fiction Catalog lists some well-known works of in these selected categories:
angels, biblical stories, cathedrals, Catholic faith, Catholic priests, Christian life, Church of England, clergy, convent life, evangelists, good and evil, Judaism, Jesuits, Jesus Christ, Jews, monasticism and religious orders, paganism, rabbis, religion.

There are also short story indexes.

For those interested in Christian fiction:
Walker, Barbara J. Developing Christian Fiction Collections for Children and Adults: Selection Criteria and a Core Collection. New York: Neal-Schuman, 1998.

Religion and Fiction