The Lost Country Spring 2013: A Literary Journal of The Exiles (The Lost Country : A Literary Journal of The Exiles) (Volume 2)

The Lost Country is a journal published by The Exiles, a literary club of Fort Worth, Texas, featuring original works of poetry, short fiction, translation, criticism, and book reviews. The Lost Country is the natural result of the need the members of The Exiles saw for a scholarly journal committed to the investigation of the nature and characteristics of the literary work of art in explicit regard to the venerable literary tradition of the West, and particularly as transmitted by The Inklings, the Southern Critics, and related thinkers of the past century. The Lost Country exhibits the poetic, narrative, and critical work of members of The Exiles and others who wish to contribute to the enduring life of that tradition, and it is our hope that it engage the larger literary community as well. The Exiles affirm that literature is more than mere entertainment, more than social commentary, more than artistic expression. It is rather a mode of knowledge, embodying the deepest truths of the world and human experience. But as John Henry Newman says in The Idea of a University, those who pursue knowledge in isolation "may be full of their own mode of viewing things, unwilling to be put out of their way, slow to enter into the minds of others." As such, The Exiles also believe that the writing, reading, and criticism of literature best takes place in a community dedicated to the common pursuit of truth. The Exiles’ mission is to engage in a conversation of literary works of art and the truth they embody and bring that conversation into the public square. As a result, one of our chief goals is to cultivate relationships with others who share our convictions about the nature of literature and its importance in the life of the well-formed person.