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Last edited by mheiman
September 25, 2022 | History
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Thomas Merton

Thomas Merton (January 31, 1915 – December 10, 1968) was a 20th century American Catholic writer. A Trappist monk of the Abbey of Gethsemani, Kentucky, he was a poet, social activist and student of comparative religion. In 1949, he was ordained to the priesthood and given the name Father Louis.

Merton wrote more than 70 books, mostly on spirituality, social justice and a quiet pacifism, as well as scores of essays and reviews, including his best-selling autobiography, The Seven Storey Mountain (1948), which sent scores of disillusioned World War II veterans, students, and even teen-agers flocking to monasteries across US, and was also featured in National Review's list of the 100 best non-fiction books of the century.

Merton was a keen proponent of interfaith understanding. He pioneered dialogue with prominent Asian spiritual figures, including the Dalai Lama, D.T. Suzuki, the Japanese writer on the Zen tradition, and the Vietnamese monk Thich Nhat Hanh. Merton has also been the subject of several biographies.

Photo of Thomas Merton

priest and author (1915–1968)

Born 1915
Died 1968

466 works Add another?

  • Cover of: The seven storey mountain.
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    Cover of edition sevenstoreymount00thom Cover of edition sevenstoreymount0000unse Cover of edition sevenstoreymoun000mert Cover of edition bwb_S0-BNF-020 First published in 1948 — 39 editions
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  • Cover of: No man is an island
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    Cover of edition isbn_9780760738351 Cover of edition nomanisisland0000unse First published in 1955 — 27 editions
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  • Cover of: Seeds of contemplation.
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    Cover of edition seedsofcontempla0000unse Cover of edition seedsofcontempla0000mert_o4e6 Cover of edition seedsofcontempla00mert Cover of edition semidicontemplaz0000mert Cover of edition seedsofcontempla0000unse_v6p4 First published in 1949 — 26 editions
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  • Cover of: Thoughts in solitude
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    Cover of edition thoughtsinsoli0000unse Cover of edition thoughtsinsolitu0000mert_s1y1 Cover of edition thoughtsinsolitu0000mert Cover of edition thoughtsinsolitu00mert Cover of edition thoughtsinsolitu00thom First published in 1958 — 24 editions
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  • Cover of: The waters of Siloe.
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    Cover of edition watersofsiloe0000mert First published in 1949 — 19 editions
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  • Cover of: Bread in the wilderness.
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    Cover of edition breadinwildernes00mert Cover of edition breadinwildernes0000mert_z5f4 First published in 1953 — 18 editions
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  • Cover of: The sign of Jonas.
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    Cover of edition signofjonas00mert_0 Cover of edition signofjonas0000mert Cover of edition bwb_S0-AKZ-950 Cover of edition signofjonas00thom First published in 1953 — 18 editions
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  • Cover of: The ascent to truth
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    Cover of edition ascenttotruth0000mert_t0n1 Cover of edition ascenttotruth0000mert_o9h5 Cover of edition ascenttotruth00mert Cover of edition ascenttotruth0000thom_y9o5 Cover of edition ascenttotruth0000mert_j0s9 First published in 1951 — 15 editions
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  • Cover of: The New Man
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    Cover of edition newman00thom Cover of edition newman00mert Cover of edition newman0000mert_c5s8 First published in 1961 — 14 editions
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  • Cover of: The silent life
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    Cover of edition silentlife0000mert_t0m6 First published in 1957 — 14 editions
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  • Cover of: The Living Bread
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    Cover of edition livingbread00mert Cover of edition bwb_P9-ELH-392 First published in 1956 — 14 editions
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  • Cover of: Mystics and Zen masters
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    Cover of edition mysticszenmaster00mert Cover of edition mysticszenmaster00mert_0 First published in 1967 — 13 editions
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  • Cover of: The way of Chuang Tzu
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    Cover of edition wayofchuangtzu00mert First published in 1968 — 13 editions
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  • Cover of: The wisdom of the desert: sayings from the Desert Fathers of the fourth century
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    Cover of edition wisdomofdesert00mert Cover of edition wisdomofdesertsa0000unse_j4p5 Cover of edition wisdomofdesertsa0000mert First published in 1960 — 12 editions
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  • Cover of: The last of the Fathers: Saint Bernard of Clairvaux and the encyclical letter, Doctor Mellifluus.
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    First published in 1954 — 12 editions
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  • Cover of: Dialogues with Silence: Prayers and Drawings
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    First published in 2001 — 11 editions
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  • Cover of: The intimate Merton: his life from his journals
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    Cover of edition intimatemertonhi0000mert Cover of edition intimatemertonhi00mert_770 First published in 1999 — 11 editions
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  • Cover of: Spiritual direction and meditation
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    Cover of edition spiritualdirecti0000mert_t3g7 Cover of edition spiritualdirecti0000mert_h9p4 First published in 1960 — 11 editions
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  • Cover of: New Seeds of Contemplation
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    Cover of edition newseedsofcontem00mert First published in 1962 — 10 editions
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  • Cover of: Contemplative prayer
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    Cover of edition contemplativepra0000mert_w2o8 First published in 1969 — 10 editions
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Photo of Thomas Merton

priest and author (1915–1968)

Born 1915
Died 1968

Subjects

Catholic Church, Spiritual life, Trappists, Merton, thomas, 1915-1968, Monastic and religious life, Correspondence, Biography, Contemplation, History, Religious aspects, Christianity, Christian life, Diaries, Meditations, Monks, Spiritual life, catholic church, Mysticism, Clergy, Prayer, Cistercians, Bible, Doctrines, Meditation, Monasticism and religious orders, Poetry

Places

United States, Japan, Kentucky, Asia, France, New York, Alaska, Cuba, England, Georgia, Hiroshima-shi, Italy, London, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New York (State), Olean, Pleasant Hill, Scotland, Soviet Union, Utah

People

Thomas Merton (1915-1968), Bernard of Clairvaux, Saint (1090 or 91-1153), Bernard of Clairvaux, Saint (1090 or 1091-1153), Czesław Miłosz, Daisetz Teitaro Suzuki (1870-1966), Jesus Christ, Albert Camus (1913-1960), Boris Leonidovich Pasternak (1890-1960), Gandhi Mahatma (1869-1948), John of the Cross Saint (1542-1591), M. Berchmans Mother (1876-1915), Mary Blessed Virgin, Saint, Pius XII Pope (1876-1958), Robert Lax, Rosemary Radford Ruether, Adam of Perseigne (1145-1221), Aelred Graham (1907-), Benedict Saint, Abbot of Monte Cassino, Bernard of Clairvaux, Saint, Bernard of Clairvaux, Saint (1091-1153), Bernard, of Clairvaux Saint (1090 or 91-1153), Czes·law Mi·losz, Czesław Miłosz (1911-2004), James Laughlin (1914-), Jean Leclercq (1911-)

Time

20th century, Early church, ca. 30-600, Middle Ages, 600-1500, 16th century, 1918-1948, 1945-, 1945-1989, 1959-1990, 1960-, 1965-

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Alternative names

  • Tomasz Merton
  • Thomas Merton OCSO
  • Merton T
  • T. Merton

History

Download catalog record: RDF / JSON
September 25, 2022 Edited by mheiman merge authors
September 24, 2022 Edited by mheiman merge authors
September 30, 2020 Edited by MARC Bot add ISNI
April 22, 2019 Edited by RADI add other name
October 29, 2010 Edited by Prajña Added new photo