I had a year off, so my wife and I were heading to Italy to study Italian. We found a little house in a village called Atrani. I discovered that Gore Vidal lived right above us in a big house, so I sent him a note. – Jay Parini
I suspect that the framers of the Bill of Rights have long since rolled over in their graves. – Jay Parini
Fundamentalism takes different forms in different religions, but there is one striking similarity in all forms of fundamentalist thought. Each wishes dearly to hold in check all varieties of ‘modern’ or ‘decadent’ thinking. – Jay Parini
American politicians who dwell on American exceptionalism only dishonor us by suggesting we play dumb to our past. – Jay Parini
Actually, a myth is a story that is not just not true, but it’s a story that is especially true. And I think the myth of Jesus is especially true. – Jay Parini
American failures in Vietnam and Iraq suggest that it’s not really possible to create and sustain a proxy government in a country far from our own borders. – Jay Parini
The ability to sympathize with those around us seems crucial to our survival, and it’s connected to the mirroring functions of the brain. – Jay Parini
Beginning in the late 18th century, some German scholars began to regard Holy Scripture not as a single revelation but a sequence of inspired texts that occurred in specific times and places and were subject to varied and multiple meanings. – Jay Parini
The most dazzling aspect of ‘Possession’ is Ms. Byatt’s canny invention of letters, poems and diaries from the 19th century. – Jay Parini
The fact is, we need markers in life, whether we subscribe to a religion or not. And the major holidays, such as Christmas, serve to remind us of the turning world. – Jay Parini
I still have deep respect for the evangelical tradition and feel, in many ways, close to the Baptist roots of my childhood, although I’ve been an Episcopalian throughout my adult life and a regular churchgoer. – Jay Parini
Christmas is a story that has both religious and pagan origins, and to ignore its power is to ignore the power of myth – those symbols and legends that help us to ground our lives. – Jay Parini
The stories about the life and teachings of Jesus were mainly told in Greek, the original language of the gospels. – Jay Parini
I think the membrane – I say that the membrane between life and death is perilously thin. And I do think the story of Jesus, this great mythical story, can have transforming value in our lives. – Jay Parini
I came to know Gore Vidal in the mid-1980s, when I was living in southern Italy, virtually a neighbour, and our friendship lasted until his death in 2012. Needless to say, he was a complicated and often combative man. – Jay Parini
We are a nation of immigrants, a quilt of many colors, and we’ve managed over more than two centuries to create a way of life that allows for a reasonable degree of upward mobility, that prizes individual liberty, promotes freedom of religion and genuinely values equal rights for all citizens. – Jay Parini
The whole Christmas story was probably a later addition to the gospel narratives, presented only by the authors of Matthew and Luke. Mark and John seem never to have heard of the manger in Bethlehem, the Massacre of the Innocents, the hovering star, the three wise men, and so forth. – Jay Parini