Marilynne Robinson returns to the familiar territory of Gilead with her latest novel, Jack. This is the story of John Ames Boughton set in segregated America of the 1950s. Much like Robinson’s Gilead trilogy, Jack is about the dilemmas and promise of American history—about the ongoing legacy of the Civil War and the enduring effects of both racial inequality and deep-rooted religious belief. Her novels are rare things with long gaps between: “I’ve taken my time,” she observed, “but I really don’t want to write bad stuff. I would rather be tastefully silent.”

Terrence Doody will provide a much-awaited sequel to his spring 2020 Marilynne Robinson lecture series.

Terrence Doody is professor emeritus at Rice University. He joined the Rice faculty in 1970 and taught courses on modernism, the novel, and contemporary literature in the department of English. During his tenure at Rice, he received the prestigious George R. Brown Award for Superior Teaching eight times and was named the Allison Sarofim Distinguished Teaching Professor.