A Thomas Merton Reader

May your God and my God be smiling May the sun be shining on your shore May Dublin and Belfast be swaying May they all meet you at the door ...

Thomas Merton will always be one of my favorite seekers of Truth ( when I read the selections here I find myself not feeling so alone in my search)...here is a great slection of Merton, not meant to be comprehensive (Merton's output is too enormous for that)...here you discover Merton the poet, the monk, but overall, the writer...here are his passions for the Spanish poets, Eastern Philosphy, Russian Literature, to mention a few...this book has selections that start and end with his "Seven Storey Mountain" the autobiography which placed Merton into the literary limelight to begin with; however the selections in between even incorporate selections from the posthumous "Asian Journal"...would love to see a deluxe edition incoroporating selections from his now published private journals...

An interesting, well-organized anthology of Merton's total works. This collection demonstrates the value of having the author contribute to the production of an anthology. Merton's works encompass a dramatic range of theological and literary style, and this anthology deals fairly with each. From the Augustinian Seven Storey Mountain, to Thoureau-like literary reviews and journals, and even to some Harlem Renaissance-like poetry, this anthology has it all. Merton in all his brilliance... a must read, and a must-have addition to any modern theological library, Catholic or not.

Thomas Merton was a master of self-relflection style writing and this reader captures that nuance of Merton's being so well that the book reads almost like a diary. It is laid out to follow Merton's life, pulling from the majority of his published works. It's fascinating to watch his more superstitious and youthful ideas about Catholicism slowly turn into a more practical mature discipline. It's also interesting from the viewpoint of a writer, something Merton explicily was whether he liked it or not. Some of the writing is fantastic, magical, while some is dry and self-involved - just as any writer can and will be. Very inspiring. I took this book with me on a retreat to Gethsemani and it made the perfect companion. Well-worth owning even if you have most of Merton's books already.

This book does provide some of the best writings of Thomas Merton. The editors of the book have given the reader the ability to see the mind of Thomas Merton through a long period of his life. The editors did not only take from Merton's more famous books but they also printed some previously unavailable writings by Merton. My only problem with this book was the limited selection of works concerning Merton's interest in Zen.