The Book of Bebb
Cover of the first collected edition | |
Lion Country Open Heart Love Feast Treasure Hunt | |
| Author | Frederick Buechner |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Publisher | New York: Atheneum |
| Published | 1971–1977 |
| No. of books | 4 |
| Preceded by | The Entrance to Porlock |
| Followed by | Godric |
The Book of Bebb is a tetralogy of novels by the American author and theologian, Frederick Buechner. Published in 1971 by Atheneum, New York, Lion Country is the first in the Book of Bebb series. It was followed by Open Heart (1972), Love Feast (1974), and Treasure Hunt (1977). In 1972 Lion Country was named a finalist in the National Book Award for Fiction. The Book of Bebb is an edited single volume edition containing the four novels, and it was published by Atheneum, New York, in 1979.
The Bebb novels revolve around the figure of Leo Bebb, a clergyman with a shady past, and are narrated by his son-in-law, Antonio Parr. Leland Ryken, Philip Ryken, and Todd Wilson suggest that the story raises the issues of "using one's ministry to escape from and rectify one's past, using proof texts from the Bible to justify one's actions with no accountability, placing ministry ahead of family, and presenting the gospel through outlandish and sometimes fraudulent means."