George Weigel explores 'vocation' by elegizing historic figures

CNA Staff, Feb 18, 2021 / 15:19 pm

George Weigel this month released a book collecting remembrances of a range of historical figures, with the goal of exploring "what it means to live a worthy life."

Not Forgotten: Elegies For, and Reminiscences Of, a Diverse Cast of Characters, Most of Them Admirable is a compilation of nearly seventy elegies for diverse individuals, some of whom Weigel knew personally, and some whom he "admired from a distance."

These include such figures as St. John Paul II, Jackie Robinson, and Charles Krauthammer.

"The book is really an exploration of the many meanings of 'vocation' and the many forms of excellence," Weigel told CNA.

The book features religious figures, athletes, politicians, and media personalities, among others. Not all lived imitable lives, but nevertheless ought not be forgotten, Weigel said.

"For all their differences, the men and women in my album of elegies and reminiscences all teach important lessons about what it means to live a worthy life. Some, admittedly, teach it along the old via negativa, the road we ought not travel."

Weigel, Distinguished Senior Fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center, is the author of, among others, Witness to Hope: The Biography of Pope John Paul II.