Frederick Buechner (born July 11, 1926) is an American Pulitzer Prize nominated author.

Buechner graduated from Lawrenceville School in 1943 and was accepted to Princeton University. Buechner ended up spending two years (1944-1946) fighting in World War II before he could finish his studies at Princeton. Upon returning to Princeton, Buechner received a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1947.

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 began 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.

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.

Selected bibliography

  • 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