Walker
Percy was born
in 1916 and died in
1990. Often described as a
Christian existentialist and a
philosophical novelist, he is best
known for his novels set in the New
South, which include The Moviegoer,
The Last Gentleman, Love in the Ruins:
The Adventures of a Bad Catholic at a
Time Near the End of the World, and Lance-
lot. He also wrote numerous philosophical
tracts and many essays on language and
semiotics. Recurring themes in his novels
include the search for some transcendent
meaning in modern life, the individual's
alienation from himself and the out-
side world, the human condition
within the post-industrial and
technological age, and the
value and religious sig-
nificance of human
life.