If Reynolds Price has not died two years ago he would have celebrated his 80th birthday last month.

Why am I thinking about Price today?

I noticed that next Wednesday morning one of UNC-TV’s cable-only channels is re-airing a 10-year-old Bookwatch program featuring Price talking about one of his most provocative books, “A Serious Way of Wondering: The Ethics of Jesus Imagined” in which he speculates about Jesus’s views on homosexuality, suicide, and the plight of women under male domination.

It has been more than 50 years, but I still remember my introduction to the work of Reynolds Price.  In 1957 my mother was reading a new book called “A Long And Happy Life.” “This is one of the best books I have ever read,” she said.  “And it is written by a North Carolinian.”

My mother thought that she had “discovered” Reynolds Price and his engaging characters.  But lots of other people quickly discovered Price as well–and not just in North Carolina.  His sensitive and moving stories are about people whom his readers come to know as if they were next-door neighbors. The stories and the characters have enchanted people all over the world. 

“A Long and Happy Life” won the William Faulkner Award, and his fiction kept on winning awards throughout his life.  Reynolds Price was probably the most prolific of North Carolina’s nationally known writers–with 40 books of essays, poetry, memoirs, translations and interpretation of Scripture, and fiction to his credit.

His great gifts as a storyteller earned Price a place in our country’s literary pantheon. And his description of life and characters in 20th and 21st century America make his work a blessing forever for those who will seek to learn how we lived and thought. 

Reynolds Price’s own life reads like a novel.  His struggle with cancer, with excruciating pain, and with paralysis that made it impossible for him to move about without a wheelchair, would have taken many of us into despair.  But Price refused to give up. He continued to write, even more prolifically.  As James B. Duke Professor at Duke University, he taught generations of future writers.  His struggles enriched his writing, deepened his spirituality, and inspired his many admirers and still inspire them.

 

I am thankful for the chance to see and hear him again—even if it is only in the morning on a digital cable channel.
 

Note:
At 11:30 a.m. Wednesday on UNC-MX a digital cable system channel (Time Warner #172 or #4.4)  a classic Bookwatch program featuring the late and much-missed Reynolds Price, author of  “A Serious Way of Wondering: The Ethics of Jesus Imagined,” will be aired again.

Related Stories
‹
North Carolina Writers Serve Up Spring Reading Options
Ready or not, spring is here and it is time for a seasonal update on new books important to North Carolinians. This month’s most important literary news is the release of “Life After Life,” popular author Jill McCorkle’s first novel in 17 years. McCorkle fills a southeastern North Carolina retirement facility with quirky residents, staff, […]
North Carolina’s Electoral Future May Hinge on Rural Black Voters Who Feel Ignored by Democrats
Roughly 4 in 10 Black voters in North Carolina’s last presidential election said they live in small towns or rural communities.
North Carolina Supreme Court Throws Out Longtime Suit Over Education Funding
On Thursday, the North Carolina Supreme Court threw out longtime Leandro Case ruling and litigation over education funding in the state.
North Carolina’s Photo Voter ID Mandate Can Continue as a Judge Upholds the Law
North Carolina’s photo voter identification law was upheld on Thursday, as a federal judge set aside arguments by civil rights groups.
'Keeping People Safe': North Carolina's Office of Violence Prevention Reaches 3-Year Anniversary
North Carolina's Office of Violence Prevention recently surpassed its three-year anniversary, continuing to use public health approaches to address the issue of gun violence.
Democrat Roy Cooper Needs to Defy North Carolina History to Keep Winning Streak Alive in Senate Race
Written by GARY D. ROBERTSON and BILL BARROW RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina does not mind electing Democrats as governor, but it is a different matter when it comes to sending them to the U.S. Senate. Roy Cooper, who led the state for two terms, is trying to change that with a campaign that could […]
Chansky's Notebook: The State of Basketball
As usual, the state of North Carolina will be punching well above its weight in this year's NCAA Tournament.
The Carolinas Emerge as New Population Boom States. Affordability and Lifestyle Drive Growth
Written by MIKE SCHNEIDER ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Move over Florida and Texas. The United States has new hot spots for growth, and they both have Carolina in their name. North Carolina last year attracted more new residents, 84,000 people, from other parts of the country than any other state, a title held by Texas in 2024 and Florida […]
Four-Term North Carolina Gov. Jim Hunt, a Leader in Education Reform, Dies at 88
Former Gov. Jim Hunt, a towering figure in North Carolina politics in the late 20th century who helped leaders from both major parties strive for public education reform, died Thursday at the age of 88.
Chapel Hill Educator, Historian and UNC Statistician Freddie Kiger Inducted Into Order of Longleaf Pine
Members of the East Chapel Hill Rotary Club surprised Freddie Kiger with his induction into the Order of the Long Leaf Pine during its holiday party on Dec. 5.
›