Author: Walter M. Miller A post-apocalyptic novel spanning several centuries, A Canticle for Leibowitz follows a fictional group of monks known as the Albertian Order of Leibowitz, a group wholly dedicated to the preservation of culturally significant artefacts - primarily literature in an age in which knowledge is shunned and despised. In the novel, a nuclear war referred to as the Nuclear Deluge has laid waste to civilisation, and many of those who have survived the disaster have developed a vicious distrust of all things educated, or knowledgeable. In response to the disaster, anti-intellectualist mobs known as Simpletons have outlawed anything and everything they consider remotely learned, even going as far to murder those they consider too intellectual which even includes those unfortunate enough to be literate. Split into three sections titled "Fiat Homo", "Fiat Lux" and "Fiat Voluntas Tua", the novel explores the implications of cyclical history, primarily in regards to science, faith and technologic progress. One of the primary debates in the novel surrounds the issue of Church vs State, especially in regards to issues such as abortion and euthanasia, though despite the prevalence of the discussion, Miller himself doesnt seem to emphasise one perspective over the other. In the end, despite all the moral issues and ethical debates taking place, youre left to make the final determinations yourself.
