{"id":4630,"date":"2010-11-26T01:00:43","date_gmt":"2010-11-26T07:00:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/holyrover\/?p=4630"},"modified":"2010-11-26T01:00:43","modified_gmt":"2010-11-26T07:00:43","slug":"some-suggestions-for-further-reading","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/holyrover\/2010\/11\/26\/some-suggestions-for-further-reading\/","title":{"rendered":"Some Suggestions for Further Reading"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>
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\u00a0<\/em>\u00a0\u201cFor me to write is love; it is to inquire and to praise, or to confess or to appeal,\u201d wrote Merton in an unpublished journal.\u00a0 \u201cNot to assure myself that I am (\u201cI write, therefore I am\u201d), but simply to pay my debt to life, to the world, to other men.\u00a0 To speak with an open heart and say what seems to me to have meaning.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

If you\u2019re interested in continuing your journey with Thomas Merton, here are a few suggestions on what to read next.\u00a0 You have a rich banquet of books to choose from, as Merton wrote some one hundred works, if one includes smaller booklets as well as his full-fledged books.\u00a0(That\u2019s an amazing output for someone who for most of his life had just a few hours a day to write.)\u00a0 Here are several that I have read and loved:<\/p>\n

The Seven Storey Mountain<\/a>\"\"\u00a0is Merton\u2019s best-known book, an autobiography that describes his journey to becoming a monk.\u00a0 It\u2019s\u00a0one of the most influential spiritual works of the past century and continues to sell briskly around the world.\u00a0 Written when he was in his late 20s and early 30s, it\u2019s the work of an enthusiastic, idealistic convert, sometimes dogmatic in a way that Merton would later come to regret. \u00a0But well worth reading, nevertheless.<\/p>\n

The Sign of Jonas<\/a>\"\"\u00a0covers a six-year period beginning shortly before the publication of The Seven Storey Mountain<\/em>.\u00a0 Written in journal form, it is an intimate, informal, and engaging account of Merton\u2019s life in the monastery and his ruminations about a life of faith.<\/p>\n

New Seeds of Contemplation<\/a>\"\"\u00a0is one of Merton\u2019s most highly regarded works, a series of reflections on the contemplative life.\u00a0 The \u201cnew\u201d refers to the fact that it is an expanded and revised version of an earlier text.\u00a0 It represents Merton\u2019s mature thinking, making this a book to read slowly and savor.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re interested in reading about Merton\u2019s exploration of Asian religions, try Zen and the Birds of Appetite<\/a>\"\"\u00a0or The Asian Journal of Thomas Merton (New Directions Books)<\/a>.<\/p>\n

William H. Shannon\u2019s Thomas Merton: An Introduction<\/a>\"\"\u00a0gives an accessible and knowledgeable overview of Merton\u2019s life, works, and legacy.<\/p>\n

In addition, Paul M. Pearson, the director of the Thomas Merton Center in Louisville, recommended two Merton biographies to me:\u00a0 William H. Shannon\u2019s Silent Lamp: The Thomas Merton Story<\/a>\"\"\u00a0and Jim Forest\u2019s Living With Wisdom: A Life of Thomas Merton<\/a>\"\".\u00a0 I haven\u2019t read them yet, but I intend to.<\/p>\n

Whatever you choose to read, I think you\u2019ll find Thomas Merton to be a wise companion on your journey.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\"Thomas
Detail from mural at the Abbey of Gethsemani (Lori Erickson photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0\u00a0\u201cFor me to write is love; it is to inquire and to praise, or to confess or to appeal,\u201d wrote Merton in an unpublished journal.\u00a0 \u201cNot to assure myself that I am (\u201cI write, therefore I am\u201d), but simply to pay my debt to life, to the world, to other men.\u00a0 To speak with an […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2582,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[142],"tags":[248,843],"class_list":["post-4630","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-spiritual-writers","tag-books-2","tag-thomas-merton"],"yoast_head":"\nSome Suggestions for Further Reading<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"\u00a0\u00a0\u201cFor me to write is love; it is to inquire and to praise, or to confess or to appeal,\u201d wrote Merton in an unpublished journal.\u00a0 \u201cNot to assure myself\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/holyrover\/2010\/11\/26\/some-suggestions-for-further-reading\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Some Suggestions for Further Reading\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"\u00a0\u00a0\u201cFor me to write is love; 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