R. A. Lafferty Books

"My Heart Leaps Up" is a semi-autobiographical work by the great Catholic novelist R.A. Lafferty. Set between 1920 and 1928, it deals with a group of Catholic schoolchildren in Tulsa, Oklahoma--though, in true Lafferty fashion, these children also represent the eternality of the Church.

Unlike most of Lafferty's work (which fits uncomfortably within the science fiction and fantasy genres), this is a work of mainstream fiction. There are strong fantasy elements, but they fall more under the heading of "magic realism" or tall tale than under fantasy proper. As such, newcomers might find "My Heart Leaps Up" to be more accessible than more outlandish novels like "Fourth Mansions" or "Arrive at Easterwine." (Though, truth be told, the book is only as "easy" as you make it; scratch the surface, and it is as complex, disturbing, and finely-tuned as anything in the man's oeuvre.) In fact, I can imagine that with the proper distribution and promotion, this novel could have helped to establish Lafferty as a major American novelist.

Frustratingly, "My Heart Leaps Up" is only the first installment of a much longer series. The other volumes--"Grasshoppers and Wild Honey," "Deep Scars of Thunder," and "Incidents of Travel in Flatland"--were written but have yet to be published. Hopefully we will see those books someday. But incomplete or not, "My Heart Leaps Up" is still an impressive work by one of America's very greatest, though least known, writers.

["My Heart Leaps Up" was originally published in the 1980's as a series of five chapbooks, each containing two chapters apiece. The first two chapters of "Grasshoppers and Wild Honey" were also published in the early 1990's. You should still be able to obtain these books at their original prices, so beware any used booksellers offering them for exorbitant amounts.]