Frederick Buechner (born July 11, 1926) is a Presbyterian minister and an American author. Buechner (pronounced BEEK-nur) graduated from Lawrenceville School in 1943 and was accepted to Princeton University. Buechner spent two years (1944-1946) in the military, including combat duty in World War II, before finishing his studies at Princeton. Buechner received a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1947. During his senior year he won the prestigious Glascock Prize for poetry.
In 1948, Buechner returned to Lawrenceville as an English teacher. In 1950, Buechner published his first novel, A Long Day's Dying, which he had begun writing during his senior year at Princeton. Buechner quit teaching in 1953 and moved to New York to become a full-time writer.
Buechner then began attending Union Theological Seminary, and received his Bachelor of Divinity Degree in 1958, which is equivalent to what is now called a Master of Divinity. He then served as the school chaplain at Phillips Exeter Academy from 1958-1967.
His most critically acclaimed novel, Godric, is the semi-fictionalized story of the life of a medieval Catholic saint, Godric of Finchale, told from his own perspective. Godric was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize in 1981.
The poet James Merrill (1926-1995) credited Buechner as an early inspiration. Merrill dedicated First Poems to Buechner in 1951. Merrill and Buechner were friends in high school.
Buechner currently lives in Vermont and as of 2004 continues to write. A film made about him in 2003 can be watched here: .
The alternative rock band Daniel Amos released Mr Buechner's Dream inspired by and honoring the author.
Selected bibliography The Magnificent Defeat, 1966 The Entrance to Porlock, 1970 Open Heart, 1972 The Book of Bebb, 1979 Godric, 1981 The Final Beast, 1982 The Alphabet of Grace, 1985 Peculiar Treasures: A Biblical Who's Who, 1985 Telling the Truth: The Gospel As Tragedy, Comedy, and Fairy Tale, 1985 The Sacred Journey, 1985 Brendan, 1987 Whistling in the Dark: An ABC Theologized, 1988 The Wizard's Tide: A Story, 1990 The Clown in the Belfry: Writings on Faith and Fiction, 1992 The Son of Laughter, 1993 Wishful Thinking, 1993 The Longing for Home: Recollections and Reflections, 1996 On the Road With the Archangel, 1997 The Storm, 1998 The Eyes of the Heart: A Memoir of the Lost and Found, 1999 Speak What We Feel (Not What We Ought to Say): Reflections on Literature and Faith, 2001 Secrets in the Dark, 2006 (ISBN 0060842482)
