Souls in the Twilight

by Roger Scruton

“Scruton’s multifaceted exploration of what it means to be a relational and responsible person is one of the great philosophical and literary projects of our time." — Daniel J. Mahoney, The New Criterion

Follow the stories of lost souls seeking their place of belonging. As the light goes out, people begin to wander in the twilight. Set in recent times before the blinding glare of social media, this thoughtful collection of short stories explores the lives of those stuck in the in-between—those who are not quite where they belong, where they wished to be.

With unfailing lightness of touch, Scruton portrays characters who cannot let go of the Yusuf, set on a path of revenge that bears no relation to his teenage life; Bill who wanders the world in his imagination but cannot leave his suburban living room; Sarah, whose insane mission to save the Lebanese Christians brings disaster to the only person she loves; Veronica, whose determination to look the truth in the face wraps her young life in deception—all of them lost to their surroundings, and yet, touchingly seeking a home in them.

Lovers of the short story will appreciate Souls in the Twilight for its deeply personal insight and poetic drama.

Genres: Fiction, Philosophy, Short Stories

178 pages, Paperback

Published October 8, 2018

About the author

Sir Roger Scruton was a writer and philosopher who has published more than forty books in philosophy, aesthetics and politics. He was a fellow of the British Academy and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. He taught in both England and America and was a Visiting Professor at Department of Philosophy and Fellow of Blackfriars Hall, Oxford, he was also a Senior Fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center, Washington D.C.

In 2015 he published two books, The Disappeared and later in the autumn, Fools Frauds and Firebrands. Fools Frauds and Firebrands is an update of Thinkers of the New Left published, to widespread outrage, in 1986. It includes new chapters covering Lacan, Deleuze and Badiou and some timely thoughts about the historians and social thinkers who led British intellectuals up the garden path during the last decades, including Eric Hobsbawm and Ralph Miliband.

In 2016 he again published two books, Confessions of A Heretic (a collection of essays) and The Ring of Truth, about Wagner’s Ring cycle, which was widely and favourably reviewed. In 2017 he published On Human Nature (Princeton University Press), which was again widely reviewed, and contains a distillation of his philosophy. He also published a response to Brexit, Where We Are (Bloomsbury).

Reviews

[Jordan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good collection of stories, all loosely connected thematically. They’re good, but they’re not happy, concerned as they are with aimless moderns coping—in one way or another—with the disintegration of family and community, the atomization of society, and the death of meaning.

This being the first fiction I’ve read by Scruton, I was prepared for thoughtful stories not particularly well written (which commonly happens when non-fiction writers turn to short stories or fiction), but these were gracefully written, with at least a few moments of striking beauty or comparison in each.

[Kelly L Hobbins · Rating 3 out of 5]

The last and longest story of this 5-soul collection was called "Bill." It was the deepest one, by far, but the other ones didn't do much for me. I am not a faint-of-heart reader. I don't mind tackling occasional dense reads, but this author seemed to write language that was overly complicated for no apparent reason, other than to be confusing. I rarely knew what the heck he was talking about, even though I was grasping the plots of each short story. Not a bad read, but not for everyone; I'll just say that.

[Tabitha · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this collection of short stories, Roger Scruton writes with prose that is almost lyrical. His descriptions are perceptive and always framed from a unique angle like the picture of a mountain stretched over the surface of a lake. However, he has certain philosophical points which he batters his characters with rather than letting his characters delude themselves with philosophies that ensnare their actions.

[Magda Michielsens · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ik heb hier geen oordeel over. Het zijn 5 schetsen van Souls in the Twilight. Ik snap in de meeste gevallen niet waar de verhalen over gaan. Ik ben over de helft en heb er weinig aan. Fictie is aan mij niet besteed.
Van Scruton's werk over cultuur en over conservatisme houd ik heel veel.

Toen ik het voorgaande schreef moest het beste nog komen.
Het laatste verhaal - BILL - vond ik prachtig. Wellicht omdat het over verloren zielen ging die ik wel (her)ken. Over cultuur en psychiatrie, vriendschap en aliënatie, waanzin en aanpassing.
Het lezend in december 2020 stel ik onvermijdelijk de vraag: Waar blijft dit alles nu, nu iedereen ongeveer contactloos leeft ?

Ik las het vooral nu om de dood van Roger Scruton te herdenken, een jaar geleden.

[Germán · Rating 4 out of 5]

These are tales from the age of cowardice.

Short stories of broken people, each failing in their own way to live in the contemporary age.

This would be a fantastic book were it not for the inner dialogues, they tend to be way too elaborate for the characters in which they inhabit.

[Bill Berg · Rating 4 out of 5]

https://beingbeliefbehavior.blogspot....

[Pedro Jacob · Rating 2 out of 5]

Roger Scruton is a much better writer than he is a storyteller, but don't let that stop you from reading this book. The stories are enjoyable, the characters feel real, and the author's erudition and command of the English language make this collection an immensely pleasuring read.

[Michael Dionne]

Uneven but Interesting

A strange collection and I didn’t enjoy parts of it, but the last story really makes you consider what happens when you taste transcendence in the modern era.