The Wine of Certitude: A Literary Biography of Ronald Knox / David Rooney

A well written and in-depth overview of the life and literary accomplishments of Ronald Knox, the famous Catholic convert and apologist from England who was a major figure in the English Catholic literary revival in the first half of the twentieth century.
Rooney presents a look at the full range of Knox’s writings including his apologetics, detective fiction, satire and other genres, offering an intellectual portrait that is fascinating and engaging. He includes a heavy dose of sample writings from Knox throughout the book that gives it a kind of mosaic approach, and makes the works and the person of Knox emerge from the pages in a vivid and lively way.

Knox was a prolific author who wrote over 75 books, as well as many articles and homilies. He wrote on many topics and genres including satire, novels, spirituality, and detective stories. Among his many books include The Hidden Stream, The Belief of Catholics, Captive Flames, Pastoral and Occasional Sermons and many more. There is a "Knox revival" going on today with much renewed interest in his writings, and is evidenced by the large Ronald Knox Society of North America.

David M. Rooney, an expert on the writings and life of Ronald Knox,  is Associate Professor of Engineering at Hofstra University in Hempstead, NY. Aside from his professional research in experimental aerodynamics, he has published several articles and many book reviews in Catholic periodicals. He is a long time member of the American Catholic Historical Association. This is his first book.