The Genius of Marilynne Robinson

I have only recently discovered that Marilynne Robinson is a novelist of (I do not use the word lightly) genius. Housekeeping and Gilead have changed my life (for the better). The Death of Adam is a collection of her essays. Herein she writes: "There is no reason to expect the survival of institutions which were the products of an ethos we have effaced and lost." Thousands of columns, leaders and general rants have been written on the abysmal condition of the National Health Service, the police, schools, universities, the civil service and almost every other British institution. In one elegant sentence Robinson explains all that needed to be explained and humbles my noisy, self-important profession. Read and learn.