Entering the Silence: Becoming a Monk and a Writer (Journals of Thomas Merton, 2) - Softcover

Thomas Merton

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0060654775 ISBN 13: 9780060654771

Publisher: Bravo Ltd, 1997

Synopsis

"Inexorably life moves on towards crisis and mystery. Everyone must struggle to adjust himself to this, to face the situation for 'now is the judgment of the world.' In a way, each one judges himself merely by what he does. Does, not says. Yet let us not completely dismiss words. They do have meaning. They are related to action. They spring from action and they prepare for it, they clarify it, they direct it." --" Thomas Merton ,"" August 16, 1961

The fourth volume of Thomas Merton's complete journals, one of his final literary legacies, springs from three hundred handwritten pages that capture - in candid, lively, deeply revealing passages - the growing unrest of the 1960s, which Merton witnessed within himself as plainly as in the changing culture around him.

In these decisive years, 1960-1963, Merton, now in his late forties and frequently working in a new hermitage at the Abbey of Gethsemani, finds himself struggling between his longing for a private, spiritual life and the irresistible pull of social concerns. Precisely when he longs for more solitude, and convinces himself he could not cut back on his writing, Merton begins asking complex questions about the contemporary culture ("the 'world' with its funny pants, of which I do not know the name, its sandals and sunglasses"), war, and the churches role in society.

Thus despite his resistance, he is drawn into the world where his celebrity and growing concerns for social issues fuel his writings on civil rights, nonviolence, and pacifism and lead him into conflict with those who urge him to leave the moral issues to bishops and theologians.

This pivotal volume in the Merton journals reveals a man at the height of abrilliant writing career, marking the fourteenth anniversary of his priesthood but yearning still for the key to true happiness and grace. Here, in his most private diaries, Merton is as intellectually curious, critical, and insightful as in his best-known public writings while he documents his movement from the cloister toward the world, from Novice Master to hermit, from ironic critic to joyous witness to the mystery of God's plan.

Thomas Merton (1915-1968) was a Trappist monk, writer and peace activist. His spiritual classics include "New Seeds of Contemplation, The Sign of Jonas, Mystics and Zen Masters" and "The Seven Story Mountain"

About this title

From the Back Cover:

The second volume of Thomas Merton's 'gutsy, passionate journals' (Thomas Moore) chronicles Merton's advancement to priesthood and emergence as a best-selling author with the surprise success of his autobiography, 'The Seven Storey Mountain'. Spanning an eleven-year period, 'Entering the Silence' reflects Merton's struggle to balance his vocation to solitude with the budding literary career that would soon establish him as one of the most important spiritual writers of our century.
THOMAS MERTON

Was a trappist monk, spiritual master, writer and peace activist. His spiritual classics include 'New Seeds of Contemplation', 'The sign of Jonas,' and 'Zen Masters'.

JONATHAN MONTALDO

writes and lectures extensively on Thomas Merton and is an advisor to the 'Merton Seasonal Review'

PRAISE FOR THE JOURNALS OF THOMAS MERTON

"Delightful ... Brilliant social, political and personal commentaries."
'New York Times Book Review'

"A rich introduction to [Merton's] vivid imagination."
Boston Globe

"When all the journals are published, it is likely that they will take place with the famous journals of Henry David Thoreau, G.M. Hopkins, Edmund Wilson, and perhaps be seen as an American version of St. Augustine's 'Confessions'"
'Catholic News Service'

About the Author:

Thomas Merton (1915-1968) was a Trappist monk, writer and peace activist. His spiritual classics include the bestselling The Seven Storey Mountain , New Seeds of Contemplation and The Sign of Jonas .

Dr Robert E. Daggy is director of the Thomas Merton Studies Centre at Bellarmine College. He lives in Louisville, KY.

About this edition

• Publisher: Bravo Ltd
• Publication date: 1997
• ISBN 10: 0060654775
• ISBN 13: 9780060654771
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 528
• Editor: Jonathan Montaldo