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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

Born 1915
Died 1968

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  • Cover of: Contemplative prayer.

    Cover of edition contemplativepra00mert First published in 1969 — 10 editions
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  • Cover of: Conjectures of a guilty bystander

    Cover of edition conjecturesofgui0000mert Cover of edition conjecturesofgui00mert First published in 1965 — 10 editions
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  • Cover of: Seeds of Destruction

    Cover of edition seedsofdestructi00mert First published in 1964 — 10 editions
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  • Cover of: The hidden ground of love: the letters of Thomas Merton on religious experience and social concerns

    Cover of edition hiddengroundoflo0000mert_p5b5 First published in 1985 — 9 editions
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  • Cover of: The Climate of monastic prayer

    Cover of edition climateofmonasti0000unse Cover of edition climateofmonasti0000mert_w8t6 First published in 1961 — 8 editions
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  • Cover of: What are these wounds?: The life of a Cistercian mystic, Saint Lutgarde of Aywières

    Cover of edition whatarethesewoun0000mert_z6j2 First published in 1948 — 8 editions
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  • Cover of: Thomas Merton on peace

    Cover of edition thomasmertononpe00mert Cover of edition thomasmertononpe00mert Cover of edition thomasmertononpe00mert First published in 1971 — 8 editions
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  • Cover of: Love and living

    Cover of edition loveliving0000mert_y3i5 First published in 1979 — 8 editions
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  • Cover of: Contemplation in a world of action

    First published in 1971 — 8 editions
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  • Cover of: Entering the silence: becoming a monk & writer

    First published in 1995 — 7 editions
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  • Cover of: What Is Contemplation?

    First published in 1948 — 7 editions
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  • Cover of: The monastic journey / Thomas Merton

    First published in 1977 — 7 editions
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  • Cover of: The springs of contemplation: a retreat at the Abbey of Gethsemani

    Cover of edition springsofcontemp0000mert Cover of edition springsofcontemp00mert First published in 1992 — 7 editions
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  • Cover of: The inner experience: notes on contemplation

    First published in 2003 — 7 editions
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  • Cover of: Run to the mountain: the story of a vocation

    First published in 1995 — 7 editions
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  • Cover of: Zen and the birds of appetite.

    First published in 1968 — 7 editions
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  • Cover of: Exile ends in glory: the life of a Trappistine, Mother M. Berchmans

    Cover of edition exileendsinglory0000mert First published in 1948 — 7 editions
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  • Cover of: Disputed questions.

    First published in 1960 — 7 editions
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  • Cover of: A search for solitude: pursuing the monk's true life

    Cover of edition searchforsolitud00mert Cover of edition searchforsolitud00mert_958 First published in 1996 — 7 editions
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  • Cover of: Selected poems of Thomas Merton

    Cover of edition selectedpoems00mert First published in 1959 — 7 editions
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Photo of Thomas Merton

Born 1915
Died 1968

Subjects

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

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, Jesus Christ, Albert Camus (1913-1960), Boris Leonidovich Pasternak (1890-1960), Daisetz Teitaro Suzuki (1870-1966), 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

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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
April 1, 2008 Created by an anonymous user initial import