''Morte d'Urban'' is the

debut novel A debut novel is the first novel a novelist publishes. Debut novels are often the author's first opportunity to make an impact on the publishing industry, and thus the success or failure of a debut novel can affect the ability of the author to pu ...

of J. F. Powers. It was published by Doubleday in 1962. It won the 1963

National Book Award The National Book Awards (NBA) are a set of annual U.S. literary awards. At the final National Book Awards Ceremony every November, the National Book Foundation presents the National Book Awards and two lifetime achievement awards to authors. ...

. It is still in print, having been reissued by ''

The New York Review of Books ''The New York Review of Books'' (or ''NYREV'' or ''NYRB'') is a semi-monthly magazine with articles on literature, culture, economics, science and current affairs. Published in New York City, it is inspired by the idea that the discussion of ...

'' in 2000. The novel tells the story of Father Urban Roche, a member of a fictitious

religious order A religious order is a subgroup within a larger confessional community with a distinctive high-religiosity lifestyle and clear membership. Religious orders often trace their lineage from revered teachers, venerate their Organizational founder, ...

named the Clementines. Fr. Urban has developed a reputation as a gifted public speaker, but is sent by the superior to a remote retreat house in rural

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

. There he puts his skills to work improving the facilities and the local church. The book has been widely praised.

Thomas Merton Thomas Merton (January 31, 1915December 10, 1968), religious name M. Louis, was an American Trappist monk, writer, theologian, Christian mysticism, mystic, poet, social activist and scholar of comparative religion. He was a monk in the Trapp ...

called it “a valid and penetrating study of the psychology of a priest in what is essentially a spiritual conflict.”

Jonathan Yardley Jonathan Yardley (born October 27, 1939) is an American author and former book critic at ''The Washington Post'' from 1981 to December 2014, and held the same post from 1978 to 1981 at the '' Washington Star''. In 1981, he received the Pulitzer ...

, in a consideration of the book in ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

'' four decades later, praised it as “our great workplace saga,” comparing it favorably to

Sinclair Lewis Harry Sinclair Lewis (February 7, 1885 – January 10, 1951) was an American novelist, short-story writer, and playwright. In 1930 Nobel Prize in Literature, 1930, he became the first author from the United States (and the first from the America ...

’s '' Babbitt'', calling it “subtler, wittier and much more elegantly written.”

Plot summary

Based out of

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

, Father Urban Roche is a member of the fictitious

, the Clementines. The Clementines, by Father Urban's estimation, are stagnating. They care little about innovation and are instead content to remain as they are. Father Urban's charismatic, energetic personality contrasts the rest of the Order. Through his charisma, he befriends a wealthy benefactor named Billy Cosgrove, who helps Fr. Urban secure new quarters for the Order. Despite Fr. Urban's charismatic spirit, he is sent to The Order of St. Clement, a failing retreat house in rural Minnesota. At Minnesota, Fr. Urban is joined by Fr. Jack, an aging priest who was also transferred from Chicago to Minnesota. Fr. Wilfrid presides over The Order of St. Clement and is primarily concerned with completing the necessary repairs to the facility. To Fr. Urban's dismay, the property is in sorry shape, and the Order hardly has the means to repair it. True to his spirit, Fr. Urban dreams of making the retreat a better place and it is renamed St. Clement's Hill. Fr. Urban becomes involved with the surrounding communities in the area, slowly growing a following thanks to his public speaking skills. He plays a large role in revitalizing a local parish and makes connections throughout the community, particularly with the Thwaites family. Mrs. Thwaites, an aging widow, was the previous owner of St. Clement's hill before donating the property to the Order. Thanks to the patronage of Billy Cosgrove, Fr. Urban is able to buy property neighboring St. Clement's Hill to turn into a golf course. With this innovation, the retreat becomes more popular than ever. The Bishop, a man who Fr. Urban feels greatly competitive towards, comes to visit the golf course. The two play a game together, during which Fr. Urban is hit in the head with a golf ball. This event serves as a turning point for Fr. Urban. Soon after this, Billy Cosgrove and Fr. Urban take a fishing trip. Billy cruelly attempts to drown a deer, an action which Fr. Urban counteracts by knocking Billy out of the boat. Angry, Billy responds in kind, pushing Fr. Urban out of the boat, stranding him. He is left on his own and has to find his own way back home. Luckily, while waiting for the bus, Mrs. Thwaites’ daughter, Sally, drives by and offers Fr. Urban a ride. The two spend the evening together on a small island in the middle of the lake on the Thwaites’ property, drinking and talking. Sally challenges Fr. Urban to a swim, but, feeling as if their relationship was heading in an immoral direction, he refuses. Sally then goes out for a swim alone and takes the boat, leaving Fr. Urban once again stranded and forced to swim back to shore. In terms of his career, Fr. Urban has never been more successful. He is soon elected Father Provincial and returns to Chicago. However, his health is failing and he no longer acts with the charisma and energy he once did. While he used to live to challenge the bureaucracy of the Order, he is now solidly a part of it and maintains the status quo.

Style

J. F. Powers was known for his writing about priests, but it was ''Morte d'Urban'', his debut novel, that established his voice. Often called the greatest Catholic writer of the 20th century, Powers' priests demonstrate the balance between man and his profession. Powers' sharp wit guides the reader towards having a sense of humor about such a subject.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Morte d'Urban National Book Award for Fiction–winning works 1962 American novels Doubleday (publisher) books Catholic novels Novels about Christian clergy Novels set in Minnesota 1962 debut novels NYRB Classics