From a reader:
Dear Jonah,
You and Derb are leaving out Walker Percy, the best of the doctor-philosopher-novelists of the 20th century! I do believe NR’s own Bill Buckley called Percy’s Love in the Ruin’s the “perfect” novel about America in the late 20th century (or something similar to that).
Percy, if you don’t know, studied medicine at Columbia and, while an intern, contracted tuberculosis. While in convalesence he did nothing but read novels and philosophy, and when he was healthy again he devoted his life to writing. A noble choice, in my mind. He was a true genius, and all NR readers would do well to drop what they are doing and go read some of the good doctor’s stuff. Start with Lost in the Cosmos or Love in the Ruins — both are good for what ails you.