  a canticle for leibowitz is a post-apocalyptic science fiction novel by american writer walter m. miller, jr., first published in 1960. set in a catholic monastery in the desert of the southwestern united states after a devastating nuclear war, the story spans thousands of years as civilization rebuilds itself. the monks of the fictional albertian order of leibowitz take up the mission of preserving the surviving remnants of man's scientific knowledge until the day the outside world is again ready for it. a canticle for leibowitz is based on three short stories miller contributed to the magazine of fantasy & science fiction.isfdb catalogs them as a novelette and two novellas, which are defined by word counts 7500â17,500 and 17,500â40,000 where shorter and longer works are short stories and novels. it is the only novel published by the author during his lifetime. considered one of the classics of science fiction, it has never been out of print and has seen over 25 reprints and editions. appealing to mainstream and genre critics and readers alike, it won the 1961 hugo award for best science fiction novel. inspired by the author's participation in the allied bombing of the monastery at monte cassino during world war ii, the novel is considered a masterpiece by literary critics. it has been compared favorably with the works of evelyn waugh, graham greene, and walker percy, and its themes of religion, recurrence, and church versus state have generated a significant body of scholarly research. miller's follow-up work, saint leibowitz and the wild horse woman, was published posthumously in 1997. ==publication history== ===development=== walter miller was a prolific writer of science fiction short stories; by 1955 he had published over 30 stories in such magazines as astounding science fiction, amazing stories, and fantastic adventures. significant themes of his s
1960_novels 1960s_science_fiction_novels Abbey_of_Monte_Cassino American_post-apocalyptic_novels American_science_fiction_novels English-language_novels Fictional_Christian_saints Hugo_Award_for_Best_Novel-winning_works J._B._Lippincott_&_Co._books Novels_by_Walter_M._Miller,_Jr. Post-apocalyptic_fiction Post-apocalyptic_literature Post-apocalyptic_novels Religion_in_science_fiction Roman_Catholic_novels Texarkana Works_originally_published_in_The_Magazine_of_Fantasy_&_Science_Fiction