Books and a Film: All About Silence

I would love to attend the South by Southwest Film Festival in Austin next month — if for no other reason than to be at the North American premiere of the movie In Pursuit of Silence. Here’s the latest trailer for this “meditative film about our relationship with sound and the impact of noise on our lives.”

So if you live in or near Austin, or are attending SXSW, go see this movie (they haven’t announced time and location yet, so keep an eye on the movie’s website for details.

In honor of In Pursuit of Silence, I thought I’d do something just for fun today — pull together a list of books with either the words “Silent” or “Silence” in the title. Some of these books I’ve already praised on this blog (or elsewhere online), others I haven’t read yet.

In other words, some of these books I can confidently say are wonderful, others are unknown quantities (at least to me). One title I myself wrote. I’ve set in bold a few books that are my personal favorites.

Most are spiritual or philosophical in nature, although representing a variety of traditions and perspectives. Three have the phrase “Silence of God” in the title — how cool is that?

So read with an inquiring mind and a discerning heart. If you have any suggestions of books that should be added to this list, let me know. And happy exploring!

1. A Camaldolese Hermit, Silence: A Series of Conferences
2. Alan Ecclestone, A Staircase for Silence
3. Alexander Ryrie, Silent Waiting: The Biblical Roots of Contemplative Spirituality
4. Alexander Ryrie, Wonderful Exchange: An Exploration of Silent Prayer
5. Alice Borchard Greene, The Philosophy of Silence
6. Anne D. Leclaire, Listening Below the Noise: A Meditation on the Practice of Silence
7. Benignus O’Rourke, Finding Your Hidden Treasure: The Way of Silent Prayer
8. Bieke Vandekerckhove, The Taste of Silence: How I Came to Be at Home with Myself
9. Bruce Davis, Monastery Without Walls: Daily Life in the Silence
10. Carl McColman, Befriending Silence: Discovering the Gifts of Cistercian Spirituality
11. Catherine Doherty, Molchanie: The Silence of God
12. Cornelius Wencel, The Eremitic Life: Encountering God in Silence and Solitude
13. Cyril Hepher, The Fellowship of Silence: Explorations in the Common Use of Prayer Without Words
14. Cyril Hepher, The Fruits of Silence: Further Studies in the Common Use of Prayer Without Words, Together With Kindred Essays in Worship
15. David G. Hackett, The Silent Dialogue: Zen Letters to a Trappist Monk
16. Br. David Steindl-Rast, The Way of Silence: Engaging the Sacred in Daily Life
17. Dainin Katagiri, Returning to Silence: Zen Practice in Daily Life
18. Diarmaid MacCulloch, Silence: A Christian History
19. Elias Marechal, Tears of an Innocent God: Conversations on Silence, Kindness and Prayer
20. Frank Bianco, Voices of Silence: Lives of the Trappists Today
21. Fred L. Holmes, The Voice of Trappist Silence
22. George M. Foy, Zero Decibels: The Quest for Absolute Silence
23. George Prochnik, In Pursuit of Silence: Listening for Meaning in a World of Noise
24. Gregory Fruehwirth, Words for Silence: A Year of Contemplative Meditations
25. Henri J. M. Nouwen, The Way of the Heart: Connecting with God Through Prayer, Wisdom and Silence
26. James P. Carse, The Silence of God: Meditations on Prayer
27. John Skinner, Hear Our Silence: A Portrait of the Carthusians
28. Karl Rahner, Encounters with Silence
29. Karmen MacKendrick, Immemorial Silence
30. Kyriacos C. Markides, The Mountain of Silence: A Search for Orthodox Spirituality
31. Maggie Ross, Silence: A User’s Guide, Volume 1: Process
32. Maggie Ross, Writing the Icon of the Heart: In Silence Beholding
33. Martin Laird, Into the Silent Land: A Guide to the Christian Practice of Contemplation
34. Martin Laird, A Sunlit Absence: Silence, Awareness and Contemplation
35. Morton Kelsey, The Other Side of Silence: Meditation for the Twenty-First Century
36. Patrick Leigh Fermor, A Time to Keep Silence
37. Raimundo Panikkar, The Silence of God: The Answer of the Buddha
38. Richard Rohr, Silent Compassion: Finding God in Contemplation
39. Robert Llewelyn, Circles of Silence: Explorations in Prayer with Julian Meetings
40. Robert Sardello, Silence: The Mystery of Wholeness
41. Rowan Williams, Silence and Honey Cakes: The Wisdom of the Desert
42. Ruth Haley Barton, Invitation to Solitude and Silence: Experiencing God’s Transforming Presence
43. Sara Maitland, A Book of Silence
44. Susan Tiberghien, Circling to the Center: One Woman’s Encounter with Silent Prayer
45. Susan Walker: Speaking of Silence: Christians and Buddhists on the Contemplative Way
46. Thich Nhat Hanh, Silence: The Power of Quiet in a World Full of Noise
47. Thomas Merton, Dialogues with Silence: Prayers and Drawings
48. Thomas Merton, Echoing Silence: On the Vocation of Writing
49. Thomas Merton, The Silent Life
50. William H. Shannon, Silence on Fire: Prayer of Awareness

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