On the Banks of Monks Pond: The Thomas Merton/Jonathan Greene Correspondence [Hardcover]

Jonathan Greene (Author), Thomas Merton (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review

A delightful, beautifully produced little volume.... It is of interest to Merton aficionados...and to many others. - Paul M. Pearson, Director, Merton Center, Bellarmine University -- Cistercian Studies Quarterly, 2005

Ce petit volume est un joyau. - Brigitte Bouillon ("This little volume is a joy.") -- Collectanea Cisterciensia, Vol. 68, No. 1 (2006)

Its affection and direct expression provide a passing glimpse into the operations of Merton's psyche when friendship and enterprise intersect. - Paschal Baumstein, OSB -- American Benedictine Review, September 2006

From the Back Cover

Reading On the Banks of Monks Pond is an experience like none other. Two friend, Jonathan Greene and Thomas Merton, delighted in putting together a small magazine of avant-gard poetry and prose, called Monks Pond, which remains in print after all these years. Their enthusiasm as the project progressed is contagious. A wonderful gift. - Brother Patrick Hart, General Editor, The Journals of Thomas Merton

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 64 pages
• Publisher: Broadstone Books (August 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0972114424
• ISBN-13: 978-0972114424
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 4.9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,681,144 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Thomas Merton (1915-1968) is arguably the most influential American Catholic author of the twentieth century. His autobiography, The Seven Storey Mountain, has millions of copies and has been translated into over fifteen languages. He wrote over sixty other books and hundreds of poems and articles on topics ranging from monastic spirituality to civil rights, nonviolence, and the nuclear arms race.

After a rambunctious youth and adolescence, Merton converted to Roman Catholicism and entered the Abbey of Gethsemani, a community of monks belonging to the Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance (Trappists), the most ascetic Roman Catholic monastic order.

The twenty-seven years he spent in Gethsemani brought about profound changes in his self-understanding. This ongoing conversion impelled him into the political arena, where he became, according to Daniel Berrigan, the conscience of the peace movement of the 1960's. Referring to race and peace as the two most urgent issues of our time, Merton was a strong supporter of the nonviolent civil rights movement, which he called "certainly the greatest example of Christian faith in action in the social history of the United States." For his social activism Merton endured severe criticism, from Catholics and non-Catholics alike, who assailed his political writings as unbecoming of a monk.

During his last years, he became deeply interested in Asian religions, particularly Zen Buddhism, and in promoting East-West dialogue. After several meetings with Merton during the American monk's trip to the Far East in 1968, the Dali Lama praised him as having a more profound understanding of Buddhism than any other Christian he had known. It was during this trip to a conference on East-West monastic dialogue that Merton died, in Bangkok on December 10, 1968, the victim of an accidental electrocution. The date marked the twenty-seventh anniversary of his entrance to Gethsemani.

Customer Reviews

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3.0 out of 5 stars Reflections on Thomas Merton, August 9, 2007

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This review is from: On the Banks of Monks Pond: The Thomas Merton/Jonathan Greene Correspondence (Hardcover)

This book is a pleasant read, short enough for one sitting. If you are a lover of Thomas Merton and enjoy knowing all about him, this "dainty" book is worthy to be added to your collection.