The History of Literature 761 The Story of the Nativity (with Stephen Mitchell) | The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger (#4 Greatest Book of All Time)
Dec 24, 2025
In this engaging discussion, Stephen Mitchell, a renowned translator and author known for his modern adaptations of spiritual classics, shares insights from his latest work, The First Christmas. He explores the Nativity story, emphasizing empathy through reimagined characters like a compassionate innkeeper and gives voice to animals in the tale. Mitchell reflects on his journey of translation, spiritual discovery, and why the Nativity resonates deeply. The conversation also touches on J.D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye, delving into its themes of exclusion and authenticity.
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Small-Town Christmas Eve Memory
- Jacke Wilson recalls the hush and candlelit magic of a small-town Christmas Eve service that made the Nativity feel real to him.
- The memory frames his introduction to Stephen Mitchell's reimagining of the Nativity story.
Power Of A Compressed Origin Story
- The Nativity story is extremely concise on the page but has spawned centuries of cultural expansion and tradition.
- That compression invites creative retellings like Stephen Mitchell's to illuminate implied details.
Job Study Led To Zen Training
- Stephen Mitchell recounts learning Hebrew and studying Job intensely after a painful breakup to understand suffering.
- That six-year textual immersion led him to seek direct spiritual training in Zen, which resolved his searching.