The Tiber was Silver

by Michael Novak

This reprint of Michael Novak's first novel is an intriguing story about a young man preparing for priesthood in Rome and studying theology at the Gregorianum, and his struggles with whether he is truly called to the priesthood. It takes place in the 1950's, a time of the Hungarian Revolution, the launching of the Sputnik, when Kennedy succeeded Eisenhower, just before Pope JohnIII would take the place of Pope Pius XII, and when there were evident stirrings within the Church that would ultimately result in Vatican II. The Tiber Was Silver provides a unique view of the pre-conciliar Church through the eyes of a young seminarian and draws the reader into his momentous decision.

Genres: Fiction

330 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1961

About the author

Michael Novak is an American Catholic philosopher, journalist, novelist, and diplomat. He is George Frederick Jewett Scholar in Religion, Philosophy, and Public Policy at the American Enterprise Institute

Novak served as United States Ambassador to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights in 1981 and 1982 and led the U.S. delegation to the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe in 1986.

In 1993 Novak was honored with an honorary doctorate degree at Universidad Francisco Marroquín] due to his commitment to the idea of liberty. In 1994 he was awarded the Templeton Prize for Progress in Religion.

Reviews

[Sharon]

The writing is decidedly not to my taste. While the dialogue is decent, the descriptions and internal monologues are exhausting, and Novak makes a violent car crash sound dull. However, I'm a sucker for Catholic fiction that concerns itself with ordinary people and the daily fight for sanctity. There are several red herrings, where you think the story will take a turn for the scandalous. To his credit, Novak doesn't indulge in those potential plot twists, and is confident in his quiet, mostly-internal story. I don't like the book, but I like that we have it.

[Alex Strohschein]

"The Tiber Was Silver" is a story of a young man, Richard McKay, who is entering his last year as a seminarian. The novel traces the obstacles Richard faces in attaining ordination, including his passion for painting, his frustration with the "old ways" of his superior and his attraction to an intelligent and beautiful girl. Throughout, Michael Novak does an excellent job of conveying the spiritual angst that Richard must wrestle with, through his feelings of inadequacy and his resistance towards obedience. As someone who has just begun Christian graduate school, I felt a certain sympathy with his character.

The ultimatum between Richard's desire for painting and his obedience to holy orders seems like a false dichotomy to me as an evangelical. As well, although Richard ruminates frequently on his love for the common people, there is very little interaction between his character and the laity. "The Tiber Was Silver" was first published in 1961. In 1962, the Second Vatican Council would convene. It would be interesting to see how much of Richard McKay's frustrations were addressed at Vatican II.

[Tucker]

A heavy-handed approach to a young American man's grappling with his vocation to become a priest. He struggles most mightily with the requirement of obedience, especially in the context of having an intense, persistent need to figure out life, the universe, and everything within the confines of his own mind. On one occasion, he even goes for a walk to clear his head, and this is perceived as a nearly unforgivable violation. Taking a walk without permission! What has become of obedience? The older, non-American priests insist on casting the kid as a hothead who is handicapped by his youth and cultural background. This is kind of funny, as it's not like he's out drinking whiskey and spitting.

The matter of celibacy and the question of exactly what he believes about God arise in vague ways, but are not the main obstacles. It's pretty clear this guy is priest material, even to a reader who is not an expert on what makes a priest. He's going to graduate.

(Not the sort of thing I usually read, and I have no recollection how or why it ended up on my shelf. Maybe I guessed wrong that the reference to the Tiber River would be about ancient Rome, not modern Rome.)

[Fr. John Garrett]

While the specifics on the stages towards ordination are out of date, the questions a man faces as he discerns priesthood remains the same. I recommend all seminarians read it.