Out of Darkness
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It's one of the most surprising conversions to Christianity in recent times. No one expected vampire novelist Anne Rice, whose 26 supernatural thrillers, historical novels, and erotica books have sold more than 75 million copies, to darken the door of a church, much less write about Jesus.
Rice, born in 1941 with the unlikely name of Howard Allen O'Brien (after her father), was raised as a devout Catholic, but fell away from faith in college. In 1998, after conducting an intensive historical study of the first century and the early church, Rice returned to her childhood faith. She began writing about Jesus' life; Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt, her first novel in a new series, was named by Belief.net as 2005's Best Spiritual Book of the Year. She's also written Christ the Lord: The Road to Cana, Angel Time: The Songs of the Seraphim, and her spiritual memoir, Called Out of Darkness: A Spiritual Confession.
In this interview, Rice talks about her writing, her biggest personal change since returning to faith, and her belief that dark stories have value for Christians.
Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt, the imaginative story of Jesus at age seven, is quite a departure from your earlier writing.
In 2002, I consecrated my work to Christ. I wanted all my writing to be directly for him. Above all, I wanted to write about him and his life on earth. This decision transformed my writing; I was now dealing with my Lord and Savior—the most important subject matter imaginable—and desperately wanted to get the historical and biblical background of the novel completely accurate.
Has anything about your writing not changed?
The underlying theme is the same: redemption. I've always written about redemption. For me, the vampire was a metaphor for a sentient human struggling to find redemption—a creature condemned to darkness, though he or she longed for the light. The tragic plots of my vampiric stories all involve efforts at redemption through various means. The characters suffer failure because I suffered failure. Art, music, and beauty weren't enough to save them because they weren't enough to save me.
Now I find my redemption through Christ; I believe in him and am committed to him. Finding him, serving him—they're part of the overall theme of redemption. In Christ, all the longing I explored in my earlier novels finds reconciliation.
Is there value in dark stories?
The Divine Comedy by Dante; Paradise Lost by Milton; Macbeth, Hamlet, King Lear, Othello by Shakespeare—these are dark stories. Virgil's journey through "the inferno," Milton's great Devil defying God, Macbeth's dreadfully nihilistic speech, "Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow … " are all ingredients of dark stories that offer enormous moral lessons to the reader.
Western literature is filled with examples of such stories that seek to lead us through suffering and shadow toward illumination; they seek to find us where we are—lost or broken—and lead us in the direction of something ultimately meaningful and affirmative.
Related Topics:
Creativity, Culture, Current Events, Imagination
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Average User Rating:
Judy Miller(Registered User)
I can't wait to read my first Ann Rice novel! I'm so thankful that the Holy Spirit gives us each spiritual gifts and that Ann Rice is using her gift for such good! It's obvious that it's not all about selling books, but a personal search to know more about our Lord. Thanks for taking the rest of us along in your search.
Fran
I have long avoided even looking at a book written by Ann Rice because I knew of the dark nature of her writings. I did not know she had become a Christian...this is truly amazing. I will now read her books...at least one - to test the waters!
Janíce
This is an excellent interview, Cindy! I did not read the works of Anne Rice prior to her conversion but I had a deep respect for her as an author. I am so pleased and privileged to know Ms. Rice is a Christian, and this interview impresses me to read her autobiography and current fiction. Thank you!
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