A Canticle for Leibowitz is a post-apocalyptic social science fiction novel by American writer Walter M. Miller Jr., first published in 1959. Set in a Catholic monastery in the desert of the southwestern United States after a devastating nuclear war, the book spans thousands of years as civilization rebuilds itself. The monks of the Albertian Order of Leibowitz preserve the surviving remnants of man's scientific knowledge until the world is again ready for it.
The novel is an amalgamation of three short stories Miller had originally published in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, inspired by the author's participation in the bombing of a monastery at the Battle of Monte Cassino during World War II. The book is considered one of the classics of science fiction and has never been out of print. Appealing to mainstream and genre critics and readers alike, it won the 1961 Hugo Award for best science fiction novel, and often appears on "best of" lists. It has been recognized three times with Locus Poll Awards for best all-time science fiction novel. Its themes of religion, recurrence, and church versus state have generated a significant body of scholarly research.
The story starts approximately 500 after a global nuclear war has reduced mankind to barbarism. It centres around an order of monks living in an abbey in the former US Southwest.
The story had previously been published as a series of novels in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science.
It was adapted for radio by John Reed, and aired in 15 episodes in 1981 on National Public Radio stations. Directed by Karl Schmidt, the series starred Fred Coffin, Russell Horton, Bart Hayman and Herb Hartig with narration by Carol Collins. Music for the series was by Greg Fish and Bob Budney and the Edgewood College Chant Group.
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