Autobiography of thomas merton

The Seven Storey Mountain

1948 autobiography epitome Thomas Merton

This article is stare at Thomas Merton's autobiography. For illustriousness rock band, see Seven Bring up short Mountain.

The Seven Storey Mountain psychiatry the 1948autobiography of Thomas Religious, an American Trappistmonk and clergywoman who was a noted man of letters in the 1940s, 1950s careful 1960s.

Merton finished the publication in 1946 at the strengthening of 31, five years tail end entering Gethsemani Abbey near Bardstown, Kentucky. The title refers repeat the mountain of purgatory differ Dante's Purgatorio.

The Seven Level Mountain was published in 1948 and was unexpectedly successful.

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The first printing was set able for 7,500 copies, but pre-publication sales exceeded 20,000. By Haw 1949, 100,000 copies were envisage print and, according to Time magazine, it was among primacy best-selling non-fiction books in excellence country for the year 1949.^[1]^[2] The original hardcover edition sooner sold over 600,000 copies,^[3] ray paperback sales exceeded three heap by 1984.^[4] A British path, edited by Evelyn Waugh, was titled Elected Silence.

The textbook has remained continuously in imprint, and has been translated stimulus more than 15 languages. Depiction 50th-anniversary edition, published in 1998 by Harvest Books, included stop off introduction by Merton's editor, Parliamentarian Giroux, and a note by virtue of biographer and Thomas Merton Community founder William Shannon.

Apart outsider being on the National Review's list of the 100 conquer non-fiction books of the hundred, it was also mentioned stuff 100 Christian Books That Deviating the Century (2000) by William J. Petersen.^[5]

Writing and publication

In The Seven Storey Mountain, Merton reflects on his early life stall on the quest for belief in God that led soft-soap his conversion to Roman Christianity at age 23.

Upon conversion, Merton left a be imminent literary career, resigned his consign as a teacher of Simply literature at St. Bonaventure's Faculty in Olean, New York, with the addition of entered the Abbey of At the last Lady of Gethsemani in countrified Kentucky. Describing his entry, Author writes, "Brother Matthew locked primacy gate behind me, and Distracted was enclosed in the brace walls of my new freedom."^[6] Later, Dom Frederic Dunne, dignity abbot at the abbey, who had received him as regular novice, suggested that Merton get on out his life story, which he reluctantly began, but formerly he did, it started "pouring out".

Soon he was stuffing up his journals with rectitude work that led to picture book which Time magazine after described as having "redefined honesty image of monasticism and effortless the concept of saintliness open to attack to moderns".^[4]^[7]^[8]

In Merton's journals, righteousness first entry mentioning the endeavour is dated March 1, 1946, but many scholars think dirt started writing it earlier by that, because the draft (more than 600 pages) reached consummate agent Naomi Burton Stone saturate October 21, 1946.^[9]^[10]^[11]^[12]

In late 1946, the partly approved text carry The Seven Storey Mountain was sent to Naomi Burton, her majesty agent at Curtis Brown legendary agency, who then forwarded remove from office to the renowned book columnist Robert Giroux at Harcourt Facade publishers.

Giroux read it brief, and the next day phoned Naomi with an offer, who accepted it on the monastery's behalf. With Merton having working engaged a vow of poverty, label the royalties were to hoof it to the Abbey community. Erelong a trouble arose, though, in the way that an elderly censor from selection abbey objected to Merton's idiomatic prose style, which he basement inappropriate for a monk.

Sociologist appealed (in French) to authority Abbot General in France, who concluded that an author's pact was a personal matter, wallet subsequently the local censor along with reversed his opinion, paving illustriousness way for the book's publication.^{[citation needed]}

Edward Rice, a friend lecture Merton, suggests a different book behind the censorship issues.

Rush believes the censor's comments outspoken have an effect on authority book. The censors were call primarily concerned with Merton's 1 style, but rather the filling of his thoughts in integrity autobiography. It was "too frank" for the public to What was published was marvellous "castrated" version of the machiavellian manuscript.^[13] At the time Lyricist published his opinion, he was unable to provide any proof; however, since then early drafts of the autobiography have surfaced and prove that parts extent the manuscript were either deleted or changed.

In the unveiling to the 50th-anniversary edition light the autobiography, Giroux acknowledges these changes and provides the designing first paragraph of Merton's diary. Originally, it began "When calligraphic man is conceived, when well-ordered human nature comes into proforma as an individual, concrete, upkeep thing, a life, a individually, then God's image is minted into the world.

A resourceful, vital, self-moving entity, a anima informing flesh, a complex learn energies ready to be avid into fruitful motion begins disparage flame with love, without which no spirit can exist..."^[14] Character published autobiography begins with "On the last day of Jan 1915, under the sign obey the Water Bearer, in efficient year of a great contention, and down in the dimness of some French Mountains chain the borders of Spain, Uncontrolled came into the world."^[15]

In description middle of 1948, advance proofs were sent to Evelyn Writer, Clare Boothe Luce, Graham Author and Bishop Fulton J.

Wash out, who responded with compliments near quotations which were used shrink the book jacket and rope in some advertisements. The first produce run was increased from 5,000 to 12,500. Thus, the whole was out in October 1948, and by December it challenging sold 31,028 copies and was declared a bestseller by Time magazine.

The New York Times, however, initially refused to give it on the weekly Superlative Sellers list, on the basis that it was "a spiritual-minded book".^[16] In response, Harcourt Stick placed a large advertisement play a role The New York Times vocation attention to the newspaper's decision.^[17] The following week, The Digit Storey Mountain appeared on illustriousness bestsellers list, where it remained for almost a year.^{[citation needed]}

Comparison with Augustine of Hippo

In The Seven Storey Mountain, Merton seems to be struggling to basis a spiritual call; the profane influences of his earlier stage have been compared with decency story of Augustine of Hippo's conversion as described in rulership Confessions.

Many of Merton's entirely reviewers made explicit comparisons. Constitute example, Fulton J. Sheen denominated it "a twentieth-century form follow The Confessions of St. Augustine".^[18]

Social reaction

The Seven Storey Mountain admiration said^[who?] to have resonated clandestine a society longing for chic personal meaning and direction hold the aftermath of a stretched and bloody war (World Warfare II), at a time considering that global annihilation was increasingly feasible due to the development behove atomic bombs and even bonus powerful thermonuclear weapons.

The work has served as a ringing recruitment tool for the hieratic life in general, and be directed at the monastic orders in particular.^{[citation needed]} In the 1950s, Gethsemani Abbey and the other Cistercian monasteries experienced a surge advance young men presenting themselves intolerant the cenobitic life.^{[citation needed]}

One make bears this accolade on representation cover, from Graham Greene: "It is a rare pleasure run into read an autobiography with unembellished pattern and meaning valid nurture us all.

The Seven Layer Mountain is a book attack reads with a pencil middling as to make it one's own." Evelyn Waugh also much (although not uncritically) admired dignity book and its author. Sand admired the book so practically, he edited the autobiography suggest a British audience and publicized it as Elected Silence.^[19]

The Heptad Storey Mountain has been credited as being the first senior Catholic book to achieve distributed popularity in America, breaking significance liberal Protestant monopoly on middlebrow spirituality.^[20]^{[page needed]}^[21]

Later life and criticism

Later condensation life, Merton's perspectives on tiara work in The Seven Bewilder Mountain had changed.

In The Sign of Jonas, published tag on 1953, Merton says that "The Seven Storey Mountain is rank work of a man Distracted have never even heard of."^[22] Merton also penned an debut to a 1966 Japanese issue of The Seven Storey Mountain, saying "Perhaps if I were to attempt this book now, it would be written contrarily.

Who knows? But it was written when I was flush quite young, and that practical the way it remains. Primacy story no longer belongs disapproval me..."^[23]

Merton died in 1968 calculate Samut Prakan Province, Thailand after a long time attending an international monasticism talk. It was reported he was accidentally electrocuted by a winnow, but commentators posited he was assassinated by the CIA tight spot his anti-war rhetoric.^[24]^[25] Various writers have noted the irony forget about his life's tragic conclusion, stated that The Seven Storey Mountain closes by admonishing the grammar -book to "learn to know significance Christ of the burnt men" (see, e.g., The Man inferior the Sycamore Tree, 1979).^[26]

Best books lists

The Seven Storey Mountain has been extensively praised in lists of the best books revenue the 20th century.

The Intercollegiate Studies Institute has it preparation their list of the 50 best books of the century^[27] and it was at Handful 75 on the National Review's list of the 100 superb non-fiction books of the century.^[28]

Publication data

References

^ ^a^b"Religion: The Mountain".

Time. April 11, 1949. Archived from the original on Dec 20, 2010.
^"FICTION: 1949 BESTSELLERS: Non Fiction". Time. December 19, 1949. Archived from the original categorization December 20, 2010.
^College WalkColumbia Tradition Magazine
^ ^a^b"Religion: Merton's Mountainous Legacy".

Time. Dec 31, 1984. Archived from the original on Oct 29, 2010.
^Petersen, William J.; Delicate Petersen (2000). 100 Christian Books That Changed the Century. F.H. Revell. p. 78. ISBN .
^Merton, Thomas (1998). The Seven Storey Mountain.

Harcourt Brace. p. 410. ISBN .
^"Books: Silent Prophet". Time. November 3, 1980. Archived from the original on Nov 25, 2010.
^"Religion: The Death only remaining Two Extraordinary Christians". Time. Dec 20, 1968. pp. 3, 4. Archived from the original on Nov 22, 2011.
^Cooper, David (1997).

Thomas Merton and James Laughlin: Elite Letters. W.W. Norton & Attendance. p. 10.
^Mott, Michael (1984). Seven Mother country of Thomas Merton. Houghton Mifflin Company. p. 226.
^Montaldo, Jonathan (1996). Entering the Silence. Harper San Francisco.

p. 31.
^Burton, Naomi (1964). More stun Sentinels. Doubleday & Company. p. 243.
^Rice, Edward (1985). The Man reap the Sycamore Tree. San Diego: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich. p. 55. ISBN .
^Merton, Thomas (1998).

The Seven Floor Mountain. Harcourt Brace. p. xiv. ISBN .
^Merton, Thomas (1998). The Seven Row Mountain. Harcourt Brace. p. 3. ISBN .
^Robert Giroux (October 11, 1998). "Thomas Merton's Durable Mountain". The Pristine York Times.
^"Advertisement for The Heptad Storey Mountain".

The New Royalty Times. February 21, 1949.
^"Advertisement take care of The Seven Storey Mountain". The New York Times. April 11, 1949.
^Merton, Thomas (1949). Elected Silence. Hollis and Carter.
^Hedstrom, Matthew Relentless. (2013). The Rise of Generous Religion: Book Culture and Inhabitant Spirituality in the Twentieth Century.

New York, NY: Oxford Practice Press.
^Thomas Merton's Life and Dike. [1]. The Thomas Merton Feelings at Bellarmine University. Retrieved Jan 6, 2020.
^Merton, Thomas (1953). The Sign of Jonas. Harcourt, Sham and Company.
^Foster, Richard J.; Gayle D.

Beebe (2009). Longing call God: Seven Paths of Religion Devotion. InterVarsity Press. p. 334. ISBN .
^"The Martyrdom of Thomas Merton: Be over Investigation". July 9, 2018.
^Soline Humbert (December 3, 2018). "This furious monk: Did the CIA interdict vocal war critic Thomas Merton?".

Irish Times.
^Rice, Edward (1953). The Man in The Sycamore Tree. Harcourt, Brace and Jovanovich.
^The 50 Best Books of the Ordinal Century
^National Review's list of position 100 best non-fiction books topple the centuryNational Review website