Mr. Blue

I loved how he authors footnotes bring together a character whom we should be more like in our lives.

I first read this in the late 50s. It is a short tale of a rather charismatic person who spends his life in a somewhat religious bent while still in the day to day world. It is told by a friend who sees Blue from afar and tries to understand and interpret Blue's rather intense religious existence while "in the world".When first read, this was both a theological work and a philosophical interpretation of a religious experience. Coming back some 60 plus years this book would be strange for many contemporary college age students but it is a reminder of Post WW II thought.Definitely worth a read to understand how we have changed from that time. Blue is a mystic in asense, in the world but not always part of the world. Blue is clearly called that in reference to Mary, mother of Jesus, whose color was blue. Thus Blue is in a sense a Marian acolyte.

Mr. Blue by Myles Connolly is that rare treasure of a book and story whose description triggers a need to obtain it. This 115 page, Loyola Press edition, novella got a mention in Fr. James T. O'Connor's wonderful book on the theology of the Eucharist, The Hidden Manna. What Fr. O'Connor said about this book intrigued me and I purchased it. It is a wonderful read.Originally published in 1928 the book was written by screen writer and producer Myles Connolly. He is most famous for his connection with the classic films It Happened One Night and State Of The Union. He was also a devout Catholic and that shows in his story telling.The main character, J. Blue, is the anti-Gatsby. He is a Jazz Age St. Francis seeking to divest himself of all things material and a saint of the streets who seeks out poverty to glorify God. Blue, who for part of the story lives in a packing crate on the roof of a skyscraper, sees the image of God in every man, especially the poor, and is in tune with creation. Where Gatsby sought to rid himself of his past and invested his life in social climbing, Blue seeks to lessen himself so that the glory of God will increase. Of note and interest is the author's describing Eugenics and the State in its most evil incarnation and eerily predicting Nazi religious persecuation and racial law. Remember, this book was published in 1928. Myles Connolly apparently had his finger on what was going on in the world. Sadly, some of what the main character J. Blue sees in his dream has come to pass.This is a book every Catholic should read. It would make a wonderful book for parish discussion. Finally, it would make a great full-length movie. I say full-length because even though it is a novella Blue's dream, which he thought would make a great film, would take a full production to do it justice. Buy this book and pass it along to your friends, Catholics and non-Catholics alike.

This book is short, but watch out. It packs a punch - there's a lot there worth rereading. I was delighted when I first read it that our small town library had a copy in their stacks, but it did make my must-own list. I may or may not pass it out indiscriminately to those unsuspecting visitors and friends who mention, however much in passing, that they "need something good to read."Mr. Blue takes on so many topics, with a succinctness that might make you think it's a quick read. Oh, it is! But it will sit in your mind, like one of those expandable sponges, and soak up what's already there, and make you turn those thoughts and reflections in a different way, in a different light, until you have something completely new.Mr. Blue is worth reading and discussing with others. It is an excellent book study (my fiction book club kicked off with it), because it provides so much of the stuff that's good to chew on with others. I think it would be especially interesting to read this with a group of teens, because although it was written back in 1928, it seems to speak to me NOW (but I'm not a teen). I wonder what they would have to say about it, what thoughts it would inspire, what conversation would ensue.

This is a 1968 printing, but has the same cover as the edition I read in 1960-61. Looking back, this was possibily the book that most influenced my life. It left we with a lasting impression that life is a glorious adventure.With this older edition, you get the pure Mr. Blue to enjoy and ponder. More recent editions carry an autobiography of the author as well as evaluative commentary--even study questions. I think all that ballyhoo with folks telling us what we should focus on and what we should get out of the book actually compromises the natural beauty of the book. The words of Mr. Blue speak eloquently enough for themselves, and stand on their own merit.All the editorial hype included with the more recent printings is unwelcome to this reader. If you must buy a recent edition, read only with the original forward by Myles Connolly; then, only after giving it a couple months to sink in, read the extra hype if you must.

This book was not new when I first read it fifty five years ago. The story is set in Boston and is narrated by a quite conventional friend of the young unconventional fictional Mr Blue. This friend is as attracted to Mr. Blue as he is bewildered by him. Mr. Blue appears perfectly happy living as the birds of the air or the lilies of the field. Sometimes it seems he has nowhere to lay his head. He makes unlikely friends of people of all classes. My favorite part of the book is Mr Blue's idea for a movie about a future when Christianity has been abolished. Only two Christians are left: one who is about to be executed and a hidden Catholic priest.This short book won't appeal to a wide audience but it stuck in my mind for a long time. It brings up the question what would it mean for someone to radically follow Jesus?

Mr. Blue enthusiastically lives as a Christian. This book is the exact opposite of existentialist doubt and despair. This book was written in 1928. One year before the great Market crash. It questions a life lived just for the acquisition of wealth.