Religious scholars are very serious people.
Hugh Nibley, 1910-2005, was the strongest intellectual defender of the LDS Church, and, at the same time, Mormon culture’s “gad-fly critic.”
The world knew Hugh Nibley as a writer, lecturer and public speaker. However, he was also a prolific and serious letter-writer, and he came from a time and tradition that regarded conversation as a fine art. This blog is made up mostly of material from Nibley’s unpublished writings, interviews and conversations. We think you will find the posts here entertaining, thought-provoking, and perhaps even sometimes enlightening.
There are a few things readers should remember when reading these posts:
- Much of what appears here was never intended for public consumption. Hugh Nibley was a careful editor when preparing his work for publication and made sure what his text said was what he really meant. Many of the letters and conversation you will see here were candid and unguarded, and may contain things he would not have said if had taken time to edit himself.
- Many of these posts are based on material several decades old, and on certain subjects Hugh Nibley changed his mind over the years.
- Hugh Nibley often spoke and wrote in an ironic voice, and what he said wasn’t always what he meant. Those close to him knew that, but it isn’t always apparent to others.
We welcome all comments on the posts, both positive and critical; but this is a moderated blog and only comments approved by the editors will be posted. Hugh Nibley loved the give and take of spirited discussion, especially with those who disagreed with him. However, having shuffled off this mortal coil, he will not be able to respond to your questions and comments here.
Finally, we know there are many hundreds of letters and personal stories out there from and about Hugh Nibley, and if you have any you would like to share, we would love to hear from you.
Were you guys aware that you have a pretty regular issue with duplicate tweets? I love this twitter account and blog, but it’s becoming a little severe. Thank you for providing this service!
Jared, thanks for your input. We had noticed that a lot of HN’s Twitter followers follow a lot of people and also that some followers tend to pick up tweets at different times of the day. By scheduling tweet repeats at different times, we hoped people who might be missing them would get a chance to see them. And in several instances we’ve had retweets and favorites of repeated tweets, indicating we probably were hitting some people who had missed things the first time around. That said, we always want people to see the HN logo as a sign that there’s something there that’s fresh and thought provoking. Thank you for reading and responding.
I am so enjoying Hugh’s blog! His brilliance and wit are wonderful and I wish I could have known both Hugh and his family through the years.
Hugh Was and still is one of the greatest minds to walk this wonderful earth we live on!!!!!
https://sites.google.com/a/lock19galleryart.com/www/rebeccaeverettportraits%3Ahughw.nibley
Thank you for this blog
Tony, Somehow your comment got sent to “Spam”. Sorry about that, we appreciate your comments.
I am an unabashed Nibley fan. I have all his books and lectures, both tape and book. One day in Deseret Book, years ago, I heard his voice. I knew it well, having listened to his tapes innumerable times. I turned and there he stood conversing with an employee. I was breathless. I wanted to tell him how much I admired him but I thought he’d be embarrassed. So I didn’t say anything. To meet him would have been my idea of meeting a “rock star”. In the eternities I do want to meet him. What a mind!
Thank you.
Do you have rss-feed or is the email subscribtion the only way to follow you?
We’re working on the RSS feed. We’ll let you know when it’s active.
Pingback: Hugh Nibley’s on Twitter! And has a Blog – Temple Study - LDS Temples, Mormon Temples, Study Blog