The church and censorship of the theatre

I'm delighted to be able to announce that an article of mine on this subject has been accepted for a forthcoming volume of Studies in Church History. There are some revisions to make, but it examines the private correspondence between the archbishops of Canterbury and the Lord Chamberlain over stage plays that were received for licensing between 1909 and 1949. Dealing mostly with archbishops Davidson and Lang, it examines the grounds on which the archbishops advised for or against the licensing of plays, and situates the relationship between archbishop and Lord Chamberlain in relation to the peculiar position of Cantuar at the heart of the 'establishment'. It should appear in 2012.

The 'Catholic novel'

I note a minor flurry of interest from the Guardian in 'Catholic' novelists, around the time of the Pope's visit in September. David Lodge wrote most interestingly on Muriel Spark's Memento Mori, and D.J. Taylor on the theme at large. There was also an interview with Piers Paul Read to accompany his new novel The Misogynist.